"I don’t want to receive eBills"

This statement was recently made by a friend of mine.

My response: I am an avid believer in convenience. I receive electronic notifications for the majority of my financial transactions, and would like to eventually change that to ‘all’. I find billing information more accessible if it is deposited, as an electronic document, into my inbox, as I can easily search for any transaction based on date, amount, from which account it was paid, or to whom it was paid; or any other bit of data included in the email.

If I received a paper Bill, firstly I would have to make sure that I don’t misplace it; and then,if it did make it to my home filing ‘system’ (which is a box), it is not readily available – the box is only processed every six months or so, often just before filing season…

So for me, email is the ideal channel through which I can receive important documentation. I use different categories within my email to file the emails that I get. This means that my bank account emails are in a different category to the insurance emails, and so on. The email client I use has significant search functionality, so even if I place a file in the wrong category, this search functionality allows me to find it. It also means that if a category contains a lot of emails and I can’t immediately find files within that category, the search functionality is used.

Furthermore, the key advantage (and benefit) of using electronic filing is the convenience of being able to back up your information. Creating a back up for paper storage is tricky – you essentially need to duplicate your filing cabinet. By creating a back up of your electronic filing cabinet, storing it appropriately and keeping it up to date, your information is protected from most disasters.

In light of this overwhelming evidence, I asked my friend: “Why not? Look how easy it is.”

His response: “I don’t have a computer.”

Why can't I opt out of getting a paper receipt?

The phenomenon known as eBilling, serves a certain sector within the Billing industry. Bills, accounts, statements and invoices are traditionally delivered to customers as and when they are required to action something, or following an action.

A gap in this market that has often irked me is the opportunity to tell the bank machine that I do not want a receipt. The bank sends me a statement, I can login to my internet banking as and when I like, and so I don't need to receive a silly little piece of paper that will only maximise the stretch capacity of my wallet and encourage me to investigate the purchase of a handbag. Next time you are at the ATM, have a look at the level of overflow from the disposal unit at the machine. How many ATM users have just thrown away their receipt?

Also, do I really need to get a receipt from the restaurant or shop when I swipe my credit card with the irritating pin? As the transaction goes through, and before it has been printed - I have already received an SMS with the transaction details. Is the slip really necessary? Can I not be given a choice before it is printed?

I do understand that there are people who do require those pieces of paper, and I do understand that some people need to be reminded of their balance at the end of the transaction. Is it not possible to have this information transfer digitised? Following a transaction, an ATM should prompt the user to select to have their receipt either printed, displayed or neither. Furthermore, following a transaction on an account, notification thereof could be delivered to the customer via email or SMS.

So while eBilling in the corporate world of billing is covered, the use of electronic notifications still has a way to go I think.