CheckFree i-Solutions Enables KUBRA to Distribute Bills and Statements to More
Than 200 Financial Services Web Sites
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- KUBRA, the leader in
customer communication and relationship management outsource solutions, today
announced it has signed a three-year agreement with West Bend Mutual Insurance
(WBMI) to provide Electronic Bill Presentation and Payment (EBPP) solutions.
WBMI is a leading provider of property and casualty Insurance products across
the mid-Western U.S. serving over 100,000 business and household customers.
The solution will enable West Bend's customers to access and pay their
insurance bills using KUBRA's highly secure and robust e-billing application
-- KUBRA e-bill(TM).
The new EBPP solution will enable WBMI's customers to view and pay their
bills directly on the company's own Web site (http://www.wbmi.com). Through
KUBRA's relationship with CheckFree i-Solutions, a software group within
CheckFree (Nasdaq: CKFR), consumers will also be able to receive and pay their
WBMI bills through their choice of more than 200 CheckFree-powered consumer
service provider sites in the United States such as banks, brokerages, credit
unions, Internet portals and personal financial management software.
WBMI will transmit its billing data to KUBRA, which KUBRA will extract,
compose, and securely distribute to the various points of contact for
presentment and payment.
By providing their customers with a variety of choices to receive and pay
their insurance bills, WBMI greatly enhances the awareness of their EBPP
initiative and subsequent activation rates. In addition, WBMI customers will
have the ability to pay their bills at the different Web sites, whether paper
or electronic, thus greater increasing the potential of adoption. Using
CheckFree's "pay anyone" service, WBMI subscribers can also use the service to
pay individuals aswell as any merchant with whom they do business.
"Our business strategy involves a high-touch, high-tech approach. Our
independent agents excel at providing the high-touch element to our joint
customers. However, with the impact of e-commerce, that is no longer enough.
We must be able to service customers at their convenience, regardless of day
or time," said Tom Lindell, CIO of WBMI. "Kubra is taking us from a simple
idea of providing viewable, passive billing information to the cutting edge of
electronic bill presentment and payment services. We anticipate this new
service to positively impact our customer satisfaction, which is our ultimate
goal."
"WBMI and other companies that have embraced the EBPP opportunities stand
to benefit from reduced costs associated with distributing bills and
supporting their clients via the Internet," said Rick Watkin, President and
COO of KUBRA. "This strategic effort will be the catalyst for future growth
opportunities and client retention for WBMI, as they have outsourced this
entire function to the leading ASP in North America. We are very excited
about working with one of the leading insurance companies on this very
important initiative which will serve to further customer loyalty, enhance the
brand and extend the customer relationship"
About West Bend Mutual Insurance
WBMI offers property/casualty insurance for your home, auto, and business
from your local independent insurance agent. Innovation, growth, and
stability have played important roles in the success of West Bend Mutual
Insurance Company. From a small local office in the 1890s, to a strong,
regional insurer in the 1990s, West Bend Mutual has come to stand for
excellence through the use of innovative products, steady growth, and
financial stability. This reputation for excellence is recognized not only by
their policyholders, but by the insurance industry itself. Since 1973, they
have maintained an A+ (Superior) rating by A.M. Best, financialanalysts of
the insurance industry. West Bend Mutual is also proud to be a member of the
1999 Ward's 50 Benchmark Group. Today, that tradition of excellence is taking
West Bend Mutual into the future.
About KUBRA
KUBRA leads the market in delivering comprehensive customer communication
and customer relationship management outsourced solutions. KUBRA has
leveraged our expertise in these skill sets to offer various business
communities personalized interactive customer communication and management
solutions. Since our inception in 1992, we have created a multinational
corporation that creates value for our customers in the form of enhanced
access to new markets, reduced costs and increased profitability.
KUBRA capabilities in data processing, print production, electronic
presentment and delivery and secure payment processing allow us to provide
customer communication solutions through any channel and to facilitate the
communication program throughout its entire life cycle -- from document
conception and presentment to customer response and payment. More information
on the Company is available on the Internet at kubra.com.
SOURCE KUBRA
-0- 10/23/2000
/CONTACT: Rick Huff of KUBRA, 905-624-2220, ext. 233, or fax -
905-624-2886/
/Web site: kubra.com
wbmi.com
(CKFR)
CO: KUBRA; West Bend Mutual Insurance Company
ST: Ontario
IN: CPR MLM INS
SU:
MW
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