Disparate Bill Payment Systems Drain More than $1 Billion Annually from U.S. Companies

A new study conducted by ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) and Wiese Research Associates reveals that 56 percent of organizations use siloed electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) systems that cost them more than $1 billion annually. Study participants included leaders responsible for EBPP in the U.S. within the consumer finance, government, higher education, insurance and utility sectors.

Daily operations for many businesses include wrangling multiple EBPP systems, each of which addresses numerous channels that are used to interact with customers. Given the high cost implications, it is not surprising that nearly half (48 percent) of the organizations surveyed are open to replacing their EBPP systems with a single, integrated system that can address diverse payment preferences efficiently and cost-effectively.

• Fragmented websites cost $630 million annually in decreased eBilling adoption
• Lost productivity from isolated EBPP systems robs companies of $380 million per year
• Call centers operating disparate systems incur $180 million in needless expenses each year due to longer call times

Critical Improvements with Integration

Many consumers use multiple payment options and expect their preferences to be remembered across all channels. When disparate systems do not or cannot communicate with each other, consumers are forced to provide information multiple times, leading to potentially unsatisfying experiences. Organizations recognize the value of an integrated EBPP system to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction; ranked in order are the top four critical improvements survey participants expected:

1. Faster payments

2. Increased consumer convenience

3. Higher compatibility with other systems

4. Mobile bill payments

“Our customers expect a wide range of convenient payment options,” said Harold Concepcion, Chief Retail Customer Service Division, Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department. “We use an integrated bill payment system across multiple channels to provide a consistent customer experience and make operations much easier for our staff.”

“Today’s consumers want a reliable and seamless experience across multiple channels and payment types,” said Scott Fitzgerald, Vice President and Product Line Manager, ACI Worldwide. “It should come as little surprise that integrating disparate (EBPP) systems not only improves customer satisfaction and increases efficiency, but is also cost effective—to the tune of potentially more than $1 billion each year.”

Survey Methodology

ACI Worldwide & Wiese Research Associates conducted a phone-based quantitative market research survey of 80 leaders responsible for EBPP in the U.S. within the consumer finance, government, higher education, insurance and utility sectors.

To receive a complimentary copy of the survey results, please click here or visit http://update.aciworldwide.com/eliminate-costs

About ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide, the Universal Payments company, powers electronic payments and banking for more than 5,000 financial institutions, retailers, billers and processors around the world. ACI software processes $13 trillion each day in payments and securities transactions for more than 250 of the leading global retailers, and 21 of the world’s 25 largest banks. Through our comprehensive suite of software products and hosted services, we deliver a broad range of solutions for payment processing; card and merchant management; online banking; mobile, branch and voice banking; fraud detection; trade finance; and electronic bill presentment and payment. To learn more about ACI, please visit www.aciworldwide.com. You can also find us on Twitter @ACI_Worldwide.

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