If you haven’t outsourced billing services by now, then you’re at risk of falling behind the times. It’s important to remember that going paperless isn’t just a fad or trend. The reason outsourcing billing services has become so popular is that it allows a wide variety of companies to save themselves the time, money, resources, and frustration that comes with a crucial but time consuming process.
In 2016, a variety of municipalities are now looking for utility billing solutions as well. That’s because many cities, counties, and states are dealing with budget shortfalls and limited resources; something as simple as switching to electronic billing can save these entities an average of 11.5 cents per billing statement. On top of that, many people are more likely to pay a billing statement in a timely manner when they have a convenient online solution.
What do you need to know before you outsource utility billing services to a third party? Here’s what you need to look for in an electronic billing system:
You Need More Than Utility Billing Software…
While it’s helpful to think of electronic billing as a paperless system, that’s not entirely true, especially for municipalities that require documentation and invoices. Fortunately, when you outsource utility billing you can eliminate the unnecessary paperwork and invoices, while still retaining invoice printing services on demand.
Billing, Statement Printing, and Invoice Are Too Important To Send Offshore…
Before you outsource such an important part of your business, it’s absolutely essential that you ensure you’re still working only with United States-based services. As with many other types of software and outsourcing, it’s easy to be tricked into thinking you’re working with domestic billing services, when in reality your customer services and important electronic invoices will be routed to a call center on the other side of the world.
Dedicated Customer Service…
If you’ve spent long dealing with the in’s and out’s of billing, then you know there will inevitably be problems, delays, and unforeseen crises to deal with. That’s why it’s crucial that your new utility billing service provides you with a dedicated Customer Service Representative.
If you don’t find a utility billing solution that can offer you all three of these vital services, then you need to keep looking.
