Fargo, ND-MN (1888PressRelease)
February 24, 2009 - Onsharp, a North Dakota web firm, is launching a new electronic billing system designed for the special needs of small businesses.
Electronic billing has obvious benefits for the companies using it: lower costs, less staff time, and speed of response make it the best choice for nearly all companies. A Congressional report estimated that the savings in just the medical industry could add up to $36 billion a year. Other studies have suggested that businesses in general spend three times as much on paper bills as on electronic invoices.
Yet 95% of all American households still receive bills in the mail.
One reason is that consumers don’t see immediate benefits. Consumers perceive electronic billing as something that saves money for the companies sending them bills, but reduces service.
In fact, ebilling has an advantage for all of us: it’s a greener choice.
The Pay It Green Alliance has calculated that one family, by switching to paperless bill paying, can avoid 68 pounds of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of 9 square feet of forest preserved from deforestation.
The average business, can save 171 pounds of greenhouse gases in a year by making the switch. When a company cuts out paper bills, the reduction in use of paper and ink, production of wastewater, energy used to print and produce the invoices, and the fuel involved in physically transporting the invoices to consumers can be significant.
Multiply these savings over the number of companies and consumers still using paper bills and the effect on our environment is enormous.
SmartPay, a new service from North Dakota web development firm Onsharp, makes ebilling practical for smaller businesses. Instead of paying for electronic billing software, businesses pay a modest set-up fee and a monthly charge based on the number of bills sent out in a given month.
Customers receive email alerts, and can pay either from the email or at the web portal. They can see their payment history, visit the company’s web portal to make changes or check information, and set up automatic payments. Businesses have reduced waste, lower costs, and improved cash flow.
More information is available at www.GoSmartPay.com
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