Boost Satisfaction Among Customers Who Prefer Paper Bills by Optimizing Bill Design
Sponsored by: Kubra
Millennials and Gen Z may think paper bills are archaic, but some customers still prefer them. In fact, 29% of customers are sticking with paper bills because they find them easier to review and remind them to pay.[1] To meet the needs of this sizable customer segment, billers need to focus on designing customer-centric bills. Here are some tips for doing just that!
Well-Designed Bills Can Boost Customer Satisfaction
KUBRA research shows that understanding is key to having a positive experience with bills. The KUBRA 2020 Utility Bill Design Report found that the top three factors contributing most to a positive experience with utility bills were:ease of understanding, customers know what they owe and when it’s due, and understand what they’re paying for. By contrast, the top three reasons consumers cited for a negative experience were: a higher bill than expected, billing errors, and too much jargon.
Utilities Should Consider the Following When Designing Bills
- Use full-color printing because color bills improve the speed companies are paid by 30%.[2] They’re also more eye-catching and increase brand recognition. Include graphs/images to encourage customer engagement.
- Include only useful information, highlighting how much the customer owes and the payment due date because they topped the list of most useful information. Make sure usage information is front and center too because 51.4% placed it on their top three most valuable list.[3]
- Consider removing the Terms and Definitions and putting them online. 45.6% of customers included them on their list of least valuable information. Avoid technical jargon where possible.
- Show how electricity is being used because 57.7% want a breakdown of usage that shows the cause of increased bills.
- Try printing key messages directly on bills. Onserts are a great way to get messages read because 94.5% of consumers look at their bills whereas 39.5% of consumers immediately discard paper inserts.[4] Onserts also use less paper making them a greener option.
Communication Is Key for Understanding Bills
Developing resources like a ‘how to read my bill’ video and FAQs that address billing questions will help customers understand their bills. Since education and awareness are very important for customer satisfaction, be sure to communicate information about how to read the bill or changes in bill design in a variety of channels to expand customer reach.
Maximize Customer Engagement with Well-Designed Bills
Despite advances in digital billing, there is still a portion of the population that likes to receive their bills in the mail. These customers want a bill that clearly displays key information, like amount due and payment date, so they can pay their bills quickly and move on with their day. KUBRA helps create and design bills, statements, invoices, and letters that meet current customer expectations. With KUBRA iMail™, billers can effortlessly compose and design business-critical documents that will meet the needs of all their paper-loving customers and boost customer engagement and satisfaction.
Author: Shaun Jackson – SVP, Marketing
[1] KUBRA Utility Consumer Billing and Payments Report 2020.
[2] Xerox “Make Color Your Strategic Advantage” www.office.xerox.com/latest/XOGFL-73U.pdf
