MWEB Business launches eBilling offering

New offering will enable customers to significantly reduce billing costs and improve payment cycles

MWEB Business, the division of MWEB that focuses on the specialised Internet needs of businesses, has today launched its eBilling offering.

eBilling, which is powered by MWEB Business` mCentre Message Engine, enables customers to send electronic statements, invoices and credit notes to customers at a significantly lower cost than paper-based mail. The eBilling service is available in two versions, the first catering for the needs of small to medium enterprise (SME) customers and the second to large corporate customers.

"eBilling is gaining popularity for a number of compelling reasons, with cost savings being the foremost. Not only do businesses save time and money in the preparation and distribution of physical invoices, they are now able to enjoy reduced debtors` days, which significantly improves cash flow," says Gary Hart, manager: marketing and products at MWEB Business.

Benefits

A secure, easy-to-use and manageable billing delivery solution overcomes the costs and frustration associated with traditional paper-based invoicing. In addition to the aforementioned, eBilling also offers the following benefits:
* Integrated. MWEB Business` eBilling offering is integrated with most popular SME accounting packages, such as Pastel and QuickBooks, which negates the need to migrate to a new accounting system.
* Online administration. Customers are empowered to administer all billing information online. For example, contact details can be changed online without incurring the cost of reprinting branded invoices.
* Help wizard. A detailed help wizard is available to assist customers in setting up mailing lists and sending out batches.
*Detailed delivery and error reports. Customers are provided with a comprehensive delivery and error report after each eBilling batch, which enables customers to determine which statements are delivered and which not.
* SMS notifications. All customers receive personalised SMS notifications as invoices are delivered. These notifications are a summarised version of the invoice.
* Preferred delivery format. Customers are able to receive invoices in PDF format or as a link. Customers are also able to schedule the delivery of invoices in advance.

Pricing and availability

Pricing for the SME eBilling package is based upon the number of emails (invoices) that are delivered monthly. All packages require a once-off set-up fee of R995, which includes the creation of a statement, invoice or credit note template. Additional electronic templates can be created at a cost of R350 per template.

The pricing of the SME packages is structured as follows:

* eBilling 200 includes the delivery of 200 emails and is priced at R360 per month
* eBilling 400 includes the delivery of 400 emails and is priced at R680 per month
* eBilling 600 includes the delivery of 600 emails and is priced at R960 per month
* eBilling 800 includes the delivery of 800 emails and is priced at R1200 per month
* eBilling 1000 includes the delivery of 1000 emails and is priced at R1400 per month

Corporate packages start at 1000-2500 emails, with a monthly cost of R2750, which equates to R1.10 per email. Depending on a customer`s delivery volumes, costs can be driven down to as low as R0.40 per email. All prices quoted exclude VAT.