Payment Review

What Payment Review Is and Why It's Important

Payment review is like checking your restaurant's bank accounts to make sure all transactions went correctly. Just like you might check your personal bank account daily, payment review helps catch mistakes, missing money, or system issues before they become big problems.

It ensures:

• All customer payments are processed correctly
• No money is lost or missing
• Transactions are properly recorded
• The payment system works smoothly

How to Check That Payments Are Being Processed Correctly

Daily checks include:

• Compare sales to bank deposits - Does the money in your account match what you sold?
• Check transaction list - Review every sale that was made
• Look for failed payments - Some card payments might not process
• Check mobile money receipts - Make sure M-PESA transactions show up

What to look for during review:

• Mismatched amounts - Money that doesn't add up
• Failed transactions - Payments that didn't go through
• Missing items - Orders that weren't charged
• Wrong amounts - Prices that are incorrect
• Duplicate transactions - Same payment recorded twice

What to Look For When Reviewing Payments

Visual indicators to check:

• Green checks - Payment was successful
• Red X or error messages - Payment failed
• Yellow warnings - Something might be wrong
• Pending status - Still processing

Details to verify:

• Payment type - Was cash, card, or mobile money used?
• Amount - Is the charge correct?
• Time - Does it match when the sale happened?
• Customer info - Did the customer get a receipt?

Common issues to catch:

• Overcharges - Charging too much for items
• Underccharges - Missing money from transactions
• Failed refunds - Not returning money when it should
• System delays - Payments stuck in processing

How Often to Review Payment Activity

Daily review is recommended for:

• Small restaurants - Check once at closing
• Medium restaurants - Check twice during busy periods
• Large chains - Check multiple times per day

Weekly review includes:

• Compare total week sales
• Check any patterns or trends
• Look for seasonal variations
• Review any unusual transactions

Monthly review includes:

• Compare with previous months
• Check for larger discrepancies
• Review payment method trends
• Plan for next month's business

Simple daily review example:

1. Open payment review screen
2. Check today's total sales
3. Compare to bank balance
4. Look for any red flags
5. Make notes if anything seems wrong
6. Mark review complete if everything looks good

What to do if you find issues:

• Small amounts (< $10) - Contact payment provider quickly
• Medium amounts ($10-50) - Call customer and payment processor
• Large amounts (>$50) - May need manager intervention
• System issues - Contact technical support

Remember: Quick action prevents small problems from becoming big ones.