Tell Me More: Bill payment kiosks

For those people that still don't have checking accounts or credit cards, bill payment kiosks provide a convenient option to get utility bills paid on time. These kiosks allow users to make cash payments and obtain receipts instead of waiting on lines of check cashing and bill payment centers that can be hard to find. You can find these machines in heavily-trafficked areas such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and even banks.

Bill payment kiosks typically include a computer inside of a durable enclosure that can be customized with your business' logo or corporate images. The kiosks also feature credit card readers, bill and coin acceptors, security cameras, and phones to contact a customer service center in case there is a problem.

With a bill payment kiosk, customers can pay bills very quickly without employee interaction. The machines are user-friendly with simple but detailed instructions on-screen or printed underneath panels to explain how it works. The user follows the directions, fills in the bill information or scans the bar-coded portion of the bill, inserts the cash, and gets a receipt. You can even set up the kiosk to resolve service issues such as cut-offs and downgrades.

Some businesses consider a bill payment kiosk because it allows employees to concentrate on customer's other needs. This improves customer service and helps avoid long wait times. Others appreciate bill payment kiosks because they can do more than just pay a utility. Many manufacturers are developing kiosks for bill payment that function as an ATM machine or allow customers to pay traffic tickets or renew driver's licenses.