How many bills are paid each year?
According to the US Postal Service, which conducts its authoritative annual Household Diary Study, there were some 19 billion bills sent through the mail in 2006. Q: What payment issues are faced by billers? A: High-volume billers, like all large companies, are anxious to reduce paper handling and manual processing steps. These represent costly overhead, inflating the cost of service and reducing operating margins. Most billers, and particularly utilities, are sensitive to issues like these: • Physical handling of checks and money orders • USPS delays and losses • Payment uncertainty • Customers who pay in person • Customers who pay in cash • Late payments and disconnect decisions • The risk of disconnecting a customer who has already paid • Directing customers to walk-in payment locations • Bill processing errors • Funds transfer delays • Regulatory complexity related to payment choices Q: How can in-lane barcoded bill payment change consumer habits? A: In-lane bill payment at mainstr
