Smartcom sets trend with the launch of their proprietary e-mail billing

Smartcom, one of South Africa's leading cellular service providers, has announced the successful launch of its new electronic billing service - Smartcom E-mail Billing. Officially launched as a value-added service on 13 March 2002, the company has to date received positive feedback regarding the new service offering.

Says Nick Zografos, chief executive officer, Smartcom, "We are pleased with the response that we have received from our clients regarding our new service. As part of our commitment to continuously provide a superior and personalised level of service to our clients, we researched the needs of our clients and what they require from us. Our research indicated that one of our clients' biggest frustrations was receiving printed statements late due to delays in our country's postal system. Smartcom E-mail Billing offers a solution to this problem. Our new billing service, however, is not just another way of sending invoices and statements; it is about providing our clients with an improved level of service and quality of information at a reduced cost."

"We are witnessing a trend where businesses are moving away from posting invoices and statements. Increasingly, people are relying on e-mail and the Internet, and to be able to provide them with a faster, more efficient and cost effective way of billing is only logical - especially in South Africa. From a cost saving perspective, e-mail billing benefits both us and our clients."

To date, Smartcom is one of the few South African cellular service providers to offer its clients the option of receiving itemised statements and invoices electronically. Other service providers either offer the option to view statements via the Internet or pay invoices electronically. However, no local cellular service provider has offered clients the opportunity to receive electronic invoices and statements. To address the diverse range of its client base, Smartcom will continue to provide their clients with the choice of receiving their monthly billing via the postal system, via e-mail, or both.

"Although the majority of our clients are connected to the Internet and have expressed an interest in receiving electronic billing, we have catered for the few clients who would prefer to continue receiving their monthly billing via traditional mail," concludes Zografos.