About 80% of Globe Telecom’s postpaid mobile customers are already on e-billing or paperless delivery mode, in step with the company’s sustainability practice to help protect the environment and improve customer experience.
The company’s push for e-billing was prompted by numerous customer concerns about delays in delivery of monthly billing statements. Delays in the delivery of bill statements were mostly due to incomplete or changes in customer address, absence of a person to receive the bill, inclement weather, or difficulty of the courier service to deliver in far-flung areas. Following the company’s drive for e-billing, customer complaints on delayed billing statements have significantly gone down.
“Understanding that we are now in the digital age, most of our customers prefer to do their regular transactions online. We are encouraged that majority of our customers have decided to choose e-billing,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications.
To discourage paper billing, customers who choose this option are charged P50 per month to cover the cost of printing and courier services. The paper bill fee is included in the monthly billing statement of the customer. Crisanto clarified that only new postpaid mobile customers from October 2015 onwards who chose paper billing are being charged, representing 2.4% of total postpaid mobile customer base. Furthermore, senior citizens and Globe Platinum customers are exempted from the fee even if they choose paper billing.
Crisanto added, “We recognize that the level of adoption in using digital technology is not the same across all customer segments. This is the reason why certain customers especially senior citizens are exempted from the paper billing fee.” In addition, any customer may also request for an exemption from the paper bill fee. The customer can call the hotline 730-1000 or 211 on mobile to request for the exemption.
The company is reacting to certain news reports and the recent pronouncement of Senator Nancy Binay, who said, “it would be better (for telcos) if they entice their subscribers to agree to paperless billing system through incentives and promos.” Binay filed Senate Resolution No. 521, calling for an investigation into the additional P50 paper bill charge.
Crisanto emphasized that e-billing notifications are secure, offering customers a fast and convenient way to view their latest billing statement, enabling them to pay online within the comfort of their home or office. In addition, e-billing allows customers to view previous statements without going through the tedious process of tracking and filing paper bills.
Customers under e-billing will receive a text notification every month, where they will be informed of their amount due and due dates. They will also receive a secure link, which will allow them to view their billing statements using their smartphones. They may also access their billing statements through USSD code *143#, G-Services app and through www.globe.com.ph/myaccount.
“E-billing offers a clutter-free way to keep a record of our customers’ transactions while being environment-friendly. Through this initiative, we want to enhance customer awareness that they too can support conservation initiatives through sustainable and responsible consumption and lifestyle,” Crisanto said.
The National Telecommunications Commission provides guidelines on the delivery of customer billing statements but does not impose rules on the manner or channel of delivery.