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The annual celebration of our great nation’s flag is believed to have first originated in 1885 upon a Wisconsin school teacher’s efforts to arrange for his pupils to observe June 14th as ‘Flag Birthday’.  The significance of the date is because it marked the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the stars and stripes in the flag.

On Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry S. Truman officially declared June 14 as Flag Day.

The Origin of the Common Nickname ‘Old Glory’
The name Old Glory was given to a large, 10-by-17-foot flag by its owner, William Driver, a sea captain from Massachusetts. Inspiring the common nickname for all American flags, Driver’s flag is said to have survived multiple attempts to deface it during the Civil War. The flag is a primary artifact at the National Museum of American History. (PBS)

The National Museum of American History has undertaken a long-term preservation project of the enormous 1814 garrison flag that survived the 25-hour shelling of Fort McHenry in Baltimore by British troops and inspired Francis Scott Key to compose “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The flag is now stored at a 10-degree angle in a special low-oxygen, filtered light chamber and is periodically examined at a microscopic level to detect signs of decay or damage within its individual fibers

References

“Flag Day 2016, June 14 Th at Holiday Insights.” September 2 Holiday VJ Day / WWII Victory over Japan Day by Holiday Insights, www.holidayinsights.com/other/flagday.htm.

“History of the American Flag.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/history/old-glory/.

Jenkins, Sally. “How the Flag Came to Be Called Old Glory.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-flag-came-to-be-called-old-glory-18396/.

“Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812.” Smithsonian Institution, www.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/banner-facts.

The Customer Expectation Gap

Through technological advances in metering, CIS, and seemingly all other facets of the utility industry, cooperative members expect continuous enhancements to their electric service experience. Members also expect the most convenient payment options available, no matter the method they choose to use. Convenience, speed, and ease-of-use top the list of member requirements. Traditional methods of in-person payments are viewed as antiquated; producing a gap between customer expectations and the experience. Fortunately, advancements of in-person payment options are keeping lock-step with the rest of the experience.

Bridging the Gap

Technologies specific to utility companies bridge the gap and solve the problem of inconvenient over-the-counter payments. Bill pay kiosks are now a staple in the payment structure for many electric cooperatives. Tulsa-based U.S. Payments (USP) works with more than 200 electric cooperatives nationwide to provide the PaySite® kiosk as a payment option for members. These self-service machines improve the payment process and provide fast and easy options to pay bills in-person. With real-time interface capabilities, the kiosk provides immediate posting to customer accounts, complementing the widespread adoption of prepaid electricity programs implemented by cooperatives. Coops are able to expand their payment footprint with retail partnerships between USP and grocery/convenience stores relevant to the cooperative’s service territory.

Eliminating the Gap

U.S. Payments provides customer education support to aid in the transition from counter to kiosk. The backend interface is managed between U.S. Payments and the cooperatives’ CIS vendors. Many of these companies like SEDC, CSA, NISC, and ATS, already have an established real-time interface with USP lending to expedited implementation timelines.  U.S. Payments reaches-out to retail partners and also installs kiosks within cooperative offices. Once the fees are established, the interface is complete, the locations are determined, and the customer education plan is in place, the cooperative is able to substantially enhance the convenience of in-person payments and reduce costs associated with the payment channel.

Implementing the Solution

Implementation of the PaySite kiosk is easy from start to finish. USP builds the interface, provides the kiosk, recruits retailers, coordinates marketing, manages maintenance, creates reporting, and settles funds. USP’s customer care center is available to assist with customer payments and our 24×7 technical support line is available for any kiosk issues that may arise. With 99.999% data center up-time and a 99% kiosk up-time, PaySite is not only reliable, but maximizes all facets of the in-person payment network for electric cooperatives and enables coops to bridge the gap between member expectations and positive perceptions.

Kiosk Questions?

 

Have you ever heard of an ATM? This question has an obvious answer and you are likely considering stopping here because the question seems to insult your intellect, but in 1969 ATM’s were not a piece of the fabric of daily life. In fact, this is the year that the first ATM is introduced at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center in New York (History).

Since then, ATM’s are a piece of the financial fabric for many Americans and are expected to be available at every bank, convenience store, and grocery location in the U.S. Just as this automated transaction has revolutionized the banking industry, there is a similar service on the horizon for utility companies.

Self-service bill payment kiosks, essentially a reverse ATM, have increased in popularity among utility companies in the recent years. With a large portion of utility customers still preferring to pay their bills in person, utility organizations are adopting technological advances to increase the convenience of paying bills in-person. With influxes in payment traffic during peak billing periods, companies mitigate long lines with these ATM-like bill pay kiosks, expediting the process for customers and freeing up the customer service line at offices.

The landscape of the industry for electric, gas, water, cooperative, and telecommunication companies is on the cusp of widespread adoption of bill payment kiosks. With multiple groups making the move to kiosks, one could forecast that the primary method of in-person bill payment will transition to a primarily self-service method. Adopters of the machines are experiencing faster posting times, an expanded payment footprint, faster money, and reduced costs. 

 

The Prepaid Progression

Benefits of launching a Prepaid Program.

Another hot-button item on the 2018-2019 agenda for many electricity providers is prepaid electricity. Eliminating bad debt, avoiding disconnects and reconnects, and providing customers in arrears a plan to be current on their bill are all benefits with the prepaid electric model. This is a paradigm shift for customers, because the monthly bill is gone, the past due balances are no more; prepaid customers take a more engaged approach to the way they manage their electric service.

Companies indicate that customers are more aware of their account balance, increasing conscientious decisions and psychologically transferring the perceived management of the account from the provider to the customer. 

Real-time payment processing is a must for prepaid programs. Customers expect convenience in payment options, especially for in-person methods, because the nature of prepaid is attractive to primarily cash-paying customers. When the power shuts off, customers expect to be able to run to the corner store, make a payment, and by the time they return, their lights are back on.

 

What you need to know.

Bill payment kiosks are the perfect compliment to your prepaid program. 

Planning a prepaid program is an involved process, but has proven benefits both for the organization and the consumer. A complimentary service for your prepaid adopters are bill payment kiosks, with a critical function being real-time payment posting. Advanced Metering Infrastructure deployment followed by launching a prepaid program involves many moving parts. Finding a kiosk provider that can tie into what your plans are and manage a turn-key payment network allows you to focus on serving customers. 

Learn more about how Prepaid + Bill Payment Kiosks = The Perfect Fit

 

References

First ATM opens for business – Sep 02, 1969 – HISTORY.com. (02, September). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-atm-opens-for-business