How Public and Private Utilities Can Modernize Bill Payments

Posted on

Key Takeaways

  • Modern utility bill pay solutions stabilize revenue by combining flexible options, reminders, and multichannel access on a secure, PCI‑aligned platform.
  • Customers now expect branded, mobile‑friendly portals with self‑service tools like autopay, schedule‑pay and text‑to‑pay, plus strong privacy and fraud protections.
  • CSG Forte BillPay and related tools such as Account Updater and recovery services help utilities reduce declines and manual collections work without replacing their CIS.

When your community members turn on the lights or the tap, they rarely think about how their bill gets paid. You do. Late and delinquent payments tighten cash flow, stretch staff thin, and can delay maintenance or capital projects. At the same time, customers expect to pay every bill (utilities included) from their phone in just a few taps.

Modern utility bill pay solutions are how city and county leaders close that gap. The goal is not a flashy new portal for its own sake. It is a more reliable, flexible, and trusted way to collect the essential revenue that keeps essential services running.

Budget constraints often make it difficult for utilities to consider overhauling their entire customer information system, so leaders must look for economical solutions that enhance payment processes without requiring a costly system replacement.

 

Why utility bill pay is under pressure

Cash flow, delinquencies, and collection costs

For many utilities, both public and privately owned, too much staff time goes into chasing payments:

  • Customers pay month to month instead of enrolling in autopay, so cash flow depends on them remembering due dates.
  • Some delinquencies happen simply because a customer forgot or their card expired—not because they could not pay.
  • Staff spend hours calling, processing one‑off partial payments, and manually updating account notes.

Those activities have a real cost in overtime, burnout, and delayed projects.

Modern utility bill pay solutions attack those root causes by making it easy for customers to set autopay, schedule payments around their paydays, and keep stored payment information current with tools like ACH-based recurring payments. Having the capability to automatically refresh stored card details when issuers reissue or update cards means recurring payments can continue without disruption, which is an important lever in any recurring billing environment.

Customers compare you to every other online bill

Your customers do not only compare you to other similar service providers. They compare you to their bank, mobile carrier, and streaming services. Government payments research shows residents increasingly expect payments to be digital, fast, and easy, and security and convenience top their list of decision factors.

For utilities, that translates to:

  • A clean, mobile‑friendly portal that looks like your utility, not a generic third‑party site
  • The ability to store a preferred payment method securely
  • Autopay and flexible scheduling options
  • Email or text reminders and confirmations instead of paper‑only notices

If paying their water or power bill feels clunky or less secure than other bills, many customers will push it to the bottom of the stack.

Security, privacy, and fraud concerns for public utilities

Public‑sector payment leaders also worry about:

  • PCI DSS compliance for card payments
  • Card‑not‑present fraud in online and phone channels
  • Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network and Nacha requirements
  • Data privacy and limiting staff exposure to sensitive payment data

For many city and county leaders, shifting this risk to a specialized provider is just as important as improving customer experience.

 

Features customers expect from utility bill pay solutions

Modernizing does not have to mean re‑platforming everything. It starts with a few core capabilities customers already use elsewhere.

A simple, branded online and mobile experience

Customers are more likely to trust and use a portal that clearly belongs to your utility. A flexible, reliable bill payment platform should let you:

  • Launch a hosted bill payment portal customized with your logo, colors and messaging, including a unique portal URL and branded landing page text.
  • Offer both “Pay Now” (no registration required) and “Register Pay” flows so one‑time and recurring payers each have a clear path.
  • Deliver a mobile‑friendly experience that works across phones, tablets and desktops.

That gives you a modern utility bill payment solution without a large internal development project.

Multiple secure ways to pay: ACH, cards and wallets

Different households prefer different payment methods—and some are cheaper for you to process. Most modern bill payment solutions support:

  • ACH/eCheck
  • All major card brands
  • Digital wallets, alongside in‑person and phone payments (where configured)

Self-service tools: autopay, payment plans, and reminders

Self‑service is one of the fastest ways to reduce delinquencies and call volume. Customers expect:

  • Autopay so they can “set it and forget it”
  • Scheduled payments that match pay cycles
  • Partial‑pay, over‑pay and pre‑pay options, within your policies
  • Email and text reminders with links that take them directly to a secure payment page

The combination of reminders and flexible options is especially useful for residents who want to stay current but juggle variable income or multiple obligations.

 

Building flexibility into payment options and timing

Options for on‑time, behind, and at‑risk accounts

A one‑size‑fits‑all bill pay experience is not realistic. You need options that work for:

  • On‑time payers who should be nudged toward autopay and low‑friction digital channels
  • Occasionally late payers who benefit most from reminders, saved payment methods, and scheduling
  • At‑risk payers who may need structured payment plans, partial‑pay options, or short extensions within policy

Utilities need a highly configurable solution that allows them to decide whether registration is required, which payment types are accepted, and which options (like partial‑pay or pre‑pay) are available for specific programs or customer types. What works for a municipality’s fiber customers may not work for its water users, for example.

Reminders and account updates prevent avoidable delinquencies

Many failed or late payments are avoidable. Either the customer forgot, or their stored card information is out of date. A reliable, flexible payment platform helps address both by:

  • Allowing recurrent users opt in to email notifications and text‑to‑pay on their mobile phones, so they get proactive reminders and confirmations
  • Automatically refreshing stored card credentials behind the scenes when issuers update or reissue accounts

 

Make bill payments work harder for your utility

Utility leaders do not need another massive system overhaul—they need a bill pay experience that helps customers stay current while protecting staff time and operating budgets. The capabilities outlined above—branded portals, flexible payment options, self-service tools, and smart reminders—are now baseline expectations, not nice-to-haves.

For many utilities, integration means:

  • Daily files that update the CIS with payments
  • Flexible file formats that align with existing reconciliation workflows
  • Cloud-based reporting so finance and customer service teams can see payment status without logging into multiple systems

CSG Forte BillPay is designed to support that modern experience while working alongside your existing CIS, not replacing it. Paired with tools like Account Updater and recovery services, BillPay helps keep stored card details current, reduce preventable declines and reversals, and streamline collections workflows so your team can focus on higher‑value work.

If you’re ready to stabilize cash flow, lower manual collections effort and give customers a bill pay experience that feels as modern as every other bill they pay, connect with CSG Forte to explore what BillPay can do for your utility.

 

Frequently asked questions

1. Do we have to replace our customer information system (CIS) to modernize bill pay?

No. Modern bill pay platforms like CSG Forte BillPay are designed to work alongside your existing CIS. Many utilities start by exchanging daily files or simple integrations that update payment status, then expand as needs evolve—without a multi‑year rip‑and‑replace.

2. How does BillPay help reduce late and delinquent payments?

BillPay supports tools customers already use for other bills: autopay, scheduled payments, email and text reminders, and stored payment methods. When combined, these features make it easier for customers to stay current, even if their income or schedules vary from month to month.

3. What payment methods can customers use?

Utilities can accept a mix of ACH/eCheck, major debit and credit cards, and digital wallets, alongside in‑person and phone payments where configured. That flexibility lets you meet different customer preferences while steering volume toward lower‑cost channels when appropriate.

4. How does Account Updater help with recurring payments?

Account Updater works behind the scenes with participating card issuers to refresh stored card details when accounts are updated or reissued. That helps keep recurring payments running smoothly, reducing avoidable declines and the manual work that follows.

5. How does BillPay support security, privacy and compliance requirements?

CSG Forte’s bill pay solutions are built to support PCI‑aligned processing and help limit staff exposure to sensitive payment data. You can configure secure online, mobile and phone channels that meet your organization’s policies while giving residents confidence that their information is protected.