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Ariella
Ariella
4/21/2016 9:18:13 AM
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Re: But just because it CAN be done, does that mean it should?
@elizabethv that's odd that the company allowed it to go on for that long. Often there's a test of an account to be sure that it is valid and that the money for payments will be there. My credit card company rep told me that gas stations will even do a test amount of $1 or $2 in addition to what you put on the card for your gas to be sure the account works. She assured me that extra $1 charge will come off. It's the first time I've ever heard of that for a credit card charge, though I know that some businesses do a test involving small amounts with bank accounts.  

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elizabethv
elizabethv
4/21/2016 7:57:39 AM
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Platinum
But just because it CAN be done, does that mean it should?
My husband and I both refuse to use automatic payments because we've both been burned in the past. In one instance, I was paying a company but had accidently put in the wrong account number to pay. It was setup for automatic payments when the company contacted me, stating they hadn't received a payment for several months. I was confused as to how this could be possible. It took multiple, very frustrating phone conversations to find out what had happened and get the situation recitifed. Technology is without a doubt amazing and makes our lives easier. But where my money is concerned, I just don't have the financial flexibility to rely on a system that has no fail safe. 

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
4/21/2016 7:52:23 AM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
@mpouryan, Giving up control of your money and not worrying about it is a luxury that you need quite a bit of money to afford. (I vividly remember my first in-laws giving X1 and me what they regarded as straightforward financial advice: putting $N in the checking account and forgetting it's there once a year, so that any fees or mistakes are just covered. N was a bit more than two and a half times our rent at the time). 

A huge part of the consumer base can't afford that luxury; they need control so that when it's between the phone bill and groceries for the kids, they can choose the groceries. What looks like convenience and progress in the 68th percentile looks like aggression, control, and The Man in the 34th.

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
4/21/2016 7:45:52 AM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
@Ariella,

Because many people don't have a regular or high enough income to be certain that there will always be enough money in the account, and they need the flexibility to stiff the less-essential  bills in favor of the essential ones (and which ones are which should be their decision).  Automatic fees follow in the wake of automatic billing, and they fall disproportionately on people in the margins of the economy.

So, yes, many people still need billing systems. Much of the lower half of the income bell curve relies on float at least a few times a year, and automated billing destroys float.

Slightly higher on the same income curve, there's also a strong need to know when a payment is going to hit and how much it's going to be because, frankly, large businesses cheat and gouge small consumers, relying on the hassle of recovering small amounts of improperly taken money back. Billing systems make larger companies vulnerable to billions of dollars in chargebacks a year, which isn't nearly enough, but it's a start.

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
4/20/2016 7:56:37 PM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
What you all have underscored is common sense.    Some, though, may not perceive it as such as they want to make sure that they maintain control.     Isn't it in the end what it is about?  Control?   We don't want to give it up folks.

 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
4/20/2016 7:56:36 PM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
What you all have underscored is common sense.    Some, though, may not perceive it as such as they want to make sure that they maintain control.     Isn't it in the end what it is about?  Control?   We don't want to give it up folks.

 

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DHagar
DHagar
4/20/2016 3:59:06 PM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
@Ariella, excellent example.  That is where I believe we can, and should, begin to recognize the redundancy in data gathering, processing, etc., that is a misuse of the human talent to just "process".  We should automate the processes and move the humans down the "intelligence" line to adding value through knowledge of services, products, etc.  Your clients pay you to "think" and provide value, not to "bill"!

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Ariella
Ariella
4/20/2016 3:54:27 PM
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Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
@Dhagar exactly. As someone who has has to invoice for my own work, I often wonder why clients set up systems that require so much paperwork and so many steps to get through that just cost time all around. It's really no necessary, particularly for those that have contracted for set amounts at set rates for set times.

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DHagar
DHagar
4/20/2016 3:50:37 PM
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Platinum
Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
@Ariella, great points!  The billing systems really lend themselves today to a payment platform that can better serve the customers - cheaper and more accurately. 

I am thinking that is the recognition reflected in the polls, the manual systems no longer serve the purpose and the transition has already been made by the customers.

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Ariella
Ariella
4/20/2016 3:30:50 PM
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Re: Billing Systems Up for Transformation
I really sympathize with the 11% here. With all the possibilities for automation, I don't know why we need to still work with manual billing systems. I have automatic payment set up for a number of different utilities instead of writing checks or even manually filling int the amount onine each month. The same kind of technollogy can be adapted for other forms of billing. 

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