Industry: Utilities
Launching a seamless payment experience without the risk
How a utility SaaS provider entered the market with a full receivables offering on day one.
of the compliance burden
of the payment and receivables capabilities
The Challenge
It’s harder to get to market when payfac vendors offer limited tools and hidden liabilities
A vertical SaaS provider had a vision for simplifying the relationship between cities and utilities, but they couldn’t build it all themselves. And they quickly learned, traditional payfac solutions weren’t going to help either.
Cities have long needed an off-the-shelf tool to manage utilities end to end, from automated meter reads, to proactive maintenance, to smart billing. But it’s this last element that caused the SaaS provider problems.
Traditional payfac solutions offered limited capabilities
Their payment experience is often a standard pay button supported by inflexible infrastructure. The SaaS provider knew that utility billing is filled with complicated edge cases that don’t fit with these tools. This creates predictable problems.
- Not enough payment channels to meet residents’ needs
- Residents unable to view their up-to-date payment status
- Paid bills that still trigger late fees for residents
- Reconciliation gaps that require manual troubleshooting for city employees
They needed a payment platform that worked differently
- Payments embedded in the platform, not redirected outside it
- Expanded payment channels (voice, text, mobile)
- Ability to add authorized payers (or split bills among roommates)
- Real-time visibility for both residents and city staff
- Compliance handled by the payment platform, not passed back to the SaaS provider
They had one chance to get the payment and receivables offering right from the jump. Choosing the wrong platform could undermine the provider’s ability to attract and retain new customers while exposing them to fraud, compliance, and operational roadmap risks.
The solution
A no-build payment experience for utilities on day one
The SaaS provider chose DirectEmbed, and integrated it simply via API with full support from our technical staff. Immediately, they had a broad set of payments and receivables features woven across their user experience.
Decades of utility billing experience baked into the brand new product
Since DirectEmbed incorporates 20 years of experience handling billing for utilities, there were no edge cases. The SaaS provider entered the market fully equipped to meet any client’s complex needs.
- Residents get one experience from billing through payment
- Cities get real-time visibility into every transaction even before it clears
- The SaaS provider got smart billing without compliance risk
What a payment experience that drives adoption looks like
-
A single experience with no gaps in the data
Real-time payment confirmation for residents and city staff
Billing and payment data in sync across the platform
Automated reconciliation across all payment channels
Next-day funding for faster municipal cash flow -
Compliance and risk handled behind the scenes
Payfac-as-a-service included out of the box
PCI compliance managedDispute management handled
No compliance infrastructure to build or staff internally -
Infrastructure that accelerates launch
API integration
Pre-integrated payment channels from day one
Dedicated support team through onboarding and beyond
The results
A complete product without compliance debt
The SaaS provider went to market with the full promise intact. Billing, payments, and receivables are fully woven into one experience alongside automated meter reads and proactive maintenance.
The provider can handle the complexities of utility payments without taking on the compliance burden. As the portfolio grows, the payment and receivables experience grows with it.
Built right from the start
0% of the compliance burden carried internally
100% of the payment and receivables capabilities needed for utilities
Day one: full payment stack live at launch
“This utility SaaS provider stands out by delivering a new level of end-to-end simplicity, with the fundamental questions of risk handled along the way.”
— Nirmal Kumar, CPO, Aliaswire