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How often do you update your general ledger from your utility billing system? How often do you reconcile the accounts receivable from your general ledger with your billing system? Many utilities only update the general ledger monthly, some less frequently […]
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I’ve written previously about how bank drafts are the easiest way to collect payments. They are also generally less expensive to process than credit card payments. As a result, many utilities offer incentives to get customers to sign up for […]
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Today’s blog post draws from my popular Improving Revenue Collections for Utilities presentation. Let’s examine some best practices when taking an application for service. Require a copy of rental agreement or closing documents Requiring applicants for service to provide a […]
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Does your office use a device similar to the one pictured above? If you do, are you getting as much value from it as you could? Remote deposit capture For several years, many banks have promoted check scanners to facilitate […]
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How does your utility handle accounts for customers who have passed away? The best practice is to close the account in the name of the deceased customer and open a new account in the name of the executor or family […]
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Recently, a prospect who was interested in conducting a business review encountered pushback from their board when they presented the idea. They reached out to me and asked if I could put together some reasons why using an outside consultant […]
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Recently, I wrote about the steps required to convert from billing in larger units, such as hundreds or thousands, to billing in individual gallons. (If your utility bills in cubic feet rather than gallons, please mentally substitute “cubic feet” everywhere […]
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Several years ago, a customer of a municipal utility in Florida made the news for paying her $493 water bill all in pennies. This was, in her words, a “peaceful protest” of her high water bill, for which the utility […]
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In a previous blog post, I wrote about why, when moving to an AMI system, I feel it’s imperative to read and bill in individual gallons. Today, as I’m assisting a customer with making the switch, I thought it might […]
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Recently, in one of the listservs I subscribe to, someone inquired if any other local governments were accepting Apple Pay or Google Pay as forms of payment. Unfortunately, the post didn’t get any responses, but it did get me to […]
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