DON'T FEAR THE TAXMAN. This week's post is hosted by Shamrock's President, Tim Connor

"...If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,

If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.

If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat..."

                                Taxman, The Beatles

This being pay-the-taxman-week, you might be interested to learn how some municipalities are making it easier for residents to pay utility bills and residential taxes — and to be happier about paying them, too. You heard right. If there's a quicker, easier way and a system for checks and balances to ensure the bills have been properly processed, everyone — the municipal system and the people they serve — will be happier.

A few years ago, a smart strategic Shamrock team and I developed UBill Advance. We came to realize that, with an increase usage of everyday technology, customers expect more options in bill payment. The good news is UBill Advance offers a variety of bill-paying options. It can handle credit card or electronic funds transfer debits (commonly known as e-checks), and an extended range of payment services. These services include the ability for customers to make payments without registering and to schedule future payments automatically. Consumers can choose to print their bill, view archived copies of previous bills, and pay the bill electronically.

Services such as UBill Advance pay off handsomely for municipalities, hospitals, utility companies and lending institutions. For example, Aspen Marketing Services, working in conjunction with Fiserv and Qwest Communications, conducted a study (impact of e-bill payment) and found that a bill-paying system can result in lower customer turnover of between 15 and 25% as well as a significant lowering cost of delivering bills.

Some aspects of UBill (http://www.ubilladvance.com/) include:

• Customized statements at a fraction of the cost
• Management and tracking of customer payments
• The capability to bill via print and mail or Internet
• Improved revenue cycles
• A greater return on investment
• Collection of payments quicker

ONE LAST THING... Taxes, community services and bill paying are inevitable. An easier way to do so, while not priceless, makes the process much less painful.