ATLANTA - April 12, 2005 - More utility customers are moving to electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP); however, a lot of work is still needed before a significant percentage of the transactions for electric, gas and water services are paperless. This is among the many findings Chartwell found in its latest bill presentment and payment study, based on interviews with 90 investor-owned, government-owned and cooperative utility organizations.
In Chartwell's Guide to Bill Presentment and Payment 2005, Chartwell researchers estimate that an average of more than 6% of the utility's customer base now pays their bill via the Internet, while nearly 71% of utility customers are mailing their bill payments, according to survey data. Investor-owned utilities appear to have the most customers using Web-based bill payment.
EBPP continues to move in the direction toward being a standard offering, as 58% of utilities now offer this option compared to 50% in 2003. Another 21% are planning this product offering, while 16% are considering making it available to customers.
Other findings related to electronic customer service options in Chartwell's Guide to Bill Presentment and Payment 2005 include the rise in card acceptance and how utilities are offering this option to customers, and a technology in its infancy - email-based bill presentment and payment - that shows promise in the industry.
Chartwell's Guide to Bill Presentment and Payment 2005 is available only to members of Chartwell's Customer Care Research Series. For information regarding the Customer Care Research Series or Chartwell's Premier membership, call Bill Grist at (404) 237-9099 or (800) 432-5879. A free table of contents and summary of this report can be downloaded at www.energylibrary.com.
Recently released reports include:
- First-Call Resolution in the Utility Industry;
- The Chartwell Customer Care Center Report 2005;
- Staffing, Educating and Motivating Customer Service Representatives;
- Automated Outbound Communications: Notification, Courtesy Calls and Other Proactive Measures;
- CIS (Customer Information System) Installations in North America 2005;
- Managing Customer Service E-mails.
You can purchase and download these reports from Chartwell's Energy Library at www.energylibrary.com.
ABOUT CHARTWELL INC.
Chartwell Inc. seeks to provide a better understanding of technologies, issues and management practices in the utility and retail energy services industry through best practices case studies and quantitative research.
email: kgresham@chartwellinc.com
phone: 404-237-9099
Web: http://www.chartwellinc.com
