At gWorks, we work closely with our clients to ensure their success not only during the implementation phase of a project but also through the continued use of our solutions. This case study was made possible thanks to the several of our longtime Utility Billing clients.
While paying bills takes time and resources from your customers, processing the payments also eats up staff time, one of the city's most valuable resources. For payments that are mailed in or dropped off after hours, it can take several minutes per bill to open each envelope and input the payment. Payments that are made in-person often require city staff to stop what they were currently doing, look up a customer’s account, and answer questions about usage and amount owed before taking the payment and inputting this information.
Time Saved
Using FrontDesk, how much time and money can you save with online utility payments? Take a city that sends out 500 bills each month and receives 50% of their payments by mail and 50% of their payments are made in-person. Assuming each bill can be opened and recorded in 2 to 3 minutes, and each in-person interaction takes 3-5 minutes, that's 27 hours of work they spend each month just to record payments. That adds up to $324/month or $3,888/year in labor costs for receiving utility billing payments!
After this city implements online utility payments, city staff no longer have to sort through the mail, open each envelope, field questions from walk-in customers, and record each payment to customer accounts.
This city sees an initial FrontDesk adoption rate of 25%, which in turn saves them $972 in labor costs the first year alone! If adoption rates increase to 40% in year 2 and 55% in year 3, this city will save nearly $4,665 in labor over the first three years.
Other Savings
The time and money saved alone will bring some relief to the city, but there are more positive outcomes from using online utility payments. Fewer walk-ins mean fewer interruptions and increased productivity for city staff. Customers no longer need to make the trek to city hall or fill out and mail checks. Payments can be made from the safety of their homes, saving them time and money. In addition to convenience, this also provides peace of mind to both the city employees and their customers by eliminating the need for them to visit city hall or the post office during difficult times. By providing an additional option for payment, increased reliability of and instant confirmation of payment, and transparency through account access with online utility payments, the city will earn a more positive public perception and contribute to greater convenience for everyone.
Look What Our Clients Are Saying About Using Online Payments
Ready to save time and money while increasing efficiency for your utility billing payments? Chat with one of our experts at gWorks today to discuss a plan of action for offering online utility payments for your community.“Moving forward to online payments was definitely a great option for us. It gives our customers more payment options whether it’s a monthly payment or a payment during disconnection time. It’s also beneficial in the office as we have less checks to process which means more time for helping customers, taking phone calls and being able to focus on other daily tasks.” – Sara Ries, Hiawatha, IA Water Department