Electronic billing has many benefits that can help not only large waste companies but also small haulers too. It can better enhance your business by keeping it organized and efficient, while taking some of the workload off your business’ shoulders.
Makenzie VanderWerff
Have you ever missed a payment due to misplacing the bill in a stack of papers? Perhaps it was even lost in the mail. Technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and there are tools today that can help mainstream your billing processes and keep everything organized and efficient. One of the most effective technological advances is electronic billing, which can save time and money as well as help with the future of your business.
There are many benefits in using electronic billing. In addition to saving time and money, payment reminders can be set so you will never miss a payment due date. By going paperless, it is estimated you will save 171 pounds of greenhouse gases, 63 gallons of water and 4.5 gallons of gasoline annually. However, some people are afraid that there will be problems associated with online billing. Some worry they may overpay a bill or they may have to change their e-mail address or lose access to their bills and/or accounts. The article below addresses some of these issues as well as discusses some of the best features of electronic billing.
Integration
Electronic billing is beneficial for all companies no matter its size and is easily accessible. Some innovative developments have raised the bar for software solutions that are used to handle and enhance productivity in businesses in the waste hauling and recycling industry. Products are continuously advancing based on the needs of waste and recycling companies who are looking to eliminate inefficiencies through automation.
One feature of electronic billing is being able to integrate routing, dispatching, customer management, inventory control, billing and document management. Software like this is generally available for the single user or for use in a multi-user, multi-location environment; the software tracks service requests and schedules follow-ups. An online billing and payment system can allow customers to request or change service, receive, view or pay their bill(s) online.
Web-Based Features
By integrating a web-based system, clients can better stay on top of customer billing and manage payments by tracking and organizing their transactions online through their own branded, secure Websites. It gives customers the capability to reduce billing challenges by up to 42 percent. Complete paperless billing and payment systems with an online customer portal enable 24-hour customer service. A Web-based program can secure customer access and eliminate all security worries that customers may have. It allows profile updates at any time, giving users the ability to change their password at any time and not worry about old e-mail addresses. It will not let you overpay invoices because it allows you to select the invoice you wish to pay, and it also gives customers online support whenever they need it.
A Web-based electronic billing system also gives customers the ability to access their accounts online, view their account history, online bill presentation, payment services, and reduce duplicate billing and collections. They also have the option of signing up for auto pay and/or paperless billing, reducing payment application errors by an average of 14 percent.
Benefits to Waste Companies
On the flip side, electronic billing gives waste companies a 24-hour online web billing and payment portal, saving time and money. Payments are collected quickly, and customers have the ability to submit service requests or new service inquiries at anytime.
Electronic billing does not just benefit large waste haulers; it also benefits small haulers. The small hauling company is often staffed with employees that must perform many different tasks. By redirected and automating this accounting task, small haulers can continue to focus on customer service and leave it up to another company to do their billing needs. It also continually reduces administrative overhead and paper storage.
Electronic billing has many benefits that can help not only large waste companies but also small haulers too. It can better enhance your business by keeping it organized and efficient, while taking some of the workload off your business’ shoulders.
Makenzie VanderWerff is the Marketing Assistant at DesertMicro (Jacksonville, FL). She can be reached at (904) 247-4285 or via e-mail at [email protected].