Are you dealing with missing keys and confusing administration? It’s time to track and manage every key in your fleet. We've tried to clear up some of the most commonly heard myths around converting your business to an automated key management system so that you can make a confident decision about what is right for your business.

1. Key management systems are difficult to set up

Many managers get muddled up by technical terminology, especially when they are already familiar with written policies and procedures for key issuance and management. Why change something that isn’t broken? While these processes may seem efficient on the surface, they are riddled with human error and can lead to spending hundreds of dollars every month to have new keys cut.

With Keycafe, things are much simpler than you’d think, even for non-technical users. We offer live video onboarding for every customer, making the experience of getting to know the product as smooth and hassle-free as possible.

With its super easy set up, the Keycafe SmartBox is ready to be used and mounted on the wall by following our extensive written and video guides. Our support team is standing by 24/7 to help you ensure a seamless operation.

2. They’re too complicated for employee compliance

When implementing any key management system, one of the biggest challenges is to make sure employees don’t see it as a burden. Some business owners fear that switching from physical logbooks and spreadsheets to a smart key management system will leave the staff unable to cope with the new technology. That doesn’t have to be the case.

Aside from the fact that employees may forget (accidentally or not) to update paper logs, the Keycafe SmartBox actually helps employees save time. There are multiple workflows for your staff depending on your requirements. You can choose to give each of your staff members a single unique code, or even a badge for them to scan for easy key dropoffs and pickups. Or they can use the Keycafe app for full functionality and authentication. The time, place, and user identity of the transaction is recorded, providing you with accountability, real-time tracking, and accuracy.

Don’t just work harder – work smarter! Find out how Keycafe completely changed vehicle fleet management for a community college in Alabama.

3. They are too expensive

You don’t realize the value of something until it’s gone. As small and simple as it is, a lost key means more than the obvious direct cost of replacing it. It means at least some time spent fixing the problem, and it can also cost a business dearly in many other ways such as a lost customer. While digitalization solves many businesses' pain points, the physical lock and key remains one of the most cost-effective and reliable solutions.

Keycafe is an investment for your organization with most companies seeing a positive return within weeks to a few months. You will regain previously lost time and keys to keep your operations running more efficiently. With Keycafe, you have more accountability for the staff who use the keys, fewer or no lost key incidents, and freed up time for other important tasks. Remote and automated key management eliminates the need for 24-hour staff to facilitate or record key exchanges. The SmartBox is highly scalable and the costs transparent. See our pricing here!

4. Smart locks are better

In 2019, there was a massive power outage in New York City and 72,000 people were left in the dark. Many of them were standing on the streets because their smart lock system was down. The Keycafe SmartBox has a backup battery and offline codes that allow you to access your keys even in the midst of an outage.

Like other smart property tech, smart locks can be quite expensive and take a significant amount of time to implement across your fleet of assets. With a Keycafe SmartBox, you can achieve the benefits of a smart lock system without the prohibitive cost and time to implement. You will have full control over your key inventory and status, knowing at all times who has each key. Traceability becomes seamless: every key pickup and dropoff is monitored in real-time and recorded in downloadable logs.

5. Only large corporations need key management systems

No matter how big or small your business is, you still need to have full control over who has access to which keys. And you need to have a system that can not only accommodate the current size of your business, but also its future growth. No matter the number of keys to track, the Keycafe SmartBox will work the same: the system is modular and expandable to multiple SmartBox expansions to accommodate up to hundreds of keys in a single location or multiple location deployments. You can start with a single 8-bin SmartBox, and add more expansion units along the way. The Keycafe key management system can grow together with your business.

If you want to know more about how our devices can support anywhere from one key to thousands of keys with capacity added as you need it, contact our sales team today for a demo!