FORT WORTH, Texas, March 25, 2022 —
Old government technology can really slow down the tax process, making reconciliation time-consuming and complicated. Forrest Collett shares how agencies can improve their process and reporting with Certified Payments.
- What should an agency look for and expect from its payment provider?
An agency should look for consistency and customer service. At Certified Payments, we pride ourselves on our award-winning Account Executive concierge team and on finding solutions to fit the needs of our clients, no matter how simple or complex those needs may be.
- Reconciliation for Tax and Treasury can be a complex and manual process. How does Certified Payments make this easier?
We have an in-depth reporting suite that allows the agency to pull a report in any format they would like, whether it be a detail report, summary report, ACH ledger report, etc. You can have an overall look or break it down by user, tender type, predefined or customer time fields, etc. We can also set up automated reporting to be sent at a selected time each morning, monthly, etc. so when the user logins in, the reports are waiting in their inbox! Simplicity and ease of access are key.
- How can Tax offices offer constituents safer, smoother and simpler transactions without having to overhaul their backend systems?
Depending on the needs of the county we try to make the interface as user friendly and streamlined as possible. Whether the process is passed from the agency to our site or a QR code is being used, it’s a universal look to allow constituents to pay via cards or e-check.
- The pandemic and payment trends have fueled deployments of payment technology for bills, taxes and fees. What strategies can government agencies implement to help slow adopters get on the digital payments band wagon?
Again, this is where Certified Payments does custom work based on the county’s/agency’s needs. You not only have access to your direct representative when needed, but our Account Representatives also help to set up training with each department during testing and before going live. We try to do all the heavy lifting and flip the switch to go live when the agency would like to do so.
- What solutions do you credit for accelerating Certified Payments success?
Bringing a top-notch team, better reconciliation solutions and modern technology to offices, while lowering price points for their citizens.
- When everyone seems to offer similar solutions, how do you spot the valuable differentiators? How does Certified Payments set itself up from the competition?
We are government specific and have the capacity to work on the state, county or municipal level. We are always moving forward and working to find solutions to the unique needs of each of our agencies. Our goal is to simplify payments for citizens and to make the back-end work for the agency employees more streamlined and efficient.
- Share a real-life case in which Certified Payments made tax payments easier for a customer.
This year, a cardholder trying to pay property tax in two states was having issues. He reached out to the county, who processed with Certified Payments, and was given our contact information. The cardholder was out of the country and could not get the transaction to go through. Certified Payments ran the first transaction for him and saved him thousands of dollars in penalty and interest that would have occurred had his payment been late.
As for the second state where he owed property tax and was having trouble making a payment, that agency used another payment processor that did nothing to help the cardholder.
Afterward, the cardholder informed me that he called our county partner and gave Certified Payments rave reviews.
For more information about Certified Payments’ solutions for Tax and Treasury, please reach out to sales@certifiedpayments.net.
