Why Governments Are Adopting Self-Service Technology Across The U.S.

Local government agencies are responsible for managing a host of payment-related tasks, including:

• • Collecting taxes and fines
  • Providing social benefits
  • Managing driver’s licenses
  • Registering new businesses

These city services are essential, but managing them can be time-consuming and expensive if each touchpoint requires in-person interactions between users and civil servants.

However, it’s possible to reduce these costs by using self-service payment technology that allows users to manage their accounts at their leisure. This explains why a growing number of local governments now use online dashboards and strategically placed kiosks to supplement — and sometimes even replace — brick-and-mortar payment offices.

The Advantages of Self-Service Payment Technology

Below are just some of the key benefits your agency can enjoy by offering self-service payment options:

• • You can service more users for a fraction of the cost. This is especially true if digital account management replaces traditional paper recordkeeping.
  • Kiosks and online portals offer 24/7 access, helping to reduce the frequency of delinquent bills.
  • Centralized, digitized reporting allows agencies to more easily share information with one another — while still delivering a consistent, unified experience to end users.

Benefits like these explain why self-service payment options are on the rise, with experts predicting that the number of digital payments across industries could reach 726 billion by 2020.

Cost-cutting measures aren’t the only factor fueling this trend.

Today’s users are more Internet-savvy than ever. They increasingly want the freedom and flexibility to request information, make payments, and manage their accounts — on their terms.

In effect, this shift from “customer service” to “customer technology” delivers measurable benefits — both to government agencies and to the users they serve.

How We Can Help You Maximize These Self-Service Payment Benefits

At CityBase, we specialize in helping government agencies streamline their payment environments by moving from expensive in-person interactions toward more streamlined self-service alternatives.

Some of our more popular solutions include:

• • Online payment services that allow users to manage their accounts entirely from the comfort of their homes.

• • Mobile payment options for those who prefer managing their accounts on the go. Users can even make payments via text or interactive voice response (IVR).

• • Self-service payment kiosks to help expand your coverage. This is particularly useful for those who may not have reliable Internet access, or for customers who pay in cash.

• • Seamless payment integration to help reduce manual data entry while simultaneously facilitating information-sharing between agencies.

All of these PCI-compliant payment processing solutions are available through a simple user interface that’s branded as the city or county, with online options native to its web domain. As such, the user experience remains the same, whether someone needs to:

• • Pay a parking ticket

• • Apply for a homestead deduction

• • Pay business taxes

This consistency helps reduce confusion and improve customer satisfaction across the board.