Nowadays, secure digital bill payments and user experience don’t have to be viewed as competing priorities. In fact, in our age of heightened concern around phishing and fraud, they should be inseparable.
For billing organizations – particularly in sectors like utilities, insurance, and local government – enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for your digital payment platform is a great example of a security a best practice that can simultaneously improve the payer experience.
Let’s explore why.
SSO and MFA: More Than IT Buzzwords
First things first, what are SSO and MFA?
SSO allows users to access multiple systems with a single login credential, while MFA adds an extra layer of protection by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access.
Together, these tools do two critical things:
- Prevent unauthorized access, which protects sensitive billing and payment information.
- Create a seamless user experience, which encourages more customers to use self-service portals.
And for billers, this translates directly into higher digital adoption, reduced manual service workloads, and better overall security posture.
Why Billers Need to Care About Identity Security
For billers, the stakes are high. Payment platforms manage sensitive customer data — names, addresses, account numbers, and often banking information. That makes them an attractive target for cybercriminals.
SSO and MFA help mitigate these risks:
- SSO reduces password fatigue, decreasing the likelihood of password reuse across systems.
- MFA blocks over 99% of automated attacks, according to industry research from Microsoft.
A single compromised password could give an attacker access to billing accounts or internal systems. MFA ensures that even if a password is stolen, access is still blocked without a second authentication factor.
Better Security Can Mean Better UX
It’s a myth that added security always leads to a worse user experience. When implemented thoughtfully, SSO and MFA can actually make logging in easier and faster, especially for repeat users.
For instance:
- Customers using SSO through a portal they already access (like a utility account dashboard or insurance policy site) don’t have to remember another password to pay their bill.
- Once enrolled, MFA is quick, often requiring just a tap on a mobile app or a code sent via text—faster than answering obscure security questions or resetting forgotten passwords.
The result? Less friction, fewer support calls, and more completed payments.
How SSO and MFA Support Broader Digital Adoption
Adoption is everything. The more customers who choose to pay online, enroll in AutoPay, or sign up for paperless billing, the lower the cost of collection and the higher the operational efficiency.
But adoption hinges on trust and ease of use. Customers need to feel that their data is safe— and they need the process to be simple.
By incorporating SSO and MFA:
- You build trust by demonstrating your commitment to data security.
- You build convenience by making the login process intuitive and modern.
It’s not about checking a security box, it’s about aligning your platform with how today’s customers expect to interact with digital services.
The Mutual Benefits of Bill Payment Platforms with SSO and MFA
Ultimately, enabling SSO and MFA is a win-win:
- For customers, it means faster, safer access to their billing accounts.
- For billers, it means stronger security, lower support costs, and higher digital engagement.
These tools also align with growing regulatory expectations and internal risk management goals, reducing the potential financial and reputational costs of data breaches.
If you’re not offering SSO and MFA on your billing and payment platform today, you’re not just behind on security, you’re missing an opportunity to improve user experience, drive digital adoption, and reduce operational risk.
Security should empower — not obstruct — great customer experiences. With SSO and MFA, you can have both. To learn more about how these security features can improve the billing and payment experience, talk with our team today.
