Tacoma Public Utilities Plans E-Billing Services

Derivion, an application service provider (ASP) that provides e-billing solutions designed for the Internet, has signed an agreement with Tacoma Public Utilities to provide Internet billing for residential and business customers in Washington State.

By using DerivionRegistered inetBiller(Registered) to manage e-billing processes, Tacoma Public Utilities will reduce billing costs by eliminating postage and check-processing fees while enhancing customer care with the convenience of e-bill "view and pay" at its Web site. The company plans to launch the new e-billing service during the first quarter of 2001.

Derivion will collect existing bill data output from Tacoma Public Utilities to generate digital bills for presentation and payment online. Additional software, hardware, or network capabilities will not be required and the company will be able to provide customers with a complete e-billing service without disrupting current billing processes. inetBiller acts as a transparent extension of the utility's Web site and allows full control of the e-billing application.

"As a publicly owned utility, we have a responsibility to our customer-owners to provide the best possible service while keeping our costs under control," said William Schatz, customer services manager of Tacoma Public Utilities. "With Derivion's turnkey e-billing system, we provide our customers with an easy and convenient way to manage and pay their utility bills while improving our ability to respond quickly and effectively to customers' account inquiries."

Tacoma Public Utilities provides electric and water services to approximately 170,000 customers in the greater Tacoma area. The City of Tacoma's Public Works Department provides wastewater, storm water, and solid waste utilities within the city limits. Tacoma Public Utilities provides billing and customer services for all five city utilities and will add the convenience of e-billing to its suite of customer service offerings.