By Daphne Bowen


A service bill is the amount expected to be paid by a home for electricity, gas, water and sewerage services each month. These bills tend to vary with the usage of the customer. The profits accruing from public utilities are regulated thereby putting a limitation on the amount they can charge the public for their services. A sewer billing software is used by many utility companies to bill their clients and collect revenues. The system is automated and enables the companies to run more efficiently. There are also reduced costs associated to adopting an automated paying system.

The features of the system include the possibility of establishing an audit trail such that the management can always be informed on the progress of payments. This reduces corruption in the company. The automated system can also detect bad debts and delayed payments. The system then sends notices to the customer through email and can charge penalties and fines for late payments.

The functions of such a system include collection of data on the usage of the sewer services. The automatic meter readers installed in the homes provide data concerning usage. From the collected data, bills can be generated according to charge rates. The bills are automated which means that they can be sent to the clients via emails. This has reduced the postage costs that were incurred by the companies earlier.

Adopting an automated system means that the customers will be billed accurately because of those already eliminated human error. The bills will also be sent on time. The software also provides an online platform where customers can view important information from their portals. Therefore, the volumes of calls from customers to the call center also reduce because most of their concerns can be addressed from their customer portals. Customer satisfaction is improved.

Companies which have adopted the sewer invoicing program have automated the repetitive tasks carried out. The employees have a reduced work load and hence get more time to deal with more demanding tasks. Human errors resulting from manual data handling are also eliminated.

Customer management is improved when an automated system is adopted. Most of those complaints put forth by the customers can be solved through the online portals. The customers can also get vital information concerning the services. Customer satisfaction is greatly improved. Compliance is improved on the side of the customers. There are reduced late payments because there are constant notices and alerts.

There is a huge benefit when the system can provide the customers with an option to pay their bills online by the use of their credit cards and debit cards. This will be done through an online portal which should ensure safety of the transaction.

Sewer companies which supply other services like electricity or garbage collection are able to prepare their sewer bills together with the other bills. Other than the summary billing, the automated system makes it easier for the customers to have important information through their online portal.

Service billing software can reduce the costs of re billing a customer of a disputed account. Automatic meter readers are highly accurate without human errors and the cost of re billing is also low because no postage costs are involved. The bill can be easily reprinted or emailed.




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