Thanks to feedback from our clients in the Utilities sector regarding the convenience of SMS smart meter top-up payments, Key IVR are pleased to announce a new payment app for Apple iPhone and Android smartphones. The app allows customers to top up their household gas or electric from where-ever they are, on one simple interface, available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The United States, Canada, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands are among the countries already benefiting from smart meters and most other EU countries are currently rolling them out. The UK government is the latest, imposing a new scheme to install at least 53 million smart meters in UK homes and require all energy suppliers to have them as an option for their customers by 2020.
Key IVR’s current smart meter top-up works by triggering an SMS to send to the customer at the point of low balance, notifying them of the top-up options available. The account can instantly be topped-up via SMS reply using a previous tokenised payment method or by entering new card details via a dedicated mobile-friendly web page with auto top-up options available when a meter balance hits a minimum amount.
As smartphones become common place, it seems that mobile apps are an ideal communication channel not just for larger businesses, but small to medium sized businesses who are also latching on to their effectiveness. Not only are apps much faster and more convenient than a mobile website, but they open up an additional payment options for organisations to utilise, with a chance to stand out from other energy providers in a highly competitive market.
This information lead Key IVR to the production of a utilities app that would allow customers to view their gas and electricity balance, top-up their accounts and create automatic top-ups in one easy to use interface. This will give them continuous access to manage their gas and electric smart meters, ensuring they always have sufficient credit and their energy supply remains uninterrupted. By utilising the smart meter’s GSM functionality, top-ups can be done on-the-go where-ever you are.
The Key IVR team work closely with the organisation to ensure the mobile app is fully branded, PCI compliant and personalised to meet the needs of the business, along with being integrated with their existing invoicing and CRM systems. It will be designed to work with the existing functionality and process of the business, not interfering with anything that is already in place.
For more information about the mobile payment app and how it may be able to benefit your organisation, visit our Mobile App Payments page or for anything regarding how we assist utilities companies visit our Utility Suppliers and Providers page.