Dear Colleague,

 What’s wrong with this picture. . .

We make business connections in the back seat of a taxi using cell phones. . .

We instantly set and track our appointments for the week via Palm Pilots. . .

We use a hand-held internet appliance to check how our stocks are doing at lunch. . .

But... when it comes to paying bills, we spend hours sorting through paper statements, writing checks, placing them in envelopes, scribbling return addresses, licking stamps, and finding mailboxes.

You know what’s wrong here as well as I do. Three of these activities are on the cusp of the future. The fourth — the billing and remittance process — is entrenched in the past. And therein lies the opportunity — and challenge — facing the telecommunications industry.

The monthly billing statement — and the ancillary material it contains — is every telco’s most crucial customer interface. And it’s irrevocably begun the transformation from a paper to an electronic medium.

Electronic Bill Presentment and payment (EBPP) offers more than the potential for huge cost savings over the traditional paper model. It can artfully expose customers to new services. . .efficiently distribute new policies. . .and head off potentially expensive calls to customer service.

And know this: The day is fast approaching when consumers will no longer consider an electronic interface a perk — it’s fast becoming an expectation.   Either carriers begin preparing to serve customers in this electronic marketplace now — or they risk losing business to more Net-savvy competitors.

No matter what role you will be playing in on-line billing, your first step should be to capture a full picture of EBPP and its ramifications for the telecommunications industry. It’s a complex subject: Legacy and new technologies are clashing. . .traditional business practices are being severely challenged. . .and deeply entrenched attitudes are being shaken. TRI’s new report, Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment Systems in Telecommunications, leads you through the thorny, fascinating, and essential issue.

Our Report was built by tapping into the best minds in the key industries that use, integrate, and supply EBPP solutions. It gives you a sharp, focused, solutions-based read of a highly complex subject.

During our far-ranging, in-depth research, we found that the vast majority of carriers — both large and small — fully recognize the force, inevitability, and opportunity of the internet.  But, just like savvy Net investors, they’re casting about for the most prudent way to exploit its riches — without leaving themselves vulnerable.

We also found that most of the questions troubling those who are weighing the risks and advantages of EBPP are basic ones. And like most basic questions, they’re the most difficult to answer. So those are the ones we tackled for you. . .

• What is the current state of EBPP technology? What are its capabilities and limitations? 

• Is this an in-house job or is it better to outsource? Who are the vendors and what services are they offering?

• How. . .when. . .and through what channels will carriers process payments?

• How will EBPP impact the crucial issue of bill storage?

The internet generally, and EBPP specifically, is a new and untested phenomenon. No one wants to — or should — jump into it blindly. So, TRI’s Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment Systems in Telecommunications replaces speculation with certainty; mystery with fact; and guesswork with reasoned judgment. This is the perspective you need when making a crucial business decision.

Whether you’re a telco billing exec looking for an EBPP solution. . .an integrator who’s refining your strategy in this new electronic landscape. . .or a vendor trying to understand the apprehensions and expectations of your prospective clients — Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment Systems in Telecommunications gives you the material you need to face the internet billing challenge with informed confidence.

To help you navigate through TRI's research, we provide a Table of Contents and list of Figures below.

Sincerely,

Dan Baker, Research Director

 P.S. Like all TRI’s reports, Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment Systems in Telecommunications  comes to you with an             iron-clad, money-back guarantee. It either provides the level of insight into EBPP we promise — or you return it within 10 days for a full refund. No questions asked.

Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment Systems in Telecommunications is a 364-page market research report, first published in December 1999. The report is bound in a loose-leaf notebook binder with nine index tabs. Sample pages and a breakdown of coverage and benefits are shown below:

• 45 Tables of Buyer Preferences, Market Forecasts, High to Low Buyer Priorities and Obstacles, and Market Segmentation Tables.
  
• 14 Screenshots showing examples of e-bills and bill design practices.
  
• 5 charts and 2 diagrams mapping out EBPP Market Sectors and Business Processes.
  
• 101 Pages of Market Analysis, Interpretation & Recommendations.
  
• 1998 Company Revenues and 1997 Market Share for Telecom Billing Software, Bill Printing and Systems Integration.
  
• 82 Vendor Profiles filling 149 pages and featuring Telecom Revenues, Product Details, Strategic Direction, Significant Partners, Web Addresses and Stock Ticker Symbols.
  
• 7 Market Forecasts, projecting the future of telecom EBPP through 2002 to 2004.

Purchasing the Report also entitles you to free telephone inquiry time with TRI analysts.

For modest additional fees you can receive an Executive Presentation and the Report's tables and figures on disk.

Please browse the table of contents below and contact us for a copy of our complete 16-page report flyer.   You’ll see why this Report can become your road map to understanding the players, procedures, and products that are shaping the future of telecom customer care.

The Report comes with your full money-back guarantee. If you’re not delighted with its contents, return it within ten days for a full refund. No questions asked.