Agency Name: Davenport
Digital Convenience
Streamlined
Results in Savings over 20%
in Print Costs Using CORE
Increased
Improved
Challenge
Prior to CORE, the City of Davenport printed and mailed every invoice to its citizens and had only paper business applications. Customers completed and submitted them either in person or mailed them to their offices, which required business owners to drive across town to pick up applications, drop off payments, sign paperwork, and ensure the office was open. The entire process had to be completed either in person or via mail.
Everything was on paper. People would have to come into our office and get an application to fill it out and then submit it to us, [...] We had customers providing feedback that wanted to do this online. They didn’t want the inconvenience of coming to our office to complete the application or make payments. Customers want to receive their utility bill via email.
Solution
Initially, the City started accepting payments slowly online. But over time, they added different products from CORE. “When we started using CORE, we accepted online payments, then we added eBilling, followed by IVR and ACH payments,” said Jim.
The City has also expanded their offerings to citizens by using CORE for online forms. By offering business license forms and the corresponding fee payment options online, the experience for local business owners has increased dramatically. Integration to their billing system has helped the City of Davenport verify new residents when they apply for garbage services. Customers add their account numbers, and the system verifies their eligibility for assistance before the City processes their application. “It helps when customers submit that information, the system populates a majority of the form for them, and simplifies the process for the customer,” said Jim.
Since the transition to online applications and payments have become available, residents are now more apt to sign up for online payments.
“We have reduced the number of customers coming into the office, which has freed staff to handle other responsibilities. Most people pay bills and fill out business applications online. It’s become an expectation for the City to have online services similar to what residents would experience with private businesses. Since we have transitioned these items online, it’s been convenient for the customers and us. It simplifies the entire process,” explained Jim.
Results
After implementing CORE, the City of Davenport saw incredible result:
(Hover to see how CORE helped the City of Davenport)
Zero downtime with CORE’s IVR
The old system that the City of Davenport was using seemed to be down at least weekly and unreliable. We started using CORE's IVR, and downtime has been nonexistent since. Moving to CORE's IVR has sped up the payment process and eliminated downtime. It's been so reliable and great for our team," Jim said.
Faster checkout experience with multiple invoices
For many Davenport residents, especially landlords, the multi-invoice checkout experience was complicated and took too much time. With CORE, landlords can add multiple invoices into their cart, input their credit card information once and complete the transaction.
Before, landlords had to add an invoice and their credit card information for each invoice. Some landlords could have over one hundred licenses and enter this information each time. Now they can enter all the invoices in a cart and add their credit card information once. It’s a time saver and incredibly helpful for them.
My staff saves time with fewer face-to-face interactions. Residents pay online, and my staff can import the payments into our ERP system. It’s a huge time saver for us. We don’t touch every payment anymore.
Incredible time savings for the Davenport City staff
Customers paying online allows City staff more time for other responsibilities since in-person payments occupy a lot of time. Many residents and business owners are taking advantage of the online payment and application process.
Fast and easy reporting and reconciliation information
Real-time reports and easy reconciliation documentation have made it fast and easy for the City staff to find what they need for any transaction. “COREs system provides excellent settlement reports, and they can be exported to Excel, simplifying the process. You can go to one location and search for what you need with a wide variety of criteria—day of the month, build number, etc. It’s easy to find the transactions and get them reconciled. The reports with CORE are incredible.”
Easy billing set up for new residents and residents moving to online payments
When new residents want to transition to online billing, the process is easy. The City sends out an easy-to-read document that explains how to get online and sign up for eBilling. “The process for residents is so easy, and people can set it up themselves. They can also look at their bills and sign up for monthly reminders.”
Reduction in costs to print and mail invoices
“We’ve been trying to drive more people to eBilling because of the cost savings. Postage and metered mail costs recently increased again. All of those things add up when mailing 180,000 invoices annually,” said Jim. The team estimates they’ve saved between 15 - 20% in costs related to printing and mailing invoices with the implementation of CORE. “And actually, that number is increasing because more and more people want to move to an online billing experience.”
The biggest advantage of CORE is that it has everything under one umbrella. With other services, we were importing multiple files, and now just importing one. Residents can go online to one location; and complete multiple tasks. They can pay their bills, sign up for services, and even sign up for a business license. It’s all in one place.
Convenient process for business owners to fill out and submit business licenses
“Getting a business license approved is much easier now that we’re doing it without paper. Plus, it’s easier for contractors. They don’t have time to come to the office complete the paperwork. The process saves both the team and the business owner’s time. It’s easier to do it online, saving everyone time,” explained Jim.
20%
18%
17%
16%
15%
14%
13%
12%
11%
10%
09%
08%
07%
06%
05%
04%
03%
02%
01%
20%
The City received feedback from business owners and residents who wanted a more convenient, accessible, and modern method to make payments to the City. Many residents wanted to manage their transactions online, and they wanted the City to offer that option.
What Residents Wanted
What Local Business Owners Wanted
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
What Residents Wanted
Local business owners echoed the residents’ requests for a better way to manage and pay for licenses. For the City staff, routing paper applications and invoices through different departments required a lot of manual processes.
What Local Business Owners Wanted
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
What Residents Wanted
What Local Business Owners Wanted
With the COVID pandemic, the City accelerated their transition to online payments. As their in-person payment acceptance was no longer an option, they still needed to accept payments from residents. Jim shared, “When COVID-19 started, we put everything we could online. We tried to move everything we could into a process with CORE to offer our residents a safer, more convenient experience.”
online applications
& payments
20% annual savings
for print/mail costs
citizen experience
with a focus on
convenience
Agency Type: City
Location: Iowa
Department: Finance
Solutions: eBilling, IVR, ACH, Online Form
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
“CORE is user-friendly and convenient for our customers, and provides our staff with a robust solution. It gives our customers and staff convenient and flexible online payments and form experience.”
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
24/7
Anytime, anywhere,
any device access
20% Saving
In costs to print
and mail invoices
Fast Checkout
Experience for customer billing
and application submissions
0% Downtime
With CORE’s IVR
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
IA
The City received feedback from business owners and residents who wanted a more convenient, accessible, and modern method to make payments to the City. Many residents wanted to manage their transactions online, and they wanted the City to offer that option.
What Residents Wanted
What Local Business Owners Wanted
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
What Residents Wanted
Local business owners echoed the residents’ requests for a better way to manage and pay for licenses. For the City staff, routing paper applications and invoices through different departments required a lot of manual processes.
What Local Business Owners Wanted
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
What Residents Wanted
What Local Business Owners Wanted
With the COVID pandemic, the City accelerated their transition to online payments. As their in-person payment acceptance was no longer an option, they still needed to accept payments from residents. Jim shared, “When COVID-19 started, we put everything we could online. We tried to move everything we could into a process with CORE to offer our residents a safer, more convenient experience.”
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic
Zero downtime with CORE’s IVR
The old system that the City of Davenport was using seemed to be down at least weekly and unreliable. We started using CORE's IVR, and downtime has been nonexistent since. Moving to CORE's IVR has sped up the payment process and eliminated downtime. It's been so reliable and great for our team," Jim said.
Faster checkout experience with multiple invoices
For many Davenport residents, especially landlords, the multi-invoice checkout experience was complicated and took too much time. With CORE, landlords can add multiple invoices into their cart, input their credit card information once and complete the transaction.
Convenient process for business owners to fill out and submit business licenses
“Getting a business license approved is much easier now that we’re doing it without paper. Plus, it’s easier for contractors. They don’t have time to come to the office complete the paperwork. The process saves both the team and the business owner’s time. It’s easier to do it online, saving everyone time,” explained Jim.
Easy billing set up for new residents and residents moving to online payments
The old system that the City of Davenport was using seemed to be down at least weekly and unreliable. We started using CORE's IVR, and downtime has been nonexistent since. Moving to CORE's IVR has sped up the payment process and eliminated downtime. It's been so reliable and great for our team," Jim said.
Incredible time savings for the Davenport City staff
Customers paying online allows City staff more time for other responsibilities since in-person payments occupy a lot of time. Many residents and business owners are taking advantage of the online payment and application process.
Incredible time savings
for the Davenport City staff
Fast and easy reporting and reconciliation information
Real-time reports and easy reconciliation documentation have made it fast and easy for the City staff to find what they need for any transaction. “COREs system provides excellent settlement reports, and they can be exported to Excel, simplifying the process. You can go to one location and search for what you need with a wide variety of criteria—day of the month, build number, etc. It’s easy to find the transactions and get them reconciled. The reports with CORE are incredible.”
"Before, landlords had to add an invoice and their credit card information for each invoice. Some landlords could have over one hundred licenses and enter this information each time. Now they can enter all the invoices in a cart and add their credit card information once. It’s a time saver and incredibly helpful for them"
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
My staff saves time with fewer face-to-face interactions. Residents pay online, and my staff can import the payments into our ERP system. It’s a huge time saver for us. We don’t touch every payment anymore.
JIM ODEAN
Assistant Finance Director for the City of Davenport
Reduction in costs to print and mail invoices
“We’ve been trying to drive more people to eBilling because of the cost savings. Postage and metered mail costs recently increased again. All of those things add up when mailing 180,000 invoices annually,” said Jim. The team estimates they’ve saved between 15 - 20% in costs related to printing and mailing invoices with the implementation of CORE. “And actually, that number is increasing because more and more people want to move to an online billing experience.”
20%
18%
17%
16%
15%
14%
13%
12%
11%
10%
09%
08%
07%
06%
05%
04%
03%
02%
01%
20%
For many Davenport residents, especially landlords, the multi-invoice checkout experience was complicated and took too much time. With CORE, landlords can add multiple invoices into their cart, input their credit card information once and complete the transaction.
Faster checkout experience with multiple invoices
Real-time reports and easy reconciliation documentation have made it fast and easy for the City staff to find what they need for any transaction. “COREs system provides excellent settlement reports, and they can be exported to Excel, simplifying the process. You can go to one location and search for what you need with a wide variety of criteria—day of the month, build number, etc. It’s easy to find the transactions and get them reconciled. The reports with CORE are incredible.”
Fast and easy reporting and reconciliation information
When new residents want to transition to online billing, the process is easy. The City sends out an easy-to-read document that explains how to get online and sign up for eBilling. “The process for residents is so easy, and people can set it up themselves. They can also look at their bills and sign up for monthly reminders.”
Easy billing set up for new residents and residents moving to online payments
Customers paying online allows City staff more time for other responsibilities since in-person payments occupy a lot of time. Many residents and business owners are taking advantage of the online payment and application process.
Incredible time
savings for the
Davenport City staff
“Getting a business license approved is much easier now that we’re doing it without paper. Plus, it’s easier for contractors. They don’t have time to come to the office complete the paperwork. The process saves both the team and the business owner’s time. It’s easier to do it online, saving everyone time,” explained Jim.
Convenient process for business owners to fill out and submit
business licenses
Streamlined
20% annual savings
for print/mail costs
Streamlined
20% annual savings
for print/mail costs
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Anywhere, anytime, any device access
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East Providence, RI 02914
TRANSFORM YOUR PAYMENT EXPERIENCE
© Copyright 2023 CORE All rights reserved
PCI-DSS Level-1 Compliant Platform
Anywhere, anytime, any device access
Actionable reporting and insights
corebt.com
866.567.CORE (2673)
950 Warren Avenue, Suite 400,
East Providence, RI 02914
TRANSFORM YOUR PAYMENT EXPERIENCE
© Copyright 2023 CORE All rights reserved
PCI-DSS Level-1 Compliant Platform
Anywhere, anytime, any device access
Actionable reporting and insights
corebt.com
866.567.CORE (2673)
950 Warren Avenue, Suite 400,
East Providence, RI 02914
TRANSFORM YOUR PAYMENT EXPERIENCE