HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8571 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8571
,,r , FED Date: Feb. 17, 2004
"o, To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 1
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,e,a SUBJECT: The Launch of Water's Online Bill Pay Service
The Water Department is scheduled to roll out H2Online, our online utility bill pay service, Tuesday,
February 17. This new service will give Fort Worth customers convenient access to information with
the ability to make real-time transactions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Last September, Council approved the purchase of a web-based billing system that was compatible
with Water's existing customer information and AS400 billing system. HTE's C11ck2Gov program was
purchased, installed and a subsequent pilot of the program was initiated
Phase I of the pilot began in December 2002 with city employees only. Phase II was extended to
external customers late January 2003. These external customers were recruited primarily through
participation in a Water online services survey. Other participants were residents who had previously
requested implementation of this service.
Feedback from the pilot participants has been favorable. Comments indicate the system is easy to use,
a.inderstand and navigate. Customers have also commented on the usefulness of the frequently asked
questions along with the availability of up to three years of account, payment and consumption history.
Currently, 243 customers are registered in the program. Over 1,455 payments have been made online,
generating $94,226 in revenue. H2Online is being initiated with no additional increase in staff. This
program is efficient and necessitates the staff time of only one employee, five minutes a day to
complete the batching of all online payments. Because there is immediate online authorization of credit
card payments, there is 100 percent accuracy in posting payments.
Water engaged a cyber-security consultant to evaluate the site's level of security. This was a proactive
measure to ensure system reliability and security. The consultant, who provided a vulnerability
assessment including external penetration, intrusion detection and encryption, validated the site.
Customers can use the H2Online site with confidence because all account information is retrieved from
the Water Department's Customer Information and Billing System. No sensitive information is stored
on the web server.
We are excited to launch H2Online. Log on hLvp://www.forrworthgov.orWh2online to register, try the
online demo or learn more about the service.
®r . c son
ity Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS