Here's how it works: customers enroll in the program by completing a form either at a Second National branch or through the Call Center. The enrollment form will ask customers to identify the merchants by address and their account number with that company (the system can pay virtually any company, large or small--from natural gas and electric utilities to credit card companies and retail stores). Once the enrollment form is complete (a signature is required), the customer will receive a separate PIN for the bill payment system.
To pay bills, the customer dials the IVR, 841-0276 in Trumbull County or toll free at 1-800-488-2762, and selects option number 8 to access the bill payment system. After inputting their special PIN, the system will prompt the customer to indicate which vendors should be paid, when, and in what amount. Next, the system confirms the customer's selections. A record of activity is also included in the customer's checking statements.
"It's especially helpful that you can call in at anytime and instruct the IVR to pay your bills," says Mr. Thorla.
Immediately upon receiving a bill, customers can call the system and program it to pay it on any future date, just before it is due. Or the customer can collect all of the month's bills, call the IVR, and input the necessary payments all at once--whether it's 2 p.m. or 2 a.m. And calls to the payment system can be made from anywhere in the world, whether a customer is at work, at home, or on vacation.
The bill payment service is not only convenient, it's cost-effective. Cost per transaction is just $.25, well below the price of a first-class U.S. postage stamp. And for all new customers enrolling in automated bill payment, there is a great bonus: for the first six months, all fees for the service will be waived.
|
