How CivicPlus Utility Billing Helped One Municipality Recover $7.7M in Delinquent Revenue

Overview

When legacy Customer Information System (CIS) platforms retire or become unsustainable, municipalities are forced to modernize—but the path forward can feel risky. This case study highlights how one city transformed its utility operations by migrating from an archaic mainframe to CivicPlus® Utility Billing, resulting in faster collections, fewer errors, and stronger resident service.

In just two billing cycles, the city recovered $7.7 million in delinquent utility payments. By the end of the year, they also saw a 90% drop in returned mail and a 39% increase in online payments—all while cutting down manual workloads, boosting staff efficiency, and giving residents a smoother, more convenient experience.

Challenges: Legacy System Limitations Hindered Efficiency and Service Delivery

For years, the city relied on a rigid mainframe utility billing system. But with platform retirement imminent and the loss of experienced staff, leadership needed a secure, modern system that could ensure revenue continuity and scale with future needs. The legacy platform created significant roadblocks:

• Over $8M in delinquent revenue with no real-time status tracking
• 500–1,000 returned mail pieces per billing cycle due to data entry errors
• High call volume due to poor resident portal usability
• No mobile access for remote work or field service continuity

The Solution: CivicPlus Utility Billing

To replace its aging legacy system, the city partnered with CivicPlus® to design and implement its Utility Billing solution tailored to their needs. Built collaboratively, the modern, cloud-native platform delivers a user-friendly interface and robust automation—uniting billing, payments, and field coordination while integrating seamlessly with the city’s existing ERP and GIS systems.

Why CivicPlus Stood Out:

• Accelerated Deployment and Reduced IT Burden: The cloud-native platform eliminates server maintenance, enables automatic updates, and reduces reliance on IT resources.
• Resident Centered Experience: A mobile-friendly self-service portal that empowers residents to access bills and make payments anytime—reducing support calls and improving collection rates.
• Faster Field Service Delivery: Field staff use GIS-powered routing and mobile work orders to complete service tasks quickly and accurately, minimizing delays, miscommunication, and billing errors.
• Real-Time Financial Oversight: Interactive reporting and audit trails give finance teams immediate visibility into revenue and payment activity—supporting more informed decision-making leading to increased revenue realization.
• Integrated System Connectivity: The platform seamlessly connects to GIS mapping tools, and metering technology—eliminating double entry, improving data accuracy, and ensuring consistent service delivery across departments.
• End-to-End Workflow Automation: From billing generation to payment posting and service triggers, automated workflows reduce manual work and free up staff to focus on strategic tasks.

Utility Billing empowered the city to modernize operations, improve service delivery, and build greater trust with residents—without the overhead and complexity of traditional systems.

ROI Highlights: What Changed in Just Four Billing Cycles

$7.7M Recovered from Delinquent Accounts

Reduced delinquents from $8M to $280K in just two billing cycles through automated tagging workflows.

90% Reduction in Returned Mail

Integrated USPS address validation and returned mail tracking reduced undeliverable notices from 1,000+ to just 50 per cycle.

39% Increase in Online Payments

Streamlined, mobile-friendly portal access boosted digital adoption and reduced cashier workload.

What Changed for the City

Finance & Utility Leaders

• Gained real-time revenue visibility
• Enforced financial accountability with two-key approvals and full audit trails
• Reduced billing disputes with transparent, easy-to-understand statements

Billing & Customer Service Teams

• Accelerated invoicing and payment posting through automated workflows
• Identified billing anomalies early with built-in QA checks
• Resolved issues faster using centralized resident profiles and account history

IT & Operations

• Eliminated server maintenance with secure, vendor-managed cloud hosting
• Streamlined updates through automatic deployments—no downtime or patches
• Enabled mobile access to work orders and meter data for real-time field coordination

Residents

• Received on-demand access to billing and payments—making it easier to stay informed, avoid late fees, and manage utilities on their own time
• Increased billing clarity with visual usage graphs and transparent charge breakdowns
• Reduced support calls by enabling online service requests and real-time account updates

Solution At a Glance

Looking Ahead

This city’s success demonstrates how CivicPlus helps local governments do more with less—by improving staff efficiency, accelerating collections, and modernizing the resident experience. With Utility Billing, utility operations are no longer a patchwork of manual workarounds—they’re coordinated, automated, and built for today’s needs.