This detailed 266 page color report delivers the results of our research on billing and payment practices and technologies. This is the third annual study of billing and payment options conducted by the Ascent Group. Research was conducted during the first and second quarter of 2007 to better understand how companies are improving practices and optimizing technology to increase billing and payment efficiency and effectiveness and reducing operating costs. We asked companies to share strategies and experiences to identify the practices that lead to higher productivity, reduced costs, and increased performance. We also asked companies to provide their plans moving forward as well as lessons learned along the way.

With utilities focused on reducing cost-to-serve, opportunities exist within the billing and payment operations to reduce costs in line with customer preferences, thus securing both a lower cost-to-serve and improved customer satisfaction. This brief draws on results from a survey of over 2000 Australian households to highlight customers' predilections for lower-cost billing and payment options.

This 2004 report includes a complete update on this technology and utilities that seem to be increasingly embracing the idea. The report contains 124 pages including, survey reports of what utilities are actually doing, detailed vendor profiles and extensive analysis.

With IT billing spend in excess of EUR450 million in 2003, utilities are failing to efficiently bill and sell to residential customers. The onset of competition has brought market consolidation, unbundling and a need for scale. This has left utilities with an array of disparate legacy systems, undermining utility efforts to develop their strategic propositions.

What is the optimum size for an energy retailer? Can everyone reduce costs by outsourcing their customer billing? What is the optimum way to procure 500GWh electricity? In an industry historically characterized by high fixed costs, large businesses have a competitive advantage, and small suppliers struggle for survival.