The shift from physical to digital has been accelerating in recent years - then COVID-19 came along and supercharged it. According to McKinsey, the adoption of e-commerce options among consumers shot up in the early months of 2020 to levels it would have taken ten years to reach otherwise.
In today’s competitive landscape, every potential customer touchpoint matters - even post-sale interactions. One critical, yet easily overlooked point of engagement is the presentation of the bill. When done right, it barely even registers, but even a minor complication can have an outsized negative impact on the buyer’s experience - as well as their impression of your company.
While many may not give the bill presentment process much thought, it's a ubiquitous and essential aspect of nearly all transactions. Digitizing bill presentment has had a tremendous impact on how business gets done in the modern day and is one step to creating an improved bill payment process.
What is ePresentment?
In simple terms, ePresentment services allow customers to access invoices, bills, and other documents via web portals and mobile devices. Not only is this a more convenient, immediate delivery option, it’s also environmentally friendly, as it reduces the need for paper and physical transportation - all three of which are major drivers of modern customer satisfaction.
It might sound simple, but ePresentment services offer some unique benefits to all parties involved in a transaction. Digital delivery allows for greater convenience, automatic payment options, and even improved bidirectional communication between payer and payee. The right ePresentment and electronic document delivery solution can significantly improve the overall process by reducing production costs, increasing return on investment, helping build brand equity, and more.
When built and implemented effectively, ePresentment can be a valuable feature that helps improve retention and lead to higher adoption rates, especially for those struggling with paper-based documents making it ideal as a starting point for digital transformation.
4 Things to Consider When Comparing ePresentment Options
Though there are plenty of service providers, here is what you need to look for while considering an electronic presentment solution for your company:
- Payment Integration - The first and foremost consideration is ensuring the platform allows and makes it easy for customers to read and pay bills. Accessibility, ease of use, and how quickly users receive confirmation post payment are all key elements when assessing ePresentment options.
- Interface - Look for how customers view documents. For example, do they have a single sign-on option (SSO), or are they required to log out to another site? Since many people tend to be extra cautious while paying online, you need to ensure that branding remains consistent and secure for users throughout the process.
- Flexibility - Choose a partner that offers plans that work for your requirement and that can customize their services to best fit your needs. Consider user authentication, hosting options, presentment alternatives, as all these factors directly affect the cost.
- Archiving - Maintaining easily accessible and well-organized document records can save you from major headaches down the road, not to mention help you ensure compliance with government and industry regulations. Quick access to historical records can also be useful when it comes to providing exceptional customer service. Consider the company’s experience with document management and how much storage space their plans offer.
With decades of refinement, Exela has optimized billing and payment processing by integrating communication channels, providing mixed-media payment processing and dynamic ePresentment. In addition, we help unify disparate data, align workflows, and increase enrollment in electronic payment systems to help you increase efficiency and reduce overall costs.
One of the biggest benefits of ePresentment is how it integrates with other digitally optimized processes within the procurement sphere. Exela’s ePresentment solution is a critical component of our comprehensive Procure to Pay (P2P) solution, which is designed to streamline and improve every step of the process from procurement, all the way to payment, for industries including healthcare, manufacturing, and retail.
Learn more about how Exela’s Billing and Presentment solutions can help your business provide a more convenient experience for your customers.
