Product Update: Standard Checkout Simplifies Online Payments

Now more than ever, customers want a convenient way to make payments without mailing a bill or traveling to a payment center or government building. CityBase introduces our new standard checkout to make it easier than ever for customers to pay online for a variety of public sector payments, like water bills, business taxes, parking tickets, and more. Our first client to use standard checkout recently launched the web payment technology to streamline water, sewage, and garbage pickup payments for their customers and staff.

We’ve expanded our CityBase web payment technology to meet the diverse needs of various departments across a city, county, or state. Now we can implement online payments to provide three ways to pay: profile checkout, guided checkout, and standard checkout. 

Profile checkout uses CityBase User Profile technology to enable secure, recurring auto-payments. 

Guided checkout uses CityBase technology to look up a customer’s payment due against a client source system. 

Standard checkout allows a client’s underlying source system to manage the business process to determine the amount due, and then seamlessly pass over to standard checkout to collect payment and report back to the source system. Standard checkout is fast and easy to implement for any payment type. It allows our clients to maintain their existing technology stacks and business processes while bringing all payments online.

Standard Checkout Overview

CityBase web payment technology powers the new standard checkout experience. The standard checkout allows customers to make a one-time payment without creating or logging into a profile. Customers follow the local government’s or utility’s existing workflow, and seamlessly check out through an integrated payment page. After a payment is complete, customers view a confirmation screen and receive a receipt via email. 

All payments are reflected in the underlying department source system, as well as the CityBase Revenue Management Dashboard. The integrated technology allows CityBase clients to make changes to their underlying source systems or business processes without interrupting online service for their customers.

Key Features

• An integrated payment page using best practices in accessibility and consistent with client branding for a seamless digital experience 
• Enable customers to pay full balance or another amount
• Collect payment via credit / debit card or by bank account (ACH/eCheck) 
• Configurable fee and description by payment type
• Email receipt to customer
• Intuitive, mobile-responsive user interface, with all payment functionality available on desktop and any mobile device
• Backed by CityBase PCI Level-1 compliant payment security, reducing a client’s PCI scope
• Staff research, report, and reconcile transactions in CityBase Revenue Management Dashboard

How It Works

Here are a few examples of how our public sector clients are using this solution to make online payments easier.

Customer makes one-time utility payment and confirms a satisfied obligation

Sammy needs to make a payment toward his water bill. He goes to his city’s website and finds the Water department. He follows the steps online to search for his account, using his name and service address. The online workflow returns his account number and current bill due. 

He selects the “Pay My Bill” option to follow the standard checkout process. He never leaves his city’s website, so he can trust he’s making a secure payment to his city. 

Sammy decides to pay his full balance. He clearly sees that using a credit card adds an additional processing fee toward his bill, so he decides to pay by bank account. He types in his bank information, billing address, and his email so he can receive a digital receipt. He double checks his payment information and clicks “Make Payment.” 

A confirmation screen lets him know he’s successfully completed the transaction, and he also receives a receipt via email. Just to be sure, he navigates to the Water department webpage to look up his balance again. When he looks up his account, he’s pleased to see that the amount he owes is now $0. 

Entrepreneur completes permitting process for new business

Kassy is opening a new restaurant downtown. There are several permits she needs in order to open, including a business license, food service license, liquor license, and signage permit. 

Fortunately, her city has OpenCounter permitting technology that allows her to fill out all the permitting applications online in a single place. Kassy follows the city’s existing workflows to complete the digital paperwork, and now she needs to pay the permit application fees. 

An integration between the permitting software and CityBase standard checkout allows her to seamlessly pay for all the totals due for her permits in a single transaction. Once her payment is complete, she receives confirmation and is navigated back to the permitting process to confirm the next steps in getting her restaurant off the ground. CityBase processes the payment on behalf of the city, and the payment from the permitting vendor is centralized to the city’s finance platform.