E-Billing: A Recipe For Savings, If Customers Will Bite

Compiled ByDeborah Austin Electronic billing (e-billing) can save companies millions -- if they convince customers to participate -- according to studies by research/advisory firm Gartner Inc., Stamford, Conn. Business-to-business (B2B) billers can achieve return-on-investment with just 2.3% of invoices viewed and paid online -- and save an average $7.25 per invoice. The average large U.S.-based company can save at least $5.7 million per year. Business-to-consumer billers can achieve return-on-investment with 9% e-billing adoption rates, saving about 55 cents per invoice. For B2B billers, the largest savings come from moving cash faster and reducing working capital requirements, as well as automating reconciliation and manual invoice dispute processes. But reluctant customers are a key issue, Gartner says, and would-be e-billers must offer attractive financial incentives -- most notably, cash discounts for B2B payers.