Mobile Payment Magazine

BillingTree Featuring Text Bill Presentment and Authorization at EEI/AGA Customer Service Conference

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On-demand payment processor BillingTree will feature its Mobile Solutions Suite including text notification and payments,  Pre-Funded accounts and mobile optimized web forms along with PaynCash, EBPP and Account Verification tools at next week’s EEI/AGA Customer Service Conference.

The Edison Electric Institute and American Gas Association (EEI/AGA) Customer Service Conference & Exposition is a premiere utility industry customer service annual event. Utility professionals from all levels involved in customer service activities, encompassing customer call centers, benchmarking, meter reading, remittance processing, telephone centers, credit/ collection, customer accounting, mail center operations, training, branch/business office operations and related areas will attend.

Mobile payment options offer greater convenience for customers on the go, and provide a tool for organizations to communicate directly with their customers about possible service outages etc., as well as any outstanding bills.

BillingTree supplies  a leading fully integrated, multi-channel electronic payment platform to a growing list of Industries, including Insurance, Utilities (such as energy, cable, municipal, and phone), as well as Healthcare and Subscription-billed services. Benefits of electronic payment solutions include an accelerated availability of consumer funds, reduced costs associated with manual-payment processing, improved cash management, and integrated processing by managing all payments, returns, and corrections through a single portal.

Source: BillingTree

Utility, Healthcare and Insurance Industies Plan Increased Mobile Billing Options for 2011, Says Survey

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Only about 20% of Utility, Healthcare and Insurance industry companies currently offer customers the option of mobile text bill presentment, and 60% of those polled indicated they have plans to offer such services in 2011, according to a recent poll by BillingTree.

BillingTree, Inc, one of the nation’s leading on-demand payment processors, today announced results from a poll taken during a recent webinar, which looked at the benefits of using mobile payment solutions to collect from customers, particularly in the Utility, Healthcare and Insurance industries. Of those attendees polled, only 20 percent currently offer customers the option of text bill presentment and authorization, but 60 percent of those polled plan to in 2011.

These findings support recent NACHA statistics for utility companies, which predict a 35% year-on-year growth rate in e-billing, with 100% planning to offer mobile alerts within the next 12 months. Additional webinar survey findings include:

  • Only one third currently offer pre-paid accounts with mobile funding for their services.
  • 85% believe offering new mobile prepaid and text solutions will increase customer adoption of paperless billing.

Mobile payment options offer much greater convenience for customers on the go, and provide a tool for organizations to communicate directly with their customers about possible service outages etc., as well as any outstanding bills.

“The results from the webinar show that the rapid mainstream adoption of text messaging is driving many organizations to think more seriously about integrating mobile payments solutions,” said Scott McCollum, BillingTree’s President. “Our Mobile Solutions Suite delivers on this increase in customer adoption, and will help organizations to collect from customers more effectively and in a way that better suits their needs.”

BillingTree supplies fully integrated, multi-channel electronic payment platform to a growing list of Industries, including Insurance, Utilities (such as energy, cable, municipal, and phone), as well as Healthcare and Subscription-billed services. Benefits of electronic payment solutions include an accelerated availability of consumer funds, reduced costs associated with manual-payment processing, improved cash management, and integrated processing by managing all payments, returns, and corrections through a single portal.

Source: PRNewswire

BillingTree Forecasts Over 20 Percent Growth for 2011

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BillingTree, Inc., an on-demand payment processor, today announced company growth of 33 percent during 2010. In January and February 2011, BillingTree closed two consecutive record months and the company has expressed confidence in forecasting over 20 percent growth for 2011.

In 2010, BillingTree significantly added to its suite of solutions and grew presence in two key markets, Healthcare and Utilities. Additionally, the company won substantial orders in these markets and in 2011 has added Insurance to its list of markets served. In Q1, BillingTree launched a new generation of mobile payment solutions which it is rolling out across all industry segments during 2011, significantly driving its strong growth forecasts.

“A recent report from the AITE Group forecasts the number of bills paid with a mobile device is set to grow by 377 percent over the next three years,” commented Scott McCollum, BillingTree’s president. “BillingTree is set to take advantage of this with our mobile payments suite of solutions, and penetration into the new and rapidly growing markets of Healthcare, Utilities and Insurance.”

During 2010 BillingTree increased its staff headcount by 25 percent and added to its executive leadership team. The company has now established a 1,600 strong base of customers, along with the formation of 63 strategic alliances and its new ISO program, which has already led to considerable opportunities in new verticals.In

2010 BillingTree added key technology developments to its payments processing portfolio to drive its growth, including Pre-funded accounts, PaynCash and Debit Cards Only. In 2011 it has already added a new mobile payments suite, which includes billing and paying by text. Additionally, in 2010 the company continued to abide by PCI Compliance guidelines and will maintain PCI Certification for 2011.2010 saw BillingTree host its first user conference attended by customers and partners, and continue with its charity work by raising $100,000 for two charities, JDRF and ChildHelp, through the Rock Block concert.

BillingTree supplies the leading fully integrated, multi-channel electronic payment platform to a growing list of Industries, including Insurance, Utilities, such as energy, cable, municipal, and phone, as well as Healthcare and Subscription-billed services. Benefits of electronic payment solutions include an accelerated availability of consumer funds, reduced costs associated with manual-payment processing, improved cash management, and integrated processing by managing all payments, returns, and corrections through a single portal.

Source: PRNewswire

BillingTree Mobile Applications Now Available to Pulaski Electric System Customers

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Pulaski Electric System is using BillingTree’s  suite of mobile applications for electronic bill notification and payments via SMS/Text capable mobile devices.

The solution developed for Pulaski combines Kaizen Communications’ ability to send SMS/Text bill notifications using Kaizen’s Kpay platform while the payment authorization and settlement is handled by BillingTree.

As part of the new BillingTree/Kaizen partnership, the solution offers a seamless method for billers to notify their customers of a balance due then enables account holders to authorize payment from multiple pre-registered payment forms, including ACH, credit and debit accounts.

”Initially, I expected the 20-30 age group to sign up for the mobile program, but we had customers in their 50s and 60s signing up as well. It has been very well received by our customers. We publicized it through the radio and of our walk-ins the day of the launch, 30% signed up,” stated Daryl Williamson Vice President of Customer Support at Pulaski Electric Systems. “At Pulaski, we provide every avenue possible for the customer to take care of business with 15% of customers accepting bill notifications via the web and 10% of them paying online. We anticipate similar results through the text program.”

Additional components of BillingTree’s new Mobile Solutions Suite include small screen optimized payment forms for web enabled Smart phones and tablets plus the ability to remotely fund pre-paid service accounts within BillingTree’s Pre-FundTM solution.

Pre-Fund, a BillingTree joint solution with Lightstorm Global offers billers a pre-paid alternative to extending short term credit for consumption based services such as utilities and elective healthcare. The mobile suite extends to web enabled mobile devices the ability for customers to set up and add funds into earmarked accounts in order to maintain necessary minimum available funds.

The Mobile Suite’s web form optimization enables BillingTree customers utilizing online payment portals to scale for smaller mobile sized screens. The ability to adequately view and populate payment account information on additional resolutions expands the functionality of current payment portals to web connected hand held and tablet devices.
“The rapid mainstream adoption of text messaging and demand for increased mobile commerce alternatives is shifting electronic bill presentment and payment from what previously was managed primarily on the desktop to the handheld device,” said Scott McCollum, BillingTree’s President. “Our Mobile Suite of solutions delivers what many of our customers have been calling for and will continue to expand as mobile device technology evolves.”

BillingTree supplies the leading fully integrated, multi-channel electronic payment platform to a growing list of Industries, including Utilities, such as power, cable, municipal, and phone, as well as Healthcare, Insurance and Subscription-billed services. Benefits of electronic payment solutions include an accelerated availability of consumer funds, reduced costs associated with manual-payment processing, improved cash management, and integrated processing by managing all payments, returns, and corrections through a single portal.