Services provided by public utilities to the public are commonly termed as utilities. These services include provision of water, gas and garbage collection. Due to the necessity of these services offered by such companies, most governments put regulations on the amount of charges to be paid by consumers. This protects the public from extortion and makes sure that they can afford such vital services. Due to the large number of consumers that the companies have to provide services to, the process of billing can be tedious and complicated. Therefore, the introduction of utility bill software was a welcome advancement. The objective of automated system is to ensure that a proper track of consumption of the products or services is maintained. These companies are expected to provide clean water, gas and energy while protecting their revenue source.

A feature of such a system is that it is possible to establish an audit trail that shows the movement of funds and payments into the company. Corruption cases have been reduced due to this and accounts that are in debt can be easily identified. Another feature is the possibility of communicating directly to the consumers through emails. Consumers are alerted and given notices on payment dates and other important information.

The move form manual system to an automated system can have positive effects on the company and even the customers. On the side of the customers, they can access their accounts any time of the day and get crucial information whereas for the company their management of consumer accounts is greatly improved.

Automated billing systems provide the customer with online portals. Through these portals, the customers are able to easily find information they are looking for. Therefore, the calls made to the call centers of the companies reduce significantly. This means increased customer satisfaction.

A utility company that is looking to automate its operations with view of making improvements in its operations should consider software that is specially suited for their operations. The designers of such software should have an in depth understanding of activities of that company.

Customer management is an important part of a business. Employing an automated system in a utility company ensures that the customer complaints and issues concerning provision are solved. The online portals provided are able to provide the necessary information like payment options and account numbers. Therefore, the volume of calls made to the service centers of the company reduces leading to a improvement in the satisfaction of the customer.

When determining the type of automated system to adopt in the operations of the company, the amount of cash flows should be considered. Most of these companies bill their customers monthly or quarterly.

It is clear that adoption of a utility billing software can benefit the firm and the consumers. Consumers benefit from timely services and constant access to their accounts while the company benefits from reduced operation costs.