HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10422 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 20-10422
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 2, 2020
Page 1 of 2
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VA SUBJECT: ONLINE BILL PAY AND PAYMENT PROCESSING
ye'3 ENHANCEMENTS
On June 15, 2020, Fort Worth Water customers will see a change in the City's online bill payment
presence, as the City works to provide faster, more secure, and cost-effective payment
processing and begins the process of launching new features and enhanced digital engagement
tools for our customers.
In 2019, the City of Fort Worth executed a contract with Paymentus to process all electronic
forms of payment and host an online payment platform. The Utility had been previously notified
by its billing system provider, Central Square that it would phase out its existing transaction
manager solution for its customers. That required the City to identify another solution that could
be integrated into the Central Square billing system. The Utility determined that the Paymentus
transaction manager best fulfilled future growth needs to provide enhanced payment processing
services for utility customers. That transition will be complete June 15t". This change eliminates
use of the Click2Gov platform known as H2Online that has been operational since 2002.
Paymentus will allow for real-time payment processing and will also streamline daily reconciliation
by eliminating end of day batch settlements, promoting timely revenue postings to the General
Ledger. Financial reporting will be simplified and will enable more efficient partnering with one
vendor instead of the five currently used. In addition, Paymentus provides a fully-hosted reliable
platform that meets all Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance standards to address PCI
security concerns.
For security reasons, all customers must establish a new online account. Customers who
currently use auto-pay and bank draft will be required to reset those payment options. Information
of the pending change has been provided through bill messages and updated website
information. The May bill includes a message that informs customers of specific actions required
and calls attention to the change through messaging on the billing envelope. Emails will be sent
to auto-pay and e-Notification customers. An individual mailer will be sent out to every
commercial and residential accountholder. Additional outreach activities include use of City News,
social media platforms, including NextDoor, and neighborhood bulletins.
The transition to Paymentus represents the first phase of improvements to the online customer
experience. Paymentus will provide some immediate enhancements, such as the ability to view a
PDF of the bill, a feature that is not available through the Clic2Gov platform. A Spanish-language
payment website will also rolled out in the coming months for customers who are fluent in
Spanish but not English. Additional features will be rolled out through the course of 2020 and
2021 .
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 20-10422
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 2, 2020
Page 2 of 2
x�
VA SUBJECT: ONLINE BILL PAY AND PAYMENT PROCESSING
ye'3 ENHANCEMENTS
The launch of the MYH2O portal will provide for phase II enhancements later this fall. The new
portal will include a full-service mobile solution with the following functionality:
o Ability to request move in, move out services and transfer service;
o Detailed interval water use data for accounts with AMI meters, offering multiple viewing
options, including cost detail and options for comparison to prior use and usage of
other customers by neighborhood or zip code;
o Smart iQ Analytics and alerts allowing the customer to identify leakage, high use, and
watering violations, and providing home water reports.
o Conservation tab providing educational information and enabling the user to view and
enroll in conservation-based programs;
o Ability to set notification preferences using a variety of mediums;
o Enrollment in paperless billing;
o Ability to set budget alerts that notify the customer if certain percentage cost thresholds
have been met; and
o Ability to electronically submit any billing related concerns. .
Phase III will enable field service appointment scheduling, additional payment scheduling and due
date options, outage notifications, custom forms, and web chat capabilities.
Should you have any questions, or require additional information, please contact Chris Harder,
Water Director at 817-392-8207 or Kara Shuror, Deputy Water Director at 817-392-8819.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS