Encouraging Online Payments During a Time of Crisis

Many communities have taken great strides to encourage electronic payments from their residents to help keep everyone safe during this global pandemic. There are lots of ways to get creative when promoting electronic payments – here are some ideas that communities across the US have implemented to make paying bills easier:

• FREE electronic bill payment – Encourages customers to pay online or pay by phone, rather than dropping off a payment or coming into the office. Many billers are waiving the service fees associated with electronic payments to make it easier for customers to pay their bill from home and avoid spreading the virus.
• Giving back – Since March, Invoice Cloud has processed over $1.8 million in COVID based donations on behalf of our clients. And, we are offering free ACH as our way to give back.
• Changes to collections – Many communities have deferred sending out delinquency notices, are offering extensions on payment due dates, and/or have put an emergency assistance program in place.
• Executive order – Some city and town officials are ordering that new business processes be put in place for turning on all new requests for water/utilities so that no citizen is denied access to these essential services.
• Discounts – Some organizations have decided to offer a modest savings for customers that pay on time, online. Now, you can even promote Apple Pay and/or Google Pay for even more convenience.

While we are still in the midst of this outbreak, it’s important to continue to minimize personal interactions. As such, we encourage you to use any of these ideas within your own community to make it easier for your residents to pay their bill from home. If you need further assistance on ways to promote electronic payments, contact billermarketing@invoicecloud.net.