Everyone is familiar with the rusty old dropbox. For years it’s been a quick and easy way to drop off payments… but that’s where the benefits end. Although convenient, dropboxes are insecure. If stolen, the cash is removed and checks are thrown out, which leaves both customers and businesses unhappy. So what’s the alternative?
It’s time to consider payment kiosks. They’re a payment solution that’s perfect for both parties. Customers manage their transactions privately, without the help of a staff member. For businesses, like water departments, it cuts lines and wait times, which frees up the counter staff. Not only do kiosks make the payment process more efficient, but they can be customized to the needs of your water department. They can display the amount due for each customer by pulling up the customer’s account information. This is as easy as scanning a barcode on the bill for automated look up, or searching for their account number via touch screen. Business have also added payment options. Most people today don’t carry cash, and even fewer carry around their checkbook. With dropboxes, customers can only pay by cash or check, while kiosks allow them to pay by credit card too.
Water departments gain added features as well. The machines are automated so each deposit is processed electronically. Kiosks produce reports for balancing and auditing. Both of these solutions eliminate errors that are bound to occur as staff members rush to process a line of payments quickly. They free up staff time too, so should a more complex problem arrive, customers can be helped immediately.
If your water department still uses the rusty old dropbox as a payment solution, it’s probably time to retire it. Kiosks are easy to use, more efficient, and streamline the payment process for both you and your customers. F&E PaymentPros has customizable kiosks that are the perfect addition to any water department’s payment solutions. For more information, visit www.waterpaymentsolutions.com.