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MARKETING
How to Create Consumer Comfort around E-Payment
and E-Billing
One of the greatest challenges in
introducing e-billing services is how to best
communicate to your constituents so they
begin to use e-billing. While it may be difficult to
grab your students’ attention online and get
them to register for e-billing, at least most of
them ARE online and are comfortable with
interacting with electronic services. Parents
can be a much greater challenge to reach and
activate; consider the following marketing
strategies on how to reach parents and encourage
them to use your new e-billing services.
Ten Tips on How to Market E-Billing
Services to Parents:
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Start early. Three months in
advance of your launch is not too early
to begin notifying parents and
encouraging them to change behavior.
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Establish the benefits of e-billing:
Save time and postage; view and pay
online anytime/anywhere; receive monthly
reminders; your choice of payment
methods.
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Compose a message around these
benefits in clear, direct, simple
language. Don’t overcomplicate
describing the process or they will turn
away in confusion.
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Identify ALL communications channels
to parents. Bill insert,
on-bill messaging, postcard mailings,
letter mailings, brochure or flyer in
orientation presentation, live
presentation, parents association
listserv, parents website page, etc.
-
Repeat the same core message to
parents through these channels; no need
to reinvent: re-use!
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Give parents a number to call, as
well as online help, for answers to
their initial
questions/doubts/concerns/help needs.
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Train your staff to handle parents’
emails and phone calls during the
first two months.
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Encourage parents to try the online
demo to dispel their fears.
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Assure them they may opt-out if
they are truly fearful of online bill
presentment and payment.
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Remember that with
communication comes understanding; with
understanding comes comfort; with
comfort comes engagement in the process.
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