Category: Products

Virtual Card Reimbursements: Where Posting Breaks Down (And How STP Fixes It)

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Top Takeaways

  • Virtual card reimbursements promise faster, digital payments for physician groups but often involve cumbersome manual workflows that undermine efficiency.
  • Traditional posting processes for virtual card payments create multiple opportunities for errors, delays, and lost revenue—especially when mail, portals, and manual reconciliation are involved.
  • Straight Through Processing (STP) offers a streamlined solution, enabling physician groups to improve payment posting without overhauling existing systems.

If you lead finance or operations for a physician group, you’ve probably heard virtual card reimbursements pitched as a faster, more modern alternative to paper checks.

On the surface, virtual card payments are digital, automated, and convenient. Under the hood, they often behave very differently.

Across multi-site physician groups, Optum and other payer virtual cards still commonly move through mail, portals, terminals, and spreadsheets before they ever become clean, posted cash in your ledger. That “last mile” from approved to deposited + reconciled is where reimbursement performance quietly breaks down.

This post looks at:

  • Where posting fails for virtual card payments today
  • Why that failure is especially painful for physician groups
  • How CSG Forte’s Straight Through Processing (STP) fixes it—without forcing you to rip and replace core systems

 

Where posting breaks down

Those steps create several predictable failure points for virtual card payments in physician groups.

1. Card credentials instead of a postable transaction

A mailed virtual card letter or portal credential is not a transaction—it’s an instruction set your team has to turn into cash. Someone must:

  • Retrieve the credentials
  • Run the card
  • Find the associated remittance
  • Decide how to post it

Each hand-off adds latency and operational risk.

2. Funds and remittance travel separately

Deposits and detailed remittance data often do not arrive together. Teams may see bank credits long before a usable remit, or vice versa. The gap drives:

  • Unapplied cash
  • Misapplied payments
  • Manual research at month-end close

3. One card, many claims

A single virtual card can bundle multiple patients, claims, locations, or specialties. Without a reliable way to tie that card to structured remittance at the moment it lands, your staff are forced into manual, line-by-line allocation.

4. Fragmented workflows across clinics and specialties

Different clinics and specialties often evolve their own rules for handling virtual card payments—different portals, spreadsheets, reconciliation tricks and fee assumptions. The enterprise impact:

  • No single view of the true cost of virtual cards (fees + labor + backlog)
  • Higher audit and compliance risk from inconsistent controls

5. Expanded PCI and security exposure

Mail-and-portal workflows push card credentials and remittance information onto desks, into inboxes and across shared drives. Internal guidance notes that this widens your PCI DSS footprint and increases the surface area for fraud and error compared with a controlled electronic flow.

6. Human-driven exceptions

Because humans drive every step, exceptions are everywhere:

  • Amount mismatches and unexpected adjustments
  • Missing or incomplete remittance data
  • Incorrect routing by TIN, entity or location

Instead of a manageable exception queue, you get daily fire drills, “mystery deposits” and rework that lands on your most experienced team members.

 

What STP does for virtual card payments

STP is defined internally as a payment automation process that allows healthcare providers to receive payments from insurance companies—and from patients via payer portals—in about one day, directly into their bank accounts.

Crucially for posting, STP focuses on the last mile of virtual card payments, not claim adjudication.

In the Optum + CSG Forte model, STP keeps the payer’s virtual card construct, but automates what happens next:

  • The payer or Optum issues a virtual card for an adjudicated claim (or patient balance) exactly as they do today.
  • Instead of printing and mailing, card credentials + remittance data are sent electronically to CSG Forte over secure, encrypted channels.
  • CSG Forte processes the virtual card automatically—no manual keying.
  • Funds are deposited directly into the provider’s bank account, typically the next business day, based on configuration and funding cycles.
  • Payment and remittance data are delivered together in a format that supports auto-posting and streamlined reconciliation in your revenue and finance systems where integrated.

Result: one integrated flow from “payment available” to deposited, posted, and visible, without envelopes, portals, or duplicate data entry.

 

Questions to ask as you evaluate STP

You can frame internal and vendor conversations around a few practical questions:

  • Volume: Which payers and programs generate the highest share of your virtual card payments today?
  • Latency: How long, on average, does it take to move from “payment available” to deposited and posted cash for those streams?
  • Effort: How many touches does one virtual card reimbursement require—end to end?
  • Exceptions: What percentage of payments end up in unapplied cash, rework queues or write-off discussions?
  • Risk: How many people, and which roles, can currently access or handle virtual card credentials?
  • Readiness: Which specialties or locations are best suited for a 90-day pilot, based on volume and operational pain?

If the honest answers describe a process driven by envelopes, portals, terminals and spreadsheets, you’re squarely in the zone STP is designed to address.

 

Next step: move virtual card reimbursements from manual to straight-through

Virtual card payments are not going away—and for many physician groups, they represent a significant, growing share of otherwise reliable payer revenue. The question is whether that revenue continues to move through paper-era workflows, or through straight-through reimbursement that supports your cash, cost and control goals.

Straight Through Processing with Optum and CSG Forte offers a path to:

  • Replace mail and portals with automated, next-day deposits
  • Move from keying every payment to managing a defined set of exceptions
  • Tighten controls and audit trails across payers, specialties and locations
  • Free your teams to focus on strategy, relationships and growth—not manual posting

To see how STP could fit your physician group’s reimbursement strategy, visit the Optum + CSG Forte STP page and explore a pilot program that’s tailored to your payer mix.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are virtual card reimbursements in healthcare?

Virtual card reimbursements are payer-funded card transactions generated for approved claims or patient balances. Instead of sending a paper check, the payer (or an intermediary such as Optum) issues a single-use card credential that the provider processes like a card payment.

2. Why do virtual card payments create so many posting headaches for physician groups?

Because card credentials and remittance details rarely arrive as one clean, machine-readable package. Staff must retrieve card numbers from mail or portals, run them through terminals, then manually match deposits to 835s or PDFs across systems—creating delays, errors, unapplied cash, and “mystery deposits” at close.

3. What is Straight Through Processing (STP) for virtual card reimbursements?

STP is a payment automation model where payers still generate virtual cards, but card and remittance data move electronically to CSG Forte for automatic processing and deposit. Funds are routed directly to the provider’s bank account and paired with aligned remittance data that supports auto-posting and cleaner reconciliation.

4. Does STP replace ACH EFT for reimbursements?

No. STP is focused on automating virtual card reimbursements—including insurer payments and patient-via-payer portal payments. Many providers run ACH and STP side by side: they request EFT/ERA via ACH where it is available and use STP to handle the growing share of virtual card volume that is unlikely to disappear.

5. How can a physician group evaluate whether STP is worth piloting?

Start by quantifying virtual card volume, staff minutes per payment from “payment available” to posted, effective fee rates, exception rates, and unapplied cash tied to those streams. High-volume, high-friction payer or specialty cohorts—where lag and rework are heavy—are strong candidates for a 60–90-day STP pilot. It’s also a good move to check out this practical guide we put together specifically to help physician groups.

How a Layered Strategy Helps Prevent Account Takeover Fraud in Digital Banking

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Top Takeaways

  • Account takeover fraud in banking is growing as attackers automate credential abuse and exploit weak portal controls.
  • A layered defense blends smarter authentication, continuous risk-based monitoring and coordinated fraud operations.
  • Banks that pair internal fraud teams with AI-powered partners can cut losses while keeping customer experiences fast and friction-light.

A customer logs into their online banking portal, just like they do all the time. It looks the same as it always does, but what they’re not seeing is that someone else has already logged in. Behind the scenes, a fraudster has changed the user’s email address, added a new device, and initiated a series of high-value transfers.

That is account takeover (ATO) fraud: Identity-based attacks that turn trusted banking portals into launchpads for theft.

And as digital banking usage grows, so does the risk. Between 2023 and 2028, global online payment fraud losses are expected to exceed $362 billion, with $91 billion in 2028 alone, according to Juniper Research. Which is exactly why financial firms cannot afford to treat ATO fraud as a niche threat. It is now one of the fastest, most damaging paths from compromised credentials to lost funds and eroded trust.

This article explains how ATO threatens consumer and business portals, and outlines a practical, layered defense strategy that’s anchored in having a modern, secure payments portal, and aligned to how banks operate today.

 

Why account takeover is a critical risk for banks

ATO fraud happens when a bad actor gains control of a legitimate customer or business account and uses it to move money, harvest data, or pivot into other parts of your environment. It’s clear why that’s harmful to the banking customer, but from the business perspective, that can mean:

  • Draining consumer checking or savings via Zelle, RTP, wires or bill pay
  • Hijacking treasury portals to originate ACH batches or cross-border payments
  • Issuing unauthorized refunds or credits to mule accounts
  • Changing contact details to intercept step-up challenges and alerts

Because many of these payment rails are real-time or near real-time, losses are hard or impossible to claw back. The impact on your organization isn’t just the losses from financial write-offs; it’s the hit to your reputation, your customers’ trust, and the increase in regulatory scrutiny that directly undercuts growth and retention objectives.

With ATO fraud, banking teams can’t afford a purely perimeter mindset. You need to assume some logins will be compromised and design defenses that detect and contain misuse quickly.

7 Paths Attackers Take to Into Bank Systems

 

Strengthening authentication without breaking UX

The first impulse with ATO is to lock everything down for safety. But to users, that “safety” translates to more friction. If authentication becomes painful, customers abandon digital channels—or your bank entirely.

A better approach is adaptive, risk-based authentication.

Modern multifactor identification (MFA), selectively applied: Use phishing-resistant factors and reserve step-up challenges for higher-risk situations: new devices, unusual geolocation, or sensitive actions like adding payees or changing contact details.

Device and session intelligence: Recognize known, low-risk devices and browsers so you can streamline their experience while scrutinizing new or suspicious fingerprints more closely.

Behavioral signals: Look at impossible travel, abnormal typing cadence, navigation anomalies, or machine-like interaction patterns as inputs into your risk score.

Crucially, these controls work best when they’re informed by downstream payment-risk data, not just login metadata. If your fraud engine sees rising disputes, ACH returns or unusual limit hits tied to a subset of accounts, you can tighten authentication for that cohort rather than the entire customer base.

 

Using risk-based monitoring to catch ATO early

Even with strong auth, some ATO attempts will succeed. The next layer is continuous, risk-based monitoring across your payment flows and account activity, tuned specifically to ATO behaviors, such as:

  • First-time or high-value payments to new beneficiaries
  • Unusual changes to limits, contact details or authentication factors
  • Sudden shifts in channel mix (e.g., a branch-only customer sending a flurry of RTPs from a new device)
  • Patterns of small “test” payments followed by large transfers

Here, banks benefit from AI/ML-powered monitoring and configurable rules that operate across ACH, card and digital wallets, and across online, mobile, phone and in-person channels.

Solutions like CSG Payments Protection.ai ingest transactions in near real time and apply adaptive rules and models to flag anomalies, auto-decline clearly high-risk events, and escalate borderline cases to analysts—all before settlement cutoff times.

Because Payments Protection.ai monitors every transaction—not just those already suspected as fraud—it can:

  • Minimize financial losses and maintain customer trust by catching suspicious activity early.
  • Significantly reduce false positives, using industry-tuned rules and models so you’re not blocking good customers in the name of safety.

For banks wrestling with real-time rails, that combination—coverage, speed, and precision—is essential.

 

Partnering with fraud and payments vendors effectively

Most banks already have fraud tools in place. The challenge is that many are fragmented, slow to adapt, and hard to customize.

To upgrade your ATO defense without ripping and replacing your stack, look for a partner who can:

  • Cover your full payment mix: ACH, cards, and digital wallets across online, phone, branch and in-person channels, with a single, coherent risk view.
  • Adapt in real time: AI- and rules-based engines that learn from every transaction and quickly absorb new fraud patterns and regulatory expectations (e.g., Nacha ACH fraud monitoring, card-brand thresholds).
  • Balance automation with expert oversight: Options for fully managed decisioning or shared workflows, plus consultative tuning of thresholds and watchlists over time.
  • Scale and secure: Cloud-based, PCI-compliant platforms with near-perfect availability that can handle spiky payment volumes without delaying decisions.

CSG Payments Protection.ai was built with those criteria in mind. It brings:

  • 20+ years of payments expertise, processing over 215 million transactions and $164B in payment volume annually for 150k+ merchants, giving deep behavioral insight into how legitimate and fraudulent payments behave
  • Documented results, where clients using the underlying technology have seen fraud-loss reductions of 50–70% and extremely low false-positive rates
  • Fraud detection and payment processing services with industry-leading uptime—empowering banks to operate securely and efficiently, no matter the volume or demands.

For banks, that kind of partner can turn ATO detection and prevention from a cost center into a growth and retention lever: protecting digital adoption, keeping payment experiences smooth, and reinforcing the trust that keeps customers from shopping their relationship.

A layered approach—strong but adaptive authentication, continuous risk-based monitoring, and the right fraud-prevention strategy—gives your bank a realistic path to stay ahead of account takeover fraud in banking portals.

With ATO fraud on the rise and attackers always looking for new paths into your banking portals, now is the time to shore up your account takeover defenses. To see how Payments Protection.ai can fit into your ATO strategy, request a conversation today with the security experts at CSG Forte.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is account takeover fraud in banking?

Account takeover (ATO) is when a fraudster gains unauthorized access to a legitimate customer or business banking account—often via stolen or phished credentials—and then initiates payments, changes contact details, or harvests data as if they were the real accountholder.

Why are bank payment portals such a high-value target for ATO?

Online and mobile portals sit at the intersection of identity and money movement. Once an attacker controls a login, they can move funds, redirect refunds, change notification methods, and enroll new devices, often before traditional controls notice anything is wrong.

How can banks strengthen authentication without frustrating customers?

The most effective approach is adaptive or risk-based authentication. Instead of forcing step-up friction on every login, you selectively add challenges when behavior, device, location, or transaction patterns look unusual. That keeps everyday logins fast but adds security when risk rises.

What does “risk-based monitoring” mean in the context of ATO defense?

Risk-based monitoring means analyzing transactions and account activity in near real time to score risk and trigger actions—such as step-up authentication, holds or manual review—based on patterns that indicate ATO, like sudden changes in device, IP, payment amounts, or refund behavior.

Where does a solution like CSG Payments Protection.ai fit?

CSG Payments Protection.ai provides AI/ML-powered, near real-time monitoring across ACH, card, and digital wallet transactions, reducing false positives and adapting to new fraud patterns as they emerge. It’s designed to help banks detect ATO, card testing, and other payment fraud vectors without slowing down legitimate payments.

From Patchwork to Platform: An Integration‑First Approach to Healthcare Payments Modernization

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Key Takeaways

  • An integration-first, embedded payments platform lets health systems standardize payment experiences across portals, clinics, and ISV tools without replacing EHR/EMR systems.
  • Payment Facilitation-as-a-Service (PFaaS) models give organizations more control over payment economics, onboarding, and risk while offloading scheme-level compliance and infrastructure to a specialist partner.
  • Straight Through Processing (STP) can automate virtual card and portal-based reimbursements from “approved” to “deposited and reconciled” in about a day, improving cash visibility and reducing manual work.

For many healthcare leaders, payments integration has become a sprawling patchwork of bolt-ons.

Every acquisition adds another patient portal. Every service line has its own clinic workflows. Independent software vendors (ISVs) trying to keep up with modernization see no alternative but to bolt payment widgets onto electronic health records (EHR) extensions and revenue cycle tools.

They end up lost in a maze of gateways, vendor portals, and point solutions that all move money—but don’t share data, controls, or reporting. Bolting these features onto legacy bill-pay platforms only compounds the problem, leading to high denial rates, slow reimbursement, and limited digital options for patients and payers alike.

This blog lays out a solution for replacing that patchwork with one embedded payment layer that spans portals, clinics, and ISV tools—often delivered through a Payment Facilitation-as-a-Service (PFaaS) model and powered by CSG Forte’s Straight Through Processing (STP) in collaboration with Optum Financial for reimbursements.

The result? You get better cash visibility, security, and auditability, without a rip-and-replace of your clinical systems.

 

Why patchwork payment stacks are now a strategic risk

When payment infrastructure grows organically, it quietly raises both financial and operational risk:

  • Fragmented cash visibility: Each gateway, portal, and processor has its own reporting. Neither your internal accounts receivable team nor industry regulators can see a single cash position across organizational hospitals, clinics, and joint ventures. Reconciling card, ACH, virtual card and portal flows becomes a manual, multi-week exercise.
  • Slow, unpredictable reimbursement: Legacy virtual card processes and mailed remittances routinely stretch insurer money from “approved” to “deposited + reconciled” over 30–90 days, while staff hand-key card numbers and re-key payments into EHR systems.
  • Inconsistent controls and PCI scope: Different entities stand up their own payment vendors and workflows. Card data shows up on desktops and in local spreadsheets, expanding payment card industry (PCI) scope and increasing audit and fraud exposure.
  • Disjointed patient experience: Patients may start in a health system portal, get bounced to a third-party payment page, and then see different options at the clinic front desk or call center. That friction directly hurts collection rates and satisfaction.

You don’t fix this with one more bolt-on portal. You fix it with one embedded payment layer that integrates across your existing systems.

 

What an integration-first embedded payments platform looks like

An embedded payments platform brings payment acceptance, routing, settlement, and reporting inside the workflows your teams and patients already use—EHR portals, scheduling tools, telehealth apps, revenue cycle workstations, and more.

In a PFaaS model, your health system:

  • Owns more of the payment journey (branding, pricing, onboarding, basic configuration)
  • Delegates heavy-lift functions—sponsor bank relationships, PCI Level-1 infrastructure, KYC/KYB, fraud tooling and scheme compliance—to a specialist partner
  • Integrates via modern REST APIs and web components, so payments live inside your existing portals and ISV tools instead of redirecting out to generic checkouts

The key is integration-first design: you don’t rip out core EHR/RCM systems. You standardize how money moves around them.

 

One payment layer, many workflows

With the right PFaaS-based platform, “one payment layer” becomes the shared fabric for very different workflows:

1. Patient responsibility across every channel

  • Patients can pay from text-to-pay links, portals, mobile apps, IVR, in-clinic terminals, or call centers—all through the same tokenized card profile and gateway.
  • Staff don’t need different processes by department or campus; they use consistent tools and tender types wherever they work.
  • Finance sees one consolidated ledger for patient payments, with reporting by facility, service line, payer, and channel.

2. Insurer and payer-portal reimbursements via Straight Through Processing

Today, many of your virtual card reimbursements still flow through physical mail, payer portals and manual keying. STP automates that last mile:

  • Payers continue to issue virtual cards as they do today.
  • Card and remittance data are sent electronically to CSG Forte, processed automatically and deposited to your bank—typically about one day after approval, not 60–90 days later.
  • Payment and remittance data land together in your posting and finance tools, supporting auto-posting and cleaner reconciliation where integrated.

Because STP is part of the same embedded payment platform, your teams get a single view of both patient and payer cash. This integration allows for consistent controls and audit trails, without changing how payers adjudicate claims or ripping out practice management systems.

3. ISV and ecosystem tools

Your organization already relies on ISVs for specialty workflows—oncology, orthopedics, telehealth, patient engagement, and population health to name a few.

With a PFaaS-backed platform:

  • ISVs embed the same payment rails into their applications, using developer-friendly APIs and SDKs.
  • Sub-merchants (clinics, foundations, JV entities) can be onboarded and configured under your governance model, not each vendor’s ad-hoc rules.
  • You preserve a single set of risk policies, reporting and settlement rules even as your digital ecosystem grows.

This is healthcare payment integration at the platform level: different software, one payment layer.

 

Why PFaaS makes sense for large health systems

For multi-hospital systems, PFaaS hits a practical middle ground between “just another gateway” and becoming a fully registered Payment Facilitator yourself:

  • Faster time to value: You can launch embedded payment experiences quickly—without building a full acquiring, risk, and compliance stack.
  • Configurable control: Decide which functions you keep (e.g., pricing strategy, merchant support, data ownership) and which your PFaaS partner runs (e.g., underwriting, chargeback handling, scheme compliance).
  • Improved economics: Instead of small referral fees from disparate processors, you consolidate more transaction margin onto a single platform and can reinvest savings into patient experience or margin protection.
  • Risk and compliance by design: A healthcare-ready PFaaS partner brings HIPAA-aware, PCI-Level 1 infrastructure, tokenization, encryption and monitoring that reduce your PCI scope and strengthen audit posture.

 

Proof in practice: an embedded payments partner scaling healthcare payments

A useful way to pressure-test your “single layer” strategy is to look at environments that must scale across many payment flows and merchants.

In CSG Forte’s long-running partnership with National Cash Management Systems (NCMS), NCMS shared metrics from a merchant client accepting online healthcare payments—including average monthly transaction growth from 40,820 (2021) to 91,831 (2021–2025) and monthly transaction totals rising from $3.93M to $12M.

The broader theme: consolidation onto a stable, single-source platform helped simplify operations and support sustained growth.

For health systems, the takeaway isn’t “copy an ISV model.” It’s that standardizing the payment layer is what makes it possible to scale workflows cleanly—without multiplying gateways, processors, and reporting silos.

90-Day Healthcare Roadmap

 

Where to go from here

If you’re done funding a patchwork of gateways, bolt-on portals, and payer workarounds, the next step is an integration-first embedded payment platform delivered through CSG Forte’s Payment Facilitation-as-a-Service and Straight Through Processing.

Explore how PFaaS can give your health system one payment layer across portals, clinics, and ISV tools—with better cash visibility, stronger security, and cleaner audits—by visiting our PFaaS webpage and connecting with our team.

 

FAQs

What is healthcare payment integration, and why does it matter for large health systems?

Healthcare payment integration is the practice of connecting payment acceptance, settlement, and reconciliation directly into clinical, billing, and patient-facing systems so transactions flow straight through without manual re-keying or swivel-chair work. For large health systems, this reduces administrative overhead, improves cash visibility, and supports a more consistent patient experience across sites and portals.

How does Payment Facilitation-as-a-Service (PFaaS) support embedded payments in healthcare?

PFaaS allows a health system or its ISV partner to act like a payment facilitator in the provider’s eyes—owning more of the payment experience and economics—while a specialist provider handles core acquiring infrastructure, PCI-compliant processing, and much of the compliance stack. This is well-suited to embedded payments in healthcare, where workflows span EHRs, portals, and third-party tools.

Can we embed payments without replacing our EHR or practice management systems?

Yes. Modern embedded payments and STP offerings are designed to run behind the scenes, centralizing card processing, deposits, and remittance data while integrating with existing EHR, PM, and RCM tools over time. That means you can standardize your payment layer without a big-bang system replacement.

How does STP help with virtual card and payer-portal reimbursements?

STP automates the last mile of virtual card payments by routing card and remittance data electronically to a payments partner that processes the card, deposits funds, and delivers aligned remittance data for posting and reconciliation—often in about one day instead of 30–90 days. This reduces manual mail, keying, and “mystery deposit” research.

What should healthcare leaders look for in an embedded payments partner?

Leaders should prioritize: healthcare-grade security and compliance (HIPAA, PCI DSS, HITRUST-aligned), proven integrations with EHR/EMR and revenue tools, support for PFaaS and STP models, and clear reporting that link payment activity to remittance and GL outcomes.

How to Design Modern Government Payment Solutions That Build Public Trust

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Key Takeaways

  • Outdated payment systems create friction that reduces compliance and undermines public trust; modern portals, channels, and UX reverse that trend.
  • Flexible options—partial, recurring, and scheduled payments—help residents stay current while reducing manual collections and exceptions.
  • Government-ready solutions like CSG Forte BillPay let agencies modernize experiences and integrate with existing systems in phases, as the city of Kinston and Lucas County did.

Residents do not wake up thinking about payment processing. They think about keeping their license current, avoiding penalties on their property tax bill, or paying a court fine on time. When those payments are hard to make, the result is more than operational pain for your office—it becomes a public trust issue.

Modern government payment solutions give treasurers, comptrollers, and finance leaders a practical way to close that gap. By making payments reliable, flexible, and secure across channels, agencies can improve compliance, reduce manual work, and increase resident confidence.

This article walks through what that looks like in practice—and how to get there without a risky, multi-year systems overhaul.

 

Why outdated payment systems erode trust and compliance

Legacy payment processes do more than slow collections. They send a message that the government is behind the times and hard to work with. That perception shows up directly in compliance and in the workload landing on your team.

Common pain points include:

  • Limited ways to pay: Many agencies still rely on mailed checks and in-person payments for major obligations like taxes and fees. Lucas County, Ohio, for example, originally accepted tax payments only by mail and in person at the Treasury department, which limited options for residents and slowed processing.
  • Clunky, abandon-prone portals: Residents often start a payment online, get stuck on an unclear step, and abandon the process—then call or show up in person instead. Internal planning work on government portals highlights “common friction points in government portals” and “UX issues that drive residents back to the counter or phone,” along with the need to measure completion and adoption rates, not just traffic.
  • One-size-fits-all, lump-sum payments: Requiring residents to pay the full amount in a single transaction can unintentionally reduce compliance. Internal guidance on recurring and partial government payments notes that one-time, lump-sum obligations create real compliance challenges, especially for households juggling variable income or multiple obligations.
  • Security worries and unclear protections: Public sector payment accounts are prime targets for fraud. A security brief for government payments points out that these systems face distinct threats, and that agencies need hardened login and account management flows, protection for stored payment methods, and effective monitoring and response processes.

If residents are not confident their data is protected, they are less likely to adopt digital channels.

Over time, these issues train residents to expect long lines, long hold times, and confusing online experiences—fueling complaints and making it harder to argue that your office is a good steward of public funds.

What Modern Government Payments Look Like

 

Support residents with flexible, accessible options

Compliance improves when you give people realistic ways to stay current. That means flexibility in both how and when they pay, without compromising policy.

Move beyond “pay in full or fall behind”: One-time, lump-sum payment requirements can create avoidable compliance challenges. In many cases, residents intend to pay but cannot absorb a large bill all at once.

Modern government payment solutions can support:

  • Partial payments within defined thresholds
  • Structured payment plans that spread obligations over time
  • Over-pay options where appropriate (for example, pre-funding certain obligations)

Modern payment platforms allow agencies to configure schedule-pay, autopay, partial pay, and over-pay options in their hosted portals, with rules controlled by the agency.

That combination makes it easier for residents to take action early instead of waiting until they can pay in full.

Make recurring and scheduled payments easy: For obligations like installment taxes, recurring fines, or ongoing program fees, recurring, and scheduled payments reduce missed due dates driven by forgetfulness or poor timing. Recurring and partial payments can be direct levers to boost compliance, especially when combined with clear communication and good reporting.

Residents appreciate the ability to enroll in autopay or set up scheduled payments aligned with their pay cycles, using stored payment methods that are captured via PCI-compliant forms and tokenized for secure storage. This reduces manual collections work while giving residents more control.

Design for accessibility and mobile use by:

  • Fixing UX issues that drive people to complain
  • Making portals accessible and mobile-friendly
  • Measuring completion and adoption rates—not just traffic

Modern government payment portals are designed to be responsive and accessible from modern browsers on phones and tablets, and to support both guest and registered flows for different comfort levels.

When residents can complete a payment on the device in their hand—in a few accessible, well-labeled steps—they are far more likely to finish the transaction instead of abandoning it.

CSG Forte offers a modern, secure platform designed specifically to help the public sector address these challenges and deliver on the promise of flexible, accessible payments. By integrating user-friendly payment options and robust security features, our bill payment and presentment solutions empower agencies to meet residents where they are—without upending existing operations or sacrificing compliance standards.

 

Integrating payments with existing government systems

Finance and IT leaders are understandably wary of any project that sounds like “rip and replace.” Fortunately, payment modernization often succeeds through incremental integration rather than all-or-nothing change. The real-world impact of this approach is evident through the experiences of local governments that have successfully modernized their payment processes with CSG Forte.

City of Kinston: bridging a gap without rebuilding everything

The city of Kinston, North Carolina, needed to expand its electronic payment options. Residents could pay utilities by phone and at a kiosk, but not online, and other departments could not accept electronic payments at all.

Instead of rebuilding its core systems, the city:

  • Used CSG Forte to build programming that bridged its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and a payment interface.
  • Implemented Secure Web Pay (SWP) Checkout to redirect residents from the city’s site to a secure, hosted payment page.
  • Added IVR and other channels over time.

The results: after integrating more electronic payment options, Kinston saw 41% year-over-year growth in transactions processed and positive feedback from residents who appreciated the ease of use.

Staff now handle less cash and fewer checks, reducing bank fees and saving time.

Lucas County: modernizing tax payments with minimal disruption

Lucas County, Ohio, worked with CSG Forte to solve a paper-heavy process where residents could only pay taxes by mail or in person. A prior processor added electronic options but came with high fees and poor support.

By transitioning to CSG Forte, the county:

  • Expanded card and eCheck options and added phone payments.
  • Streamlined online tax collection with SWP Checkout.
  • Retained its existing infrastructure, with the switch described as “pretty seamless.”

Over the first six years with CSG Forte, the Treasury department saw:

  • More than 280% growth in annual transactions processed.
  • A “vast reduction in posting issues.”
  • Fewer taxpayer complaints about the fee structure.

These examples show that you can upgrade payment experiences and back-office reliability without tearing out core systems—especially when you start with hosted front-end experiences and standard file-based integrations.

A Phased Approach to BillPay for Governments

 

Where CSG Forte fits in

Modernizing government payment solutions is not just a technology decision; it is a strategic choice about how you want residents to experience your agency.

CSG Forte’s government payments platform, anchored by BillPay and complemented by tools like Engage and Authenticate, is designed to help agencies:

  • Offer secure digital payments across channels (web, mobile, phone, IVR, and in person).
  • Provide flexible options like schedule-pay, autopay, partial pay, and over-pay where policy allows.
  • Protect constituent data with PCI-validated P2PE, tokenization, and fraud/risk tools tailored to card and ACH payments.
  • Reduce manual work with daily reporting and ready-to-reconcile files.
  • Improve collections and public experience at the same time, as shown in Kinston and Lucas County’s results.

If your team is exploring government payment solutions that can meet today’s expectations without adding unnecessary complexity, it can help to talk through options with a specialist.

Now is the time to talk to a payments expert. Our team can help you map a practical path from where you are now to a more modern, trusted payment experience for the people you serve.

 

FAQs

What is a government payment solution?

A government payment solution is a set of tools that lets agencies present bills, accept payments (card, ACH/eCheck, and often wallets) across web, mobile, IVR, and in-person channels, and reconcile those payments with existing financial systems. CSG Forte BillPay, for example, is a hosted portal purpose-built for government and other billers.

Do we need to replace our core financial or ERP system to modernize payments?

Not necessarily. Many agencies start with a hosted portal and file-based integrations, then deepen connections over time. Kinston and Lucas County both modernized tax and utility payments by bridging existing systems to CSG Forte’s hosted checkout and reporting tools, rather than rebuilding their ERPs.

How do recurring and partial payments help with compliance?

Internal government content notes that one-time, lump-sum payments can create compliance challenges, especially for residents facing variable income. Recurring and partial options make obligations more manageable, improving on-time payments when paired with clear policies and communication.

How do modern solutions address security for public sector payments?

Security briefs for public sector accounts stress the need for hardened login, account management, and data protection. CSG Forte’s platform is PCI DSS-compliant, supports PCI-validated P2PE for in-person card transactions, and uses tokenization to keep sensitive data out of agency environments.

What results have other governments seen from modernizing payments?

Lucas County increased annual transactions by more than 280% over six years while reducing posting issues and fee complaints.

Kinston saw 41% year-over-year growth in transactions after expanding electronic options, along with positive resident feedback.

From Claim to Cash: Modern Healthcare Payment Solutions for Large Health Systems

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Top Takeaways

  • Fragmented, manual payment processes slow cash, inflate cost-to-collect, and frustrate patients at a time when health system margins and workforces are under pressure.
  • Modern healthcare payment solutions combine patient-friendly, omnichannel payments with deep EHR/PM integration and strong security to improve both collections and satisfaction.
  • Straight Through Processing (STP) automates virtual card reimbursements from “approved” to “deposited + reconciled” in about a day, creating faster, more predictable revenue streams.

Hospitals and health systems are under pressure from every direction. Margins are thin, labor is tight, and more revenue depends on patients who are already stretched financially. At the same time, those patients expect to pay for care the way they pay for everything else: quickly, digitally, and on their own time.

Yet in many large health systems, the way money moves still looks like it did a decade ago: paper statements, mailed virtual cards, disconnected portals, and manual reconciliation between clinical, billing, and payment systems.

That disconnect doesn’t just create back-office headaches. It slows cash, inflates cost-to-collect, and leaves patients frustrated with a financial experience that doesn’t match the quality of care.

Modern healthcare payment solutions give administrators another option. This article explains how combining digital, patient-friendly payment options with deep integration and automation helps strengthen revenue cycle performance and improve patient satisfaction at the same time.

 

Why outdated payment processes hurt the revenue cycle

Legacy payment processes tend to break down in the same places, especially in large, multi-entity systems.

Fragmented tools and manual work inflate cost-to-collect

Many healthcare organizations upgraded payment capabilities piecemeal over time: a portal here, a card terminal there, maybe a lockbox or text-to-pay tool on top of an aging practice management system.

The result is a tangle of:

  • Different processors and gateways by facility or service line
  • Staff keying card numbers from phone calls or mailed virtual cards
  • Spreadsheets to reconcile deposits and remittance files
  • Separate workflows for online, in-person and mailed payments

This fragmentation drives up the cost-to-collect and soaks up scarce revenue cycle staff time that could be spent on denials prevention, underpayment follow-up, or complex accounts.

Slow reimbursement adds volatility you can’t afford

On the payer side, many providers still receive insurer reimbursements via mailed virtual cards. Staff open envelopes, key card numbers into terminals, and manually match deposits to remits days or weeks later.

That “digital in name only” workflow can stretch the window from approval to cash to 30–90 days.

When more revenue already depends on patient responsibility—where collection rates are lower and less predictable—those delays on the “reliable” side of the payer mix create real cash-flow risk.

Confusing, inconvenient bills damage satisfaction and collections

On the patient side, traditional payment processes often feel opaque and outdated. When consumers are confused by their medical bills or encounter problems while paying a medical bill, they’re more likely to delay payment or even allow their bill to go to collections.

That dissatisfaction shows up on your balance sheet as slower collections, more bad debt and higher churn.

 

What modern healthcare payment solutions include

Modern healthcare payment solutions support omnichannel payments, integrate with EHR and practice management systems, and use models like embedded payments and Straight Through Processing (STP) to automate both patient payments and reimbursements while maintaining HIPAA and PCI DSS compliance.

Key capabilities include:

Omnichannel, patient-centric payments

Patients should be able to pay the way that works for them, at the time that works for them. Leading platforms support:

  • Online patient portals and mobile-responsive payment pages
  • Text-to-pay links and email reminders with click-to-pay options
  • In-office terminals and contactless payments
  • Phone payments via IVR or live agents, with secure payment pages instead of card numbers read aloud
  • Paper and check workflows that are digitized quickly on the back end

The right platform lets you honor those preferences without multiplying your internal complexity.

Flexible payment options that reflect real finances

Rising deductibles means more patients are managing larger balances over time. Modern platforms support:

  • Installment plans with clear terms and automated schedules
  • Autopay for recurring balances, including cards or ACH on file
  • Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, which many consumers find both convenient and secure
  • Multiple payment methods per account (e.g., HSA/FSA plus credit card)

Consumers increasingly expect this flexibility from their healthcare providers.

Deep integration with EHR and billing platforms

A payment that doesn’t post correctly might as well not exist. That’s why integration with electronic health records (EHR) systems, practice management (PM) software, and revenue cycle tools is non-negotiable.

Modern payment solutions integrate with leading EHR/PM systems to:

  • Match payments accurately to the right guarantor and encounter
  • Update balances in near real time across channels
  • Reduce re-keying by staff and associated error risk
  • Provide unified reporting aligned with how finance and revenue cycle teams actually work

When payments live outside core workflows, you create more manual work, more exceptions and more doubt about the numbers.

Security and compliance by design

Healthcare sits at the intersection of HIPAA, PCI DSS, and escalating cyber risk. Any payment platform supporting a health system should:

  • Minimize the environment that touches cardholder data through tokenization and encryption in transit and at rest
  • Support HIPAA-aware deployments and clear PHI handling patterns
  • Offer role-based access controls, detailed audit trails, and separation of duties
  • Provide fraud monitoring and anomaly detection on payment accounts and sessions

Well-structured platforms reduce your PCI DSS scope and centralize much of the risk and monitoring workload while clearly defining the shared responsibilities you still own around access and configuration.

 

Making it easier for patients to understand and pay

From a patient’s perspective, paying for care involves two hurdles: understanding what they owe and acting on it. Modern healthcare payment solutions are designed to reduce friction on both fronts.

Fix the bill before you fix the payment button

If patients can’t make sense of their bill, they’re far less likely to pay it. Almost 60% of patients are dissatisfied with how providers communicate healthcare costs, and 56% say understanding what they owe is stressful.

To improve clarity:

  • Present a clear summary of charges, insurance payments and patient responsibility
  • Explain deductibles, coinsurance and write-offs in plain language
  • Avoid common “billing sins” like missing due dates or unclear previous-balance logic
  • Use consistent naming for facilities, departments and providers across statements and portals

Think of each touchpoint—paper, portal, text, email—as reinforcing the same story about what is owed and why.

Offer realistic options up front

Patient-friendly payment options can improve collections without pushing people into unmanageable debt. Practical steps include:

  • Providing a good-faith estimate of out-of-pocket costs before non-emergent services, so patients can plan or discuss financing
  • Presenting multiple payment options at the first bill, including plans, autopay and digital channels
  • Making it easy to enroll in a payment plan or autopay online, without a phone call

When modern embedded payments are part of pre-service and scheduling workflows, patients know their costs and options before they sign consent forms, reducing unpleasant surprises and downstream disputes.

Reduce portal and login friction

Even the best financial communication can’t overcome a clunky portal. Common friction points include:

  • Forgotten usernames and passwords with no simple recovery path
  • Multiple logins (one for clinical data, another for billing)
  • Too many clicks between login and the payment screen
  • Poor mobile performance

Content in the healthcare cluster emphasizes streamlining the login-to-payment journey and designing mobile-first payment flows, while coordinating portal, text and statement experiences so patients encounter a coherent path to payment.

Some organizations also layer in low-friction options like secure pay-by-link experiences (sent via text or email) that don’t require portal logins for one-time payments.

 

Integrating payments with clinical and billing systems

For large health systems, the real power of modern healthcare payment solutions lies in integration and automation—connecting payments across clinical, billing and treasury workflows.

From “payments as a bolt-on” to strategic infrastructure

Historically, payment tools sat on the periphery: a standalone portal, a few terminals, a lockbox relationship. Modern platforms act more like infrastructure:

  • Embedded directly into patient portals, scheduling tools and revenue cycle systems
  • Re-using tokenized payment credentials across channels while keeping raw data out of your environment
  • Aligning reporting structures to revenue cycle KPIs such as days in A/R and patient pay yield

That shift makes it easier to maintain consistent policies and experiences across hospitals, clinics and acquired entities.

Where STP fits

STP is a specific payment automation process that helps healthcare providers receive payments from insurance companies—and patients via their payers—in about one day, directly into their bank accounts.

Instead of sending virtual card details through the mail and relying on manual posting, STP:

  • Keeps the payer’s virtual card model intact
  • Routes virtual card credentials and remittance data electronically to a healthcare-ready processor
  • Automatically processes the cards and deposits funds into the provider’s bank account, typically the day after approval rather than weeks later
  • Surfaces clean remittance data in a platform your teams can use for posting and reconciliation

In revenue cycle terms, STP closes the “last mile” from approved reimbursement to deposited, reconciled cash.

Because STP runs behind the scenes, it doesn’t require disruptive changes to your EHR or PM systems. You gain faster payments and cleaner data, while staff stop acting as human routers for virtual cards.

Bringing patient and payer flows together

Modern healthcare payment solutions can centralize:

  • B2B flows: insurer payments via virtual cards
  • C2B flows: patient payments made through payer portals (e.g., HSA/FSA cards), which also generate virtual cards to the provider

By routing both through a common platform with STP, health systems:

  • Reduce manual touchpoints on two significant revenue streams
  • Gain a more predictable, consolidated view of cash across facilities
  • Lay a stronger foundation for downstream patient billing and collections

 

Measuring impact on collections and patient experience

To earn and sustain investment in payment modernization, large systems need a clear measurement framework that connects capabilities to outcomes.

Revenue cycle and finance metrics

Common metrics to track include:

  • Days in A/R and time from adjudication to cash, especially for virtual card reimbursements
  • Patient collection rate, by channel and balance segment
  • Cost-to-collect, including payment-related call center and posting labor
  • Bad debt and charity care, particularly for self-pay after insurance
  • Exception rates for unmatched or misapplied payments
  • Reconciliation cycle time and month-end close effort

Early adopters of digital payments report better cash-flow management, lower transaction costs and reduced financial risk.

Patient experience and retention metrics

Because billing and payments heavily influence satisfaction, include:

  • Patient portal adoption and payment completion rates
  • Inbound call volume related to billing and payment confusion
  • Complaint themes in surveys or online reviews about the financial experience
  • Churn or leakage associated with negative billing experiences—some studies show a sizable share of patients will switch providers over payment friction

Tracking both financial and patient outcomes helps leaders avoid “false wins” where collections improve but satisfaction drops—and vice versa.

Security and risk indicators

As you consolidate payments and accounts, also monitor:

  • Account takeover attempts and unusual access patterns in portals
  • Chargeback and dispute trends
  • Fraud incidents related to virtual card processing or mailed remittances

Security-focused content in the healthcare cluster recommends a straightforward checklist for payment accounts: strengthening authentication, protecting stored payment methods, monitoring for suspicious activity and working closely with vendors on healthcare-specific controls.

 

Straight Through Processing as a strategic lever for large systems

For large health systems, modern healthcare payment solutions are not just a technology refresh. They’re a way to:

  • Shorten reimbursement cycles from 30–90 days to roughly one day for eligible virtual card payments
  • Reduce manual work and rework across revenue cycle, finance and lockbox operations
  • Offer patients the kind of digital experience they already expect in banking and retail
  • Strengthen your security and compliance posture across cardholder data and PHI

Straight Through Processing sits at the heart of this strategy. It turns insurer and payer-portal payments into fast, predictable, low-touch revenue—freeing your teams to focus on higher-value work and giving patients a more consistent journey from care to final payment.

If your organization is ready to move beyond piecemeal fixes and build a payment foundation that supports both your revenue cycle and your patient experience, it’s time to put STP on the roadmap.

Sign up CSG Forte’s for Straight Through Processing to see how automated, next-day reimbursements and modern payment options can support your revenue cycle performance and patient satisfaction goals.

 

FAQs

What are modern healthcare payment solutions?

Modern healthcare payment solutions are digital platforms that support omnichannel patient payments (online, mobile, text, phone and in-person), integrate with EHR and practice management systems and often use models like embedded payments and Straight Through Processing to automate collections and reimbursements while maintaining HIPAA and PCI DSS compliance.

How does Straight Through Processing (STP) help the revenue cycle?

STP routes adjudicated virtual card payments electronically from payers to providers and processes them automatically, typically shortening the time from approval to deposit from 30–90 days to about one day and delivering clean remittance data for reconciliation.

How do modern payment platforms improve patient satisfaction?

They make bills clearer, support preferred payment methods (cards, ACH, digital wallets) and channels (portal, text, phone, mail) and reduce friction in login and payment flows. Patients get transparency, choice and convenience, which research links to higher satisfaction and lower churn.

What security and compliance standards should healthcare payment solutions support?

Healthcare-ready platforms are designed to minimize cardholder data scope through tokenization and encryption, support HIPAA-aware deployments and centralize many risk and monitoring functions. Providers still retain shared responsibility for access control and PHI handling within their own systems.

How can we measure the impact of payment modernization?

Track days in A/R, time from adjudication to cash, patient collection rates, cost-to-collect, write-offs, billing-related call volume and patient satisfaction or NPS specific to billing and payments.

Reduce Late Utility Payments with Automatic Reminders and Recurring Autopay

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Key Takeaways

  • Thoughtful utility payment plans plus recurring autopay can reduce delinquencies without sacrificing fairness or compliance.
  • Multichannel reminders—email, text and automated calls—work best when they’re timed before due dates and written in a supportive, action-oriented tone.
  • Unifying bill presentment, payment channels and revenue-protection tools like account updater and NSF recovery helps utilities cut call volume and manual collections work.

When residents fall behind on utility bills, it doesn’t just hurt cash flow. It drives more billing questions, more payment-plan negotiations, and more tense conversations about late fees and shutoffs.

Many utilities respond by tightening collections, but there’s another path: combine flexible, well-structured utility payment plans with smarter, automated reminders and recurring autopay. Done right, this approach can reduce late payments and call volume while staying fair, compliant and secure.

This guide outlines how utility leaders can modernize payment plans and communications—without overhauling core systems or putting revenue at risk.

 

Why residents fall behind on utility bills

Most delinquencies are not about refusal to pay. They’re usually about timing, friction and confusion. Common drivers include:

  • Mismatched billing and pay cycles: Residents get paid weekly or biweekly, but bills are due on fixed dates that may fall just before payday.
  • Bill shock and seasonality: Weather extremes, usage spikes or rate changes can push even reliable payers into arrears for a month or two.
  • High-friction payment experiences: If residents must mail a check, stand in line or navigate a clunky portal, it’s easy to procrastinate. Internal guidance notes that outdated, single-channel portals often drive abandonment, unpaid bills and more calls instead of self-service.
  • Payment failures residents never see: Expired or reissued cards can silently break existing autopay arrangements, creating “mystery delinquencies” until a shutoff notice or large past-due balance appears.

At the same time, customer expectations have shifted toward digital, low-friction payments. Federal Reserve data from 2024 shows that nearly 70% of consumers prefer paying bills digitally instead of with checks or in-person payments, and more than half of U.S. consumers say they prefer mobile apps for utility payments.

These preferences create an opportunity: make it easier to pay on time, instead of focusing only on penalties when payments are late.

 

Designing flexible payment plans that still protect revenue

A modern utility payment plan should help residents succeed and safeguard the utility’s revenue. That balance comes from standardization, automation and built-in safeguards.

Standardize plan types and eligibility

Instead of one-off arrangements that depend on which agent answered the phone, define a small set of plan templates, such as:

  • Short-term catch-up plans (e.g., 2–3 installments)
  • Extended plans for larger arrears (e.g., 6–12 installments)
  • “Current + arrears” plans where residents pay the new bill plus a fixed amount toward the past-due balance

Eligibility rules—like minimum/maximum balances, number of plans allowed per 12 months and hardship flags—can be configured in billing systems or payment platforms so frontline staff are applying policies consistently.

This kind of standardization is echoed in internal playbooks on payment plans best practices, which recommend a limited set of options with clear parameters so staff can enroll residents quickly and fairly.

Make plans easy to execute, not just easy to approve

Affordability on paper isn’t enough; residents also need low-friction ways to follow through. Best practices include:

  • Scheduled payments: Let residents choose specific draft dates that line up with their paydays.
  • Recurring/autopay for installments: Encourage residents to put installment amounts on a recurring schedule—either card or ACH—so they don’t have to remember each payment manually.
  • Multichannel access: Offer online, IVR/phone and in-person options, all connected to the same account balance.

When residents can enroll and manage plans through self-service channels, you reduce pressure on contact center staff and shorten call times.

Prevent and repair “silent failures”

Recurring plans often fail because payment credentials change. Instead of waiting for declines and manual outreach, utilities can:

  • Use stored credentials with tokenization so cards can be updated centrally without re-keying each account.
  • Add an account updater service where available, so expired, changed or reissued card details are refreshed automatically.

For example, Hall’s Culligan Water activated an account updater add-on and, in the first month, processed $258,000 more in payments—a 3% increase in successful collections—completed over 4,000 cardholder updates and recovered $193,000 from cards that only needed expiration dates updated.

For utilities, similar tools can keep autopay and installment plans running with far less manual work.

Bake in security and compliance

Because utilities handle sensitive financial data and serve broad populations, payment flexibility must sit on a strong security foundation, including:

  • Tokenization to secure recurring transactions and keep card data out of utility systems
  • PCI-validated encryption so payment data is protected from the moment it’s entered
  • ACH account validation and NSF recovery that align with Nacha rules for ACH debits and retries

These capabilities help utilities offer more options and automation without expanding compliance risk.

 

Using reminders wisely: channel, timing and tone

Reminders are powerful, but if they’re poorly designed, they can feel intrusive. The goal is to send fewer, more relevant messages at the right time and on the right channel.

Channel: meet residents where they are

The right payer engagement platform should combine email, SMS and automated calls to reach more diverse populations.

Consider:

  • Email for full bill details, plan confirmations and receipts
  • SMS/text for short nudges—“Your bill of $X is due on [date]. Pay now: [link]”
  • Automated voice/IVR for residents who prefer or rely on phone payments

Timing: intervene before penalties and shutoffs

A typical cadence might include:

  • Upcoming-due reminders 3–5 days before the due date
  • Day-of nudges with a one-click or one-tap path to pay
  • Early past-due notices (1–3 days after) that clearly explain options, including payment plans
  • Installment reminders a few days before scheduled payments so residents can confirm funds

Tone: supportive and action-oriented

Especially in essential services, tone matters:

  • Focus on information and options, not blame
  • Clearly state amount, due date and what to do next
  • When past due, highlight ways to avoid interruption—Pay now, Schedule a payment, or Set up a payment plan

This approach respects residents’ circumstances while still driving action.

 

Coordinating billing, customer service and collections

Reducing late payments isn’t just a collections problem; it’s an end-to-end payments problem. Utilities see the best results when billing, customer service and collections teams share one playbook.

Billing: clear presentment and unified channels

Billing teams can:

  • Move more bill presentment online with EBPP (electronic bill presentment and payment) to send invoices electronically so customers can view bills and pay on their own, which speeds payment and reduces customer service calls.
  • Consolidate payment channels into a single, integrated platform to reduce errors and confusion from fragmented systems.
  • Ensure bills (paper and digital) clearly call out self-service options and how to enroll in autopay or payment plans.

Customer service: resolve issues and close the loop

Frontline agents need tools that let them help residents in a single interaction:

  • Quick access to standardized plan options and eligibility rules
  • The ability to send secure payment links during a call, so residents can complete payments on their device without reading card or bank details aloud (this also reduces PCI scope).
  • Visibility into whether reminder emails, texts or calls were sent, to avoid confusing experiences for residents

Collections: focus on true non-payers

When plans, reminders and autopay are working, collections teams can:

  • Spend more time on genuinely at-risk accounts instead of routine delinquencies
  • Use analytics (e.g., frequent NSFs, chronic non-response) to prioritize outreach
  • Work more closely with billing and CX to refine upstream policies and scripts

Real-world examples from adjacent sectors show what this looks like in practice. WasteWORKS, a solid waste management platform serving utilities and waste facilities, integrated CSG Forte to support online, in-person and card-on-file payments. Facilities now process payments “in seconds,” see fewer manual errors and have a seamless experience at every touchpoint, processing more than 144,000 payments each month through CSG Forte.

That same model—flexible channels with strong back-office integration—translates directly to utilities.

 

How to measure the impact on delinquencies and call volume

To prove the value of flexible plans and smarter reminders, track changes across three dimensions: delinquencies, operations and customer experience.

1. Delinquencies and revenue metrics

Key measures include:

  • Percentage of accounts 1–30, 31–60 and 61+ days past due
  • Average days sales outstanding (DSO) or equivalent receivables aging
  • Adoption and completion rate of payment plans
  • Autopay enrollment rate (overall and among previously delinquent segments)
  • Card and ACH decline rates before and after implementing tools like account validation, account updater and NSF recovery

2. Call center and operations metrics

Monitor:

  • Total billing- and payment-related call volume
  • Calls specifically about past-due balances or payment plans
  • Average handle time for payment calls
  • Self-service containment (what percentage of payments occur without an agent)
  • Manual work effort in collections (for example, hours spent manually updating cards or chasing declined payments)

Hall’s Culligan reports that after adding CSG Forte’s Account Updater, staff saved significant time because more than 4,000 cardholder records were updated automatically in the first month, rather than through 15–20-minute calls per decline.

3. Customer experience and fairness indicators

To ensure your approach is both effective and equitable, track:

  • Complaint rates related to billing, fees and shutoffs
  • The share of residents using digital channels vs. in-person/phone, segmented by demographics where possible
  • Re-default rates among residents who completed a payment plan
  • Qualitative feedback from surveys or community forums about payment communication and options

Over time, you can adjust plan structures, reminder timing and channel mix based on what improves both on-time payment and satisfaction.

 

Bringing it all together with modern utility payment solutions

The most effective strategy doesn’t treat payment plans, reminders and autopay as separate projects. Instead, it weaves them together into a single, modern payment experience:

  • Clear, electronic bill presentment and self-service access
  • Standardized, flexible utility payment plans tuned to resident realities
  • Scheduled and recurring payments that align with pay cycles
  • Automated, multichannel reminders with respectful language
  • A secure, compliant infrastructure that protects both customer data and cash flow

CSG Forte’s utility billing and payment solutions are designed to support exactly this kind of approach, with omnichannel acceptance (online, IVR, in-person), payer engagement capabilities for reminders and flexible payment options, and secure electronic bill presentment.

If your organization is ready to reduce late payments, lower call volume and improve the resident experience, it may be time to revisit your payment strategy.

Talk with CSG Forte’s sales experts to explore how modern utility payment plans, reminders and recurring autopay can work within your existing systems and policies. You can also download our government-specific eBook to learn more about how CSG Forte serves government-run utility customers.

 

FAQs

What is a utility payment plan?

A utility payment plan is an agreement that lets a customer pay down a past-due balance over time—often in fixed installments—while keeping current bills paid. Modern plans can be managed online, over the phone or in person, and may support recurring or scheduled payments.

How do recurring autopay options reduce late utility payments?

When residents enroll in recurring payments for their monthly bill or plan installments, they no longer rely on remembering due dates. Combined with card updater and ACH validation tools, autopay can significantly reduce missed or declined payments.

What channels should utilities use for payment reminders?

Best practice is to combine email (for detail), SMS/text (for quick nudges and pay links) and automated phone/IVR for residents who prefer to call. CSG Forte’s payer engagement and utilities solutions highlight this multichannel approach to reduce delinquencies and support diverse customer preferences.

How can utilities keep flexible payment options secure and compliant?

Utilities should work with providers that support tokenization, PCI-validated encryption, ACH account validation and Nacha-compliant NSF recovery. CSG Forte emphasizes these controls across its utilities and bill presentment solutions.

What metrics show that payment plans and reminders are working?

Track past-due rates by aging bucket, autopay and plan adoption, card/ACH decline rates, billing-related call volume, and complaints about billing or shutoffs. CSG Forte case studies, like Hall’s Culligan and WasteWORKS, demonstrate how the right tools improve collections and reduce manual workload.

Press Release: CSG Helps Businesses Cut Fraud Losses by up to 70% with CSG PaymentsProtection.ai

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AI-powered fraud detection solution enables near-real-time, cross-channel transaction monitoring to stop fraud without slowing legitimate payments.

Unlocking Growth: How Embedded Payments Empower ISVs and Drive Merchant Success

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A customer clicks “Pay Now,” and the transaction completes without ever leaving the app. That’s not just a smoother checkout—it’s a strategic shift in how businesses can deliver value, build trust and generate revenue. Embedding the payment platform right into your site or application retains and highlights your voice, your branding and, ultimately, your customer base.

For independent software vendors (ISVs), embedded payments are no longer a technical feature—they’re a business imperative. Instead of bolting on third-party processors or sending users to external portals, ISVs can now own the entire payment experience. That means faster onboarding, cleaner user flows and more control over branding, compliance and monetization.

Digital payments provide convenience and processing efficiencies, but they also introduce several risks for both payers and businesses, including cyberattacks. Cybercriminals target all types of organizations large and small, including healthcare providers, financial institutions, government agencies, retail businesses and most other types of transaction-based businesses. They’re looking for security weaknesses in outdated payment systems that make it easy to access sensitive information. Ransomware attacks, phishing schemes and data breaches jeopardize personal information—and trust.

The numbers back it up: embedded payments are expected to drive $6.5 trillion in volume by 2025, and SMBs that adopt them can see 25–50% revenue growth boosts. This means the stakes are high—and the opportunity is massive.

 

The Problem with Traditional Payment Setups

For too long, accepting digital payments has meant juggling multiple vendors, navigating complex compliance requirements and sacrificing user experience. Disconnected systems lead to:

  • Poor checkout experience that erodes customer trust: When the payment interface feels disconnected from the rest of the application—using generic third-party styling or redirecting users off-platform—it creates friction, undermines brand credibility and increases the likelihood of cart abandonment.
  • Fragmented data and dashboards: ISVs often manage merchant data across multiple disconnected systems, making it difficult to access real-time insights into merchant performance. Without a unified view, ISVs lack the visibility needed to proactively support their merchants and drive business growth.
  • Slow merchant onboarding: Completing lengthy Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, reconciling and tracking paperwork manually and juggling inconsistent integration timelines delay revenue generation and frustrate users.
  • High support burdens: ISVs often struggle to support merchants when payment issues arise, as they must coordinate across multiple providers. This leads to increased support requests and puts additional strain on ISV teams, making it challenging to deliver timely and effective assistance.
  • Data breaches: Hackers infiltrate systems and steal sensitive customer data, including payment information, to make fraudulent transactions.
  • Security and compliance risks: Without centralized oversight, ISVs face greater exposure to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) violations, data breaches and regulatory penalties. Vulnerabilities increase when handling sensitive customer payment data across disparate systems.

These challenges don’t just impact individual merchants—they compound at the ISV level. When ISVs rely on merchant-led or third-party payment integrations, every issue their merchants face becomes magnified: fragmented data, inconsistent branding and operational inefficiencies ripple upward and outward, making it even harder for ISVs to maintain control and support their customers while also scaling their platforms. This means lost revenue opportunities and higher churn. What’s more, limited payment options and delayed onboarding contribute to lower conversion rates and higher churn.

Maintaining regulatory compliance is one of the most complex ways businesses navigate online payment risk. Regulations such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for data security and strong customer authentication must be adhered to, and they change regularly. Organizations have to get it right, or risk steep fines and penalties.

 

So, What Are Embedded Payments?

Embedded payments refer to the integration of payment functionality directly into a software platform—allowing users to complete transactions without leaving the application. This creates a frictionless experience for both merchants and consumers. For ISVs, embedding payments means becoming strategic partners, offering a unified solution that powers both business operations and revenue generation.

By embedding payments directly into platforms, ISVs can overcome the limitations of traditional payment setups and deliver a more unified experience. This transformative approach offers operational, branding and revenue advantages.

Operational Efficiency

Embedded payments eliminate the need for multiple providers and fragmented systems. With a unified infrastructure, ISVs gain:

  • One source of truth for transactions
  • Simplified APIs and integrations
  • Faster merchant onboarding
  • Real-time reporting and analytics

Brand Control

A seamless UX from login to checkout strengthens brand identity and trust. ISVs can offer:

  • Branded checkout experiences
  • Custom payment flows
  • Reduced churn and higher customer satisfaction

Revenue Growth

Embedded payments unlock new revenue streams. ISVs can:

  • Monetize every transaction
  • Offer value-added services like recurring billing and digital wallets
  • Set custom pricing models

Compliance and Risk Reduction

By partnering with platforms like CSG Forte, ISVs can offload burdens related to:

  • PCI DSS and KYC compliance
  • Data privacy regulations
  • Payment fraud management

 

Embedded Payments vs. Payment Facilitation Models

Not all embedded payment strategies are created equal. CSG Forte offers three flexible models to meet different business needs:

 

 

For ISVs ready to take full ownership of the payment experience, becoming a registered payment facilitator offers the highest earning potential and customization.

Embedded payments are making waves across a multitude of industries:

  • Healthcare: HIPAA-compliant solutions streamline billing and improve collections.
  • Property management: Secure rent collection and flexible tenant payment options.
  • Government: Simplified tax, permit and utility payments with constituent-friendly UX.
  • Education: Tuition and campus payments with seamless API integration.

Take Buildium, for example—a property management platform that saw 35% YoY growth and 99.99% uptime after embedding payments with CSG Forte.

Implementation and Integration Strategy

CSG Forte makes implementation seamless with:

  • REST APIs for and onboarding, transaction processing, management and reporting
  • Dex, our payment operations platform for real-time visibility and control
  • Dedicated support teams, including Solutions Engineers and Partner Success Managers

Our tried-and-tested onboarding journey includes:

  • Discovery and solutioning
  • Integration and testing
  • Go-live and training
  • Ongoing support and optimization

Whether you choose PFaaS or full facilitation, CSG Forte tailors the experience to your business needs.

Beyond revenue, embedded payments are a powerful retention tool. One survey found that 65% of merchants are willing to switch vendors if embedded finance isn’t offered. For ISVs, this means offering embedded payments is a top predictor of vendor stickiness. Neglecting it can lead to higher churn and lost market share.

Future-Proof Your Organization by Embedding Payments

Embedded payments are more than a technical upgrade—they’re a strategic imperative. They offer ISVs:

  • Greater control over the customer experience
  • Scalable infrastructure for growth
  • New revenue streams and stronger margins
  • A competitive edge in a crowded market

Whether you’re just starting with a referral model or ready to become a registered payment facilitator, CSG Forte provides the tools, support and flexibility to help you succeed.

Ready to explore your modernized payments journey? Contact our payments experts to schedule a free demo and let’s talk about how CSG Forte can help you monetize, scale and future-proof your platform.

Why Secure, Modern Payment Portals Are the New Standard for Businesses

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Digital payments provide convenience and processing efficiencies, but they also introduce several risks for both payers and businesses, including cyberattacks. Cybercriminals target all types of organizations large and small, including healthcare providers, financial institutions, government agencies, retail businesses and most other types of transaction-based businesses. They’re looking for security weaknesses in outdated payment systems that make it easy to access sensitive information. Ransomware attacks, phishing schemes and data breaches jeopardize personal information—and trust.

Consumers are increasingly and justifiably worried about data security. A 2024 survey found that 78% of U.S. consumers expressed concerns about data security when using online services, up from 73% the previous year. Almost half (44%) of respondents had experienced data loss, identity theft or online fraud, with 29% of the victims experiencing significant harm. Only 26% of respondents believe digital payment methods are secure from theft.

Identity theft or a data breach shatters trust. Across industries, security is the most valued factor when making any kind of payment, as identified by 94% of respondents to an American Express survey. Most (84%) consumers expect strong security—to protect their data and credit—from any organization requesting payment. When their financial information isn’t protected, customers may hesitate to use online payment portals again. Or they may take their business elsewhere.

A single security lapse can have devastating consequences for a business’ reputation and finances. More than half (58%) of U.S. consumers believe that brands that get hit with a data breach are not trustworthy, and 70% said they would stop shopping with a brand that suffered a security incident.

Businesses and government agencies must prioritize payment security and risk management to safeguard customer data and revenue and maintain trust. That means investing in digital payment solutions that meet the highest standards for cybersecurity, compliance, and fraud prevention.

 

Common Payment Risks in Digital Transactions

As digital transactions gain popularity, businesses and consumers alike must understand the various risks.

Payment fraud is the main risk in digital transactions, and comes in many forms, such as:

  • Identity theft: Bad actors steal personal information to make unauthorized purchases.
  • Account takeovers: Bad actors gain access to accounts and initiate transactions without the account holder’s knowledge.
  • Phishing scams: Bad actors trick victims into revealing sensitive information such as passwords or card details.
  • Social engineering: Bad actors manipulate individuals through social engineering tactics to gain access to sensitive information or trick them into authorizing fraudulent transactions.
  • Data breaches: Hackers infiltrate systems and steal sensitive customer data, including payment information, to make fraudulent transactions.
  • Card-not-present (CNP) fraud: Common in online purchases, this refers to fraudulent transactions that occur without the presence of the physical card.

Chargebacks are another key risk in digital transactions. Customers can request a chargeback—a reversal of funds following a debit or credit card purchase, initiated when the customer files a dispute over the charge with their bank or credit card provider. A large proportion of chargebacks reverse legitimate fraud (i.e., transactions that show up on a customer’s account due to fraudulent activity). However, some chargebacks occur due to “friendly fraud”—when the customer doesn’t recognize the charge, has delivery problems or wants to avoid the return process. Whether they’re due to legitimate or friendly fraud, chargebacks are costly for businesses. Payment processing providers charge fees—up to $50 or $100 for each chargeback.

Maintaining regulatory compliance is one of the most complex ways businesses navigate online payment risk. Regulations such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for data security and strong customer authentication must be adhered to, and they change regularly. Organizations have to get it right, or risk steep fines and penalties.

 

Key Components of a Successful Payment Risk Management Strategy

To effectively manage payment risk, choose a payment system that includes:

Verification services

To reduce payment failures, fraudulent transactions and chargebacks, proactively verify:

  • Routing and bank account numbers
  • Account ownership
  • Customer account data is current (e.g., card not expired)
  • Accounts are active and have sufficient funds

 

Modern Security Measures

When it comes to payments, security is about more than just locking down individual transactions—it requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses every point where sensitive data is stored, transmitted, or accessed. A strong payments platform weaves together multiple safeguards to reduce risk, strengthen compliance, and maintain customer trust. The following measures form the foundation of a modern, secure system.

  • Encryption & Tokenization: Protecting sensitive payment data requires a layered approach. Tokenization and encryption safeguard information both at rest and in transit. PCI-validated end-to-end encryption disguises card data during transmission, making it appear valueless if intercepted. Meanwhile, tokenization randomly generates a unique token with no intrinsic value for every set of sensitive information. This allows credit card or ACH data—such as the primary account number (PAN) for credit cards or the bank account or bank routing number for ACH transactions—to be safely stored, processed, and transmitted across systems without exposing the actual details.
  • Access Control: Payment systems must employ strong authentication protocols so that only authorized personnel can interact with sensitive data and systems. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a critical layer of defense by requiring multiple identifiers to access a system or approve a transaction, making unauthorized access far more difficult.
  • Built-In PCI Compliance: Another essential safeguard is built-in PCI compliance. A payment system must meet the highest compliance and regulatory standards, including PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) requirements for handling credit card payments, as well as local and federal regulations. A trusted payments partner helps businesses navigate this complex landscape by providing secure solutions and supporting compliance in real time—minimizing risk and reducing the likelihood of breaches that can erode customer trust.
  • Hosted Payment Pages: Hosted payment pages also offer strong protection. Instead of entering bank account or card details directly on an organization’s website, customers are redirected to a secure checkout page managed by a third-party gateway or service provider. On that page, sensitive data—such as account and routing numbers, PANs, CVVs, and expiration dates—is collected and transmitted by the provider’s secure servers. Because the organization’s systems never touch or store this data, PCI scope is significantly reduced.
  • Reducing Access to Sensitive Data: Some platforms go even further by offering solutions that limit direct access to sensitive data. For example, having customers pay through secure, unique microsites rather than sharing payment information over the phone reduces both the number of people who handle sensitive details and the risk of fraudsters posing as customer service representatives.

 

Advanced Fraud Detection

Even with strong security controls and compliance in place, fraud is an ever-present threat. Fraudsters constantly adapt their methods, meaning businesses can’t rely solely on static defenses. Instead, payment systems must incorporate tools that can learn, evolve, and recognize the signs of suspicious activity before losses occur. Modern fraud detection is about continuous adaptation and proactive monitoring.

Today’s platforms use advanced tools like machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and behavioral analytics to spot subtle, complex patterns of fraudulent activity that would slip past basic rule-based systems.

These tools analyze transaction data and user behavior, monitoring elements such as transaction timing, frequency, device fingerprints, and even typing speed. Anomalies are flagged for further investigation, giving businesses the ability to react before fraudulent activity escalates. The key is adaptability—fraud detection systems must continuously learn and evolve in order to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated threats.

When You Don’t Want to DIY: Secure, Compliant Payment Processing Builds Trust

Even with a strong payment system, risk management is a heavy lift. Cyber threats, fraud schemes, and regulatory requirements are rapidly evolving. The good news? You don’t have to shoulder fraud detection and prevention on your own.

Knowing that their payment data is handled securely gives customers peace of mind and builds trust. By using secure, compliant payment solutions and prioritizing risk management, your organization demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding customers’ personal data and financial transactions. This proactive approach to cybersecurity and compliance not only helps prevent fraud but also reassures residents that your business is trustworthy, responsible and transparent. When customers know your business is taking the right steps to secure their personal information, they are more likely to pay online—and on time—and continue doing business with you.

Ready to strengthen your payment security? Discover how CSG Forte’s secure, compliant payment solutions can help you protect customer data, reduce risk, and earn lasting trust. Contact us today to learn more.

How Do BillPay Notifications Work?

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Your customers expect their bill payment experiences to be as seamless as their favorite online shopping checkout. But for many billers, the process is far from that. Customers get frustrated, leading to missed payments, delayed cash flow and overwhelmed support teams. That’s where BillPay notifications come in. These convenient nudges play a critical role in transforming the payment experience for both your customers and your hard-working employees.

Better billing starts with better communication. Let’s explore how BillPay notifications work, why they matter and how they can help you deliver a more modern, efficient and customer-friendly payment experience.

 

Why Bill Payment Notifications Matter

Billers today face three core challenges: poor customer experience, lagging operational insights and limited development resources. CSG Forte BillPay notifications directly address the first two by:

  • Anticipating customer needs: When customers don’t receive timely reminders or updates, they’re more likely to miss payments. This not only disrupts your cash flow but also leads to increased service calls, customer dissatisfaction, and, ultimately, churn.
  • Providing timely reminders: According to Datos Insights, Americans spent $5.6 trillion last year paying 16.8 billion bills—60% of which were one-time payments. That means a substantial portion of bill timeliness relies on consumers’ memory and organization.

BillPay notifications help bridge that gap by proactively guiding customers through the payment process, reducing friction and improving on-time payment rates.

 

Types of BillPay Notifications

CSG Forte’s BillPay solution supports a variety of notification types to meet customers where they are:

  • Email Reminders: Sent before due dates, these reminders help customers stay on top of their obligations.
  • Text to Pay Notifications: SMS messages with embedded payment links make it easy to pay on the go. In fact, two-thirds of consumers who receive these texts say it’s the fastest and easiest way to pay.
  • Calendar-Integrated Notifications: For customers using mobile apps or portals, alerts provide real-time updates.

These channels are designed to be flexible and customizable, allowing billers to tailor the experience to their customer base.

 

How Notifications Are Triggered

Behind the scenes, BillPay notifications are powered by smart automation and real-time data.

  • Trigger Logic: Notifications are scheduled based on due dates. For example, a reminder might be sent three days before a bill is due, followed by a follow-up if payment hasn’t been received.
  • Real-Time Integration: CSG Forte’s centralized management hub gives billers real-time visibility into payment activity, allowing for faster response times.
  • Customization: Billers can define the frequency, channel and content of notifications. Whether it’s a branded email or a friendly text, the message reflects your organization’s tone and values.

 

The Customer Journey

Here’s how a typical notification flow might look:

  1. Bill is generated: The system identifies a new bill and schedules a reminder.
  2. Reminder is sent: An email or SMS is sent a few days before the due date.
  3. Follow-up is conducted: If the bill remains unpaid, a second reminder is triggered.
  4. Confirmation is received: Once payment is made, the customer receives a confirmation message.

This journey ensures customers are informed at every step, reducing confusion and increasing the likelihood of on-time payments.

 

Benefits for Billers

BillPay notifications aren’t just convenient for customers—they’re a game-changer for billers too:

  • Improved cash flow: Timely reminders lead to more on-time payments.
  • Reduced support volume: Fewer missed payments mean fewer calls to your support team.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction: Proactive communication builds trust and loyalty.
  • Increased operational efficiency: Automation frees up your team to focus on higher-value tasks.

 

Real-World Results

The impact of BillPay notifications is already being felt across the CSG Forte customer base. One customer, the treasurer of Warrick County, shared that they “nearly stopped taking online payments” because they couldn’t find an accurate, consistent vendor. “Forte’s services have been invaluable,” she said.

 

How to Get Started

Ready to modernize your bill payment experience? Here’s how to begin:

  1. Review your current workflow: Identify gaps in your existing notification process.
  2. Select your channels: Choose the notification types that best suit your customers.
  3. Customize your messaging: Align the tone and branding with your organization.
  4. Let CSG Forte do the heavy lifting: Our plug-and-play solutions integrate seamlessly with your existing systems.

BillPay notifications are more than just reminders—they’re a strategic tool for improving customer experience, boosting operational efficiency, and driving consistent cash flow. With CSG Forte, you can deliver a modern, flexible and branded payment experience that keeps your customers informed and your business thriving. Let’s make bill payment easier—for everyone.

Get in touch with one of our payment experts today to learn more about how CSG Forte BillPay notifications can improve your business.