In response to the need to promote cashless payments, especially automatic debt collection, Thanh Hoa Power Company (PC Thanh Hoa) recently held a working session with local banking organizations to evaluate implementation results, identify difficulties and propose solutions to promote this payment method.
Overview of the working session.
Results of implementing electricity bill payment via bank
By the end of January 2025, Thanh Hoa PC is managing 855,604 electricity customers, the unit with the second largest number of customers in the North. Of which, up to 98.01% of customers have paid their electricity bills without using cash, an impressive number. Currently, the Company has signed cooperation agreements with 7 banks including: Vietinbank, Agribank, BIDV, Vietcombank, ACB, MBbank, PVcombank and 9 intermediary collection organizations such as Viettel, Payoo, VNPay, VNPT, Momo, Zalopay...
However, among the current payment methods, automatic debit has not achieved the desired results, with a rate of only 7.87% of total customers. This raises an urgent need to enhance solutions to expand this convenient payment method.
Difficulties and challenges in implementing automatic debt collection
Although it brings many benefits such as convenience, safety, and time saving, the expansion of automatic debit still faces some difficulties such as: Rural customers account for 74% of the total number of customers, many of whom do not have a bank account or are not familiar with electronic payment methods, and still have the habit of paying in cash. In addition, there are customers who have a bank account but do not maintain an available balance, leading to the inability to perform automatic debit. In addition, some banks perform debit at the wrong time of invoice issuance, leading to customers being charged late payment interest even though they have registered for automatic debit...
Representatives of departments/units under PC Thanh Hoa and banking partners discussed solutions to increase the efficiency of automatic debt collection in cashless electricity bill payments.
Solutions and proposals from all parties
Faced with the above challenges, at the meeting, the parties proposed many specific solutions to promote the payment of electricity bills through automatic debit. Thanh Hoa PC proposed to focus on expanding the network of customers using automatic debit by proposing banks to coordinate with Thanh Hoa PC to support customers in opening bank accounts at transaction points. Focus on mobilizing customers who have bank accounts but have not registered for automatic debit, especially industrial park customers and large business households. Improve the automatic debit registration process, fix errors in late debit, ensure timely debt clearance by banks optimizing the debit algorithm, ensuring implementation as soon as the invoice is issued, avoiding the situation where customers are charged late payment fees, and at the same time commit to "crediting" directly to the Electricity's specialized collection account as soon as customers pay, avoiding late transfer of money to the next day. Piloting the elimination of cash desks, expected in March 2025, PC Thanh Hoa will implement the Thanh Hoa City Power Company, Sam Son Power Company, Bim Son Town - Ha Trung Power Company, instead instructing customers to use the Mobile Banking app or register for automatic debt deduction.
At the meeting, representatives of the banks expressed their desire to work with Thanh Hoa Electricity Company to find ways to increase the rate of customers using automatic debt collection through coordination to promote communication, research and deploy the automatic debt collection registration feature on the Mobile Banking application, guide customers to register directly on this application, upgrade the system for timely debt collection. In addition, expand the target customer groups. The bank is committed to ensuring that all debt collection transactions are carried out quickly, avoiding payment interruptions for customers.
Mr. Hoang Duc Hau - Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa PC delivered a concluding speech at the meeting.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa Power Company Hoang Duc Hau emphasized: Automatic debt collection is a modern and optimal payment solution, helping customers not worry about late payment, not having to waste time going to the transaction counter, and also helping the electricity industry to successfully complete assigned production and business targets. To promote this method, close coordination between Thanh Hoa Power Company and banks is needed. Thanh Hoa Power Company always identifies banks as important strategic partners, working together to bring about increasingly outstanding efficiency.
The meeting ended with an agreement on solutions to improve automatic debt collection services, promising to help the rate of customers using this method increase sharply in the coming time. Thanh Hoa Electricity Company and partner banks will strengthen coordination to build a modern, transparent, and convenient electricity payment system, contributing to promoting digital transformation in the electricity finance sector.
Hung Manh (PC Thanh Hoa)
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/thuc-day-viec-thanh-toan-tien-dien-qua-trich-no-tu-dong-240663.htm
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