Post 589 describes Billserves' plans to open a service, through Checkfree, at which customers would have the right to have a certain number of bills paid each month, from their bank account, for a small fee. In discussion with investor relations, I gathered that the sum of $6 per month sort of runs through their minds. Well, other facilities which offer that service want $10. They suggest that would commence a cost reduction trend which ultimately bring the price to zero.
I am simply an investor and am certainly not the person to say where the money is buried. But I did my utmost to make the point that the thing which would make this company take off like a Yahoo or Amazon would be an offer of FREE bill payment service.
That is exactly what CheckFree is doing right now at
bills.yahoo.com ie...it's the Yahoo name, but CheckFree does it for them...and splits the take.
I realize that my check activity is less than typical, but after authorizing direct debit of my account for water, electric and phone charges, I don't write over 2-3 checks monthly that I might e-pay. I am not about to pay for that service, and I feel that a large segment of the e-population feels the same.
Actually, I think you are going to see 10,000 to 20,000 households a day sign up to pay for this type of service within the next 12 months day after day, after day, when that ole trust thing is overcome by the masses.
But everyone with a pc is a customer for free service, and that would give legs to corporate decisions to use billserve to collect their bills - and cover a lot more of their bills. And it would give legs to others who would pay for advertising on that service. And therein would lie payment for the service.
Let me expand on that..a non-intrusive portals, portal service. An extension cord...from the plug to the fixture.
Pretty much known by me anyway...with CheckFree doing their backend..they ain't doing anything without CheckFree, not now anyway. One good reason is they don't have the Capital to do it going alone.
Imagine it like this....look at a wall...look at an outlet in the wall...that is billserv.com. It don't work without being hooked to power...the power is CheckFree. And Billserv.com isn't duplicating that any time soon(so they have to pay for Power, like you and I do for electric).
So what is bills.com ? Well I tell you what it could be that it isn't, generic...a generic portal for any small ISP in the United States of America could hook into to offer a semi Branded service of their own hosted by BillServ.com(the outlet) and (gaurneeted/powered by CheckFree) ala..CheckFree wants the big billers AT&T and the Big Portals Yahoo!...what Billserv should look at in addition to the smaller billers.....IS DAH!...the coming up with a generic portals portal for the smaller ISP etal that they could link into to SHARE like you say advertising revenues and such.....But it has to be a generic site that will Plugin(to) Billservs' outlet like an extension cord to a lamp from the outlet Billserv which is powered by CheckFree Then your model works...in spades.
Like in billers...conceede the big ones and go after the mid to smaller ones that CheckFree don't want....duplicate that in smaller access points with a gerneric pay bill site that can be duplicated, plugged in? Damm that's slick!
It would avoid the division of the business between the Checkfrees, Quickens, MS Money, et al., because Billserve would soak it all in.
Only problem with that, CheckFree powers Quicken, MS. Money and Billserv...so?
And the stock would go wild.
I just gave them the plan...build a McDonalds and put on every intersection that folks drive by..like an ISP...but it has to be bland, yet destinctive...and consistent....duplicatibe..like pluggin in a cord in the wall and makeing a light turn on. Simple...and duplicatible.
Beyond question, that would delay profitability while the cost of providing that service is absorbed until the building cost and advertising monies kicked in. When the service becomes ubiquitious, and the stock jumps, there would be ample sources for funds to allow such costs to be endured. And that would be fast in coming, so what they really would need would be some contingent advertising commitments from some of their present customers.
Such are my thoughts. Any comments?
Sometimes I wonder if they really do this stuff, or they wait for me to think it out...pound a few bruskies and tell them what I think. BillServ needs a generic (plugin Site). 2000 outlets powered by CheckFree at your favorite ISP with a revenue sharing plan for all. Damm this is the weekend too.
Phsssssssssssssssst! |
