Regardless of location or services provided, utility companies can all agree on one thing: disconnecting services due to a lack of payment is truly a lose/lose. This is where more self-service payment options like paperless enrollment and automatic payments (AutoPay) can help. 

Paperless enrollment enables customers to receive bills electronically, via text or email, while AutoPay allows customers to submit payments every month, as the name says, automatically. Both options offer a number of benefits for both the customer and the biller – and for utility organizations specifically, these options are ideal for increasing on-time payments and consequently decreasing service shutoffs. 

Peninsula Light Company (PenLight), a member-owned, non-profit utility cooperative, saw these tremendous benefits first hand after leveraging Invoice Cloud’s paperless billing and AutoPay self-service routes. 

Outdated payment systems slowed internal processes 

PenLight covers 112 square miles and services over 30,000 homes and businesses with electrical services throughout Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsulas, and Fox Island. The organization also provides water to over 3,000 members. The co-op’s previous online payment platform was unable to meet the unique needs of the utility provider and posed a number of challenges, including: 

• Payments not being processed in real time
• Inconsistent processing for AutoPay payments 
• Duplicate withdrawals from member accounts 
• Inadequate response rate to the PenLight team’s customer service calls 

Easy enrollment process boosted self-service adoption 

After facing these frustrating challenges with their current online payment provider, PenLight needed an EBPP that was not only responsive, but simple to use. PenLight found everything they needed in an EBPP provider from Invoice Cloud, including:  

• Easy customer enrollment for AutoPay, paperless billing, and more 
• An easy-to-use payment interface, for both employees and members 
• A seamless implementation 
• A responsive customer service staff 

Increased paperless enrollment decreased shutoffs 

After working with Invoice Cloud’s responsive, detail-oriented team to implement their EBPP, PenLight has received fewer payment-related calls, walk-in payments, and lobby traffic, all thanks to an easy-to-navigate online payment interface. Additionally, the organization saw 72% fewer service shutoffs, making what was once a lose/lose situation a win/win for all. 

To learn more about how Invoice Cloud’s AutoPay and paperless enrollment helped PenLight, download the free case study now.