NZ Post’s On-Line Billing And Payment Service

Tired of paying bills by cheque? Want more control over when and where you pay your bills? ‘Arc ebill’, New Zealand’s first Internet-based electronic billing and payment service will be launched by New Zealand Post at midday today at www.arc.net.nz

Using Arc ebill, customers will be able to receive and pay their bills with a click of a mouse from any computer connected to the Internet. Arc ebill is free – there are no registration fees and no charges for customers using the service.

New Zealand Post Internet Billing Manager Mary Beth Rousseau said Bank of New Zealand Credit Cards, Contact Energy and Saturn Communications are the first billers to offer their customers the flexibility of receiving and paying their bills through Arc ebill, and more are expected to come on board.

“The registered billers have taken a major leap forward in the transition from paper bills to electronic bill management and their commitment to meeting customers’ needs.

“Arc ebill leads the market. It is a smart, secure and easy way to receive and pay your bills.

“Unlike other on-line services that offer bill payment only, customers who sign up to Arc ebill will automatically be notified by e-mail when their bills arrive and when logged-on will see full-colour bills, complete with graphics, logos and billing details.

“Arc ebill lets customers choose when they pay their bills and the size of payment. Customers can also pay their bills from more than one bank account and from any bank in New Zealand.”

Mrs Rousseau said the architecture and business processes were designed with strict security in mind.

“Arc ebill uses 128 bit SSL encryption, the industry standard for financial transactions, and is backed by New Zealand Post’s reputation for trust and independence.

Arc ebill was developed in association with CheckFree Corporation, the leading provider of on-line bill payment services in the United States, and was successfully trialled in June among 200 employees of New Zealand Post, Bank of New Zealand and Saturn Communications.

Mrs Rousseau said awareness of the full advantages of Internet billing was now emerging among customers and billers.

“Arc ebill delivers what customers want: the convenience of receiving and paying multiple bills consolidated on one site rather than many bills spread over many sites.

“For billers, Arc ebill is the front door to manage their on-line relationship with customers. The bill brings the customers to the site, and once there, enormous opportunities for on-line marketing and customer care open up to the billing organisation at a lower cost than traditional billing.”

Internet billing is a natural extension of the range of the bill payment and delivery services New Zealand Post offers to its customers.

“Arc ebill complements our existing expertise in the production and physical delivery of bills through the letterbox and the extensive range of agency bill payments available in Post Shops.”

Arc ebill requires Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer – version 4 or higher.

ENDS

For further information, contact:
Mary Beth Rousseau, New Zealand Post Internet Billing Manager
04-496-4511 or 025-243-0216

Or

Simon Taylor, New Zealand Post Media Relations Manager
04-496-4015 or 025-248-6715

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