Allstate Customers Can Now Receive and Pay Their Bill Online at More than 3,000 Financial Institutions

CheckFree, now part of Fiserv Inc., a leading provider of information technology services to the financial industry, today announced an agreement with The Allstate Corporation to distribute electronic bills to Allstate customers through more than 3,000 electronic billing and payment websites powered by CheckFree. Customers can receive electronic bills (e-bills) from Allstate at their preferred bank, brokerage or credit union website beginning this month.

"CheckFree makes it easier to do business with Allstate and easy for our customers to do something good for the environment," said Cathy Lazaroff, vice president, customer experience and innovation for Allstate. "The savings in time, paper and hassle is a win-win for all involved."

E-bills are paperless bills that are delivered directly to a customer‘s online banking account. Unlike a paper bill delivered via the mail, e-bills enable the entire viewing and payment experience to take place online. With e-bills, consumers can review balances, transactions and all the other details available in paper bills, then schedule payments with just a few clicks of the mouse. Customers who receive e-bills through their online banking accounts can sign up for email alerts to let them know when a bill has arrived, remind them when a bill is due or to confirm when a payment has been sent.

"Customers enjoy the convenience of being able to receive bills online at the same website where they pay their bills," said Jardon Bouska, executive vice president and general manager of CheckFree Electronic Biller Services, now part of Fiserv. "Allstate‘s sizeable national customer base can now receive e-bills directly at their bank, brokerage or credit union website. Providing customers with more control over how, when and where they receive and pay their bill is a tangible example of how companies like Allstate can optimize customer interactions to build stronger relationships."

A 2007 study by CheckFree Research Services showed that e-bills enhance customer satisfaction, with 35 percent of consumers who receive e-bills at a bank website indicating that the service had positively impacted their relationship with the billing company. In addition, 39 percent of consumers who receive e-bills said they were less likely to switch to a competitor and 81 percent would recommend their online bill payment service to a friend or relative. Paperless billing also provides enhanced security for consumers, because it reduces access to personal information from unsecured mailboxes.

In addition, receiving bills online can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing the amount of paper needed for bills, checks and envelopes, and eliminating the need to transport paper bills to complete transactions. In June 2007, Javelin Strategy & Research reported that if all U.S. households viewed and paid their bills online, it would annually save 16.5 million trees, and reduce toxic air pollutants by 3.9 billion pounds of CO₂ equivalents (greenhouse gases), similar to having 355,015 fewer cars on the road.

Source: Business Wire