5. Products

5.1 Key aspects of the system envisaged

One of the chief objectives of an electronic billing system must be to encourage consumer uptake. Ease of access to billing information, flexibility of presentment and payment options, privacy and security, and reliability are accordingly among the key consumer-orientated system requirements.

The relatively low levels of uptake of solutions built around a direct billing relationship with the customer suggests, moreover, that convenience is another major consideration. The perceived need to provide customers with an integrated view of their accounts has driven the more recent focus by providers on consolidated billing and online account aggregation.

From the perspective of the biller - in this case government agencies - cost, reliability, security and the ability to integrate with existing databases and systems are critical.

5.2 Possible solutions

Despite the seeming multiplicity of electronic billing products and tool sets, the choices in New Zealand are, in real terms, quite limited. Most systems are US based and, while there is no issue in respect of routine credit card transactions, any requirement to handle multiple methods of payment is likely to require extensive product customisation. The associated costs and development risks may effectively rule these systems out of consideration.

The desirability of a consolidated solution, moreover, further constrains the choice, with only NZ Post and Telecom positioning as potential billing consolidators.

Identified products/service providers include:

• Arc eBill (NZ Post)

• ibilling (Telecom/esolutions)

• iPlanetBillerXpert (Sun Netscape)

• BPay

• iForce

5.3 Brief product evaluation

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