Bell & Howell, Checkfree promote digital billing

Bell & Howell and Checkfree are combining technologies to help ease the migration path from paper-based to large-scale electronic billing. At the heart of the integration is Bell & Howell's TransFormer software, which offers print-image and data manipulation capabilities, and Checkfree's E-Bill electronic billing and payment software which gathers data and bill processing payments from a company's Web site. The combination will offer a better way to streamline the billing process and better track customer data, without radically changing the existing billing system. Combining paper and electronic bill delivery will help solve many of the logistical problems that electronic delivery and payment presents for traditional, high-volume billers, according to Bill Walker, Bell & Howell Mail Processing Systems' executive director for digital messaging. The deal provides "a smooth transition for companies responding to consumer demand for Internet billing and payment," added Matt Lewis, Checkfree's senior VP of electronic commerce product management.