Insights

CSG Forte Insights is a collection of industry news and perspectives to help navigate the payments landscape.

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Unlocking the Future: How Cloud Payments Can Transform Governments

Remember the last time your finance team had to chase a missing payment across three different systems? That patchwork of mainframe screens, desktop terminals and bolt-on gateways once felt “good enough,” but it’s now a budget-draining anchor. Siloed accounting, recording and payments tools drive up transaction costs, lengthen close-out cycles and frustrate constituents who expect […]

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What Is a Bill Payment Platform, and How Does It Work?

Remember the last time you paid a streaming bill without even noticing? That friction-free moment is no accident; it’s the result of purpose-built bill payment platforms that move money quietly in the background. Today, more than one-third (34.6%) of United States consumers use automatic payment methods, and Baby Boomers use it 43% of the time […]

When “Good Enough” Costs More Than You Think: The Hidden Costs of Medical Manual Payment Processing

It starts with a clipboard. One front desk associate prints the day’s patient balances. Another manually logs a card payment into the billing system while fielding a call from a confused patient who’s trying to pay over the phone. A third staff member stays late to reconcile the day’s transactions—only to discover that two payments […]

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5 Reasons Utilities Should Embrace Online Payment Solutions

In an era where everything from shopping to banking is happening at the speed of a click, the utility industry must keep pace or risk being left behind. For many customers, paying utility bills through traditional methods—like checks or in-person transactions—is becoming as outdated as dial-up internet. But the shift to digital payment systems isn’t […]

doctor showing iPad to mother and daughter

Pay Later: Why Allowing Installment Payments Is Good for Healthcare Providers

Not long ago, a patient in Austin, Texas, walked out of a specialist’s office without getting the care she needed—not because she lacked insurance, but because the $1,100 out-of-pocket cost for a procedure wasn’t something she could afford that day. The front desk offered a credit card form and a sympathetic shrug. That provider likely […]

Customer using credit card for payment to receptionist.

What Should Government Agencies Require from Their Electronic Payments Provider?

Government agencies face both significant challenges and exciting opportunities in payment processing. Traditional methods of handling payments, including in person and by calling the agency, are increasingly considered inefficient by constituents used to myriad online payment options for most private-market transactions. Not only do processing payments through traditional methods cost more—as much as $20 per […]

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