Five signs your payments process is costing you more than you think

Not sure if your payment process needs an upgrade? These five red flags suggest it’s time to rethink how you’re collecting—and what it’s costing you in admin hours, cash flow, and customer satisfaction.

1. Manual reconciliation is the norm

If your finance team is still matching bank transactions to notices manually, you’re leaking time and increasing the risk of errors. Not to mention the lost opportunity for real-time visibility.

With solutions like Payreq’s Flexible Payments: payment data is automatically linked to the notice or account—making reconciliation instant, clean, and stress-free.

2. Dishonours are a regular issue

Failed payments mean lost revenue, follow-up calls, and unhappy customers. Traditional direct debits are rigid and prone to failure, especially when residents change banks or lack sufficient funds at a set date.

With PayTo through Payreq: customers are notified in advance, can pause or update agreements, and payments are verified in real time—dramatically reducing dishonours.

3. Chasing late payments is routine

If your team is regularly sending reminders, calling ratepayers, or escalating unpaid bills, your payments process is holding you back.

With Payreq’s new flexible payment solution, your customers can set up auto-pay or scheduled payments directly in their banking app—reducing late payments without relying on your team to chase them.

4. Digital uptake is stagnant

If you’re struggling to get customers off paper and onto digital, it may be because the experience isn’t much better than the paper one.

Combine secure digital delivery via Payreq’s Smart Mailbox with click-to-pay via PayTo and PayID, and you create a streamlined, user-friendly experience that encourages digital adoption.

5. You’re getting frequent payment-related complaints

If people don’t trust the process or feel blindsided by charges, your customer service team ends up handling the fallout. That’s a symptom of outdated systems—not bad payers.

Modern payments through Payreq build confidence. Ratepayers know what’s coming, when, and how to control it.

What to do next

If more than one of these signs hit home, it’s time to modernise. With Payreq, councils and utilities can implement modern payments without replacing existing systems—achieving real results quickly.

This is more than a fix. It’s a foundation for better service, happier customers, and a more efficient organisation.

Talk to Payreq about upgrading your payment process