Life-supporting utilities such as water, electric and gas are an everyday luxury that we take for granted. It’s easy to go about our day and not realize the relative ease to which most of us can access these privileges – until it comes time to pay the bill. 

In order to bypass the typical frustrations that come with paying a utility bill, kiosks have been utilized as an option for bill payment for many utility companies and municipalities. Most resemble ATMs in look and feel, a familiar resource for the end user, preventing the need for a knowledge curve or tutorial. But overall, implementing these kiosks can alleviate irritations and make paying bills easier than ever.

Convenience is Key
No one wants to get home from work and immediately have to deal with bills. Having a quick and easy option to pay your utility bill is now the method of choice for employed clients on a tight schedule. Since a bill payment kiosk doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t take breaks, and works 24/7, a payment kiosk takes the place of workers needing to be available late nights after customers get off work with cash tips in their pocket that will keep their electricity on. The unmanned payment kiosk is well-suited for use in the utility payment arena because it is available when the customer needs to use it late at night, early in the morning, or on weekends.

Benefits For Both Sides
A self-service payment kiosk has benefits for both the customer and utility company. However, one challenge utility companies face is timing. When you’re dealing with customers who are protected under the law, they can pay any amount of the bill at any pace, and legally they cannot have their power turned off. This leads to slow payments and a disadvantage for a utility company. 

A self-service payment kiosk removes these disadvantages by creating more access for the customer and shorter wait times for the payment to go through. Kiosks negate the liability that’s on the utility employee while handling cash transactions. Finally, the kiosks can be equipped with cash acceptors, preventing counterfeit bills from being used. 

Start Your Journey with KioWare
The positives of kiosks for utility bill payments are great: the risk is low, convenience is aplenty, and it benefits both customers and businesses alike. However, when operating technology that includes personal, protected information, your business needs a security software solution to keep your customers’ information secure. 

KioWare can help you build the software that makes these solutions happen. KioWare locks down your device by turning your tablet into a kiosk or purposed device for self-service, digital signage, or mobile device management deployments. KioWare makes it easy to integrate with transactional devices such as EMVs, credit card terminals, check scanners, and cash acceptors or recyclers. 

KioWare for Android and Windows is available for download and offers a fully functional demo without the need to buy a license. KioWare can also offer a free temporary trial license for 30-60 days if necessary. Try it today at no risk to determine if KioWare is the right fit for your self-service kiosk network.