Vimla focuses on customer-friendly payments, and now Ownit follows suit

Ownit has now decided to partner with Billogram to improve the payment experience for its customers and future-proof its payment solution. Sister company Vimla has been handling its invoicing through Billogram since October 2018 and has already seen a reduction in its customer service cases by over 40%. Here’s what Viktor Georgsson (Head of Operations) and Nils Dinell Sederowsky (Head of Product) have to say about choosing a new payment provider and how the transition has gone.

What set Billogram apart from the other providers you looked at?

Nils: With Billogram, we gain control over how we interact with customers. Our previous provider had its own support, and it took a long time - if ever - for customers to get in touch with us regarding a payment issue.

Viktor: We realized that most players in the payment market aren’t built for recurring revenue streams. They simply aren’t adapted for services where the amount can vary each month, which creates certain problems for a company like ours.

Nils: We haven’t evaluated how much our Trustpilot rating has recovered yet, but when we switched to our previous provider, we dropped at least two points. Many of the comments were about payments, so we believe and hope the rating will now recover.

“When we met, it became clear that the service is flexible and can be adapted to how we want our business to function.”

Why did you start reviewing your agreements?

Viktor: The dissatisfaction among our users made us feel it was time to change payment partners. We had talked to a number of different providers before a colleague recommended Billogram. When we met, it became clear that the service is flexible and can be adapted to how we want our business to function. It's all about simplicity, freedom to choose payment methods, and a clear, innovative approach. It wasn't the cheapest option, but it was the company that captured our interest.

“The choice fell largely on the Billogram team, as we've had a very smooth collaboration from the start.”

What aspects of Billogram's offering were you most drawn to?

Nils: First, it was important for us to retain credit risk, but access to a range of payment methods and flexibility in how we set up reminder handling also played a role. Furthermore, we were offered help with implementation and gained completely new opportunities for increased customer communication. Ultimately, the choice fell heavily on the Billogram team, as we've had a very smooth collaboration from the start.

“It’s impressive that you, as a partner, grasp how we want things to work and then adapt your product accordingly. Not many others do that.”

Is there anything that could have worked better?

Viktor: The collaboration has always worked well, even when we haven’t always agreed. But in those cases, we've always found a way forward together. For example, when Tim (Billogram's COO) recently visited us to talk about debt collection, we expressed a desire for more freedom to adapt our collections process to Vimla's specific situation. Shortly after, Billogram began working on modularizing its product so that you can choose which parts you want to use and how they should function. It's impressive that you, as a partner, grasp how we want things to work and then adapt your product accordingly. Not many others do that.

Nils: Yes, we feel that just as much as you've succeeded in creating a great experience for our customers, you've delivered one for us.

Viktor: This is exactly why we chose Billogram. We could have chosen a provider based solely on price, but we didn't do that here. Instead, we thought: How can we give the customer an experience that works from start to finish, and if problems arise, how can we solve them quickly and easily? In short: How do we make the customer happiest?

“Billogram was the only one that could deliver a fantastic experience for our users, giving them control, without us losing control in the process.”

Nils: There are other cool things, too, like how we can use Billogram's API for real-time reporting on our invoice mailings. Suddenly, we can see how quickly people pay and which payment methods are being used. We've only just started looking at our payment data, and it's going to be exciting to work more with personalization in the future.

In addition to customer satisfaction, it seems that increased control was particularly important in your choice of provider?

Viktor: Yes, and Billogram was the only one that could deliver a fantastic experience for our users, giving them control, without us losing control in the process. Before, support for payments was handled by our partner, and we initially thought they had to be the best at handling payment questions. When we later realized they didn't have all the answers, this became a big risk for us. With the previous provider, we also didn't own the credit risk, which quickly became a problem. As soon as we handed over the invoice, the entire customer relationship was suddenly in our partner's hands. We realized it was time to get back more control.

“We also have better opportunities to respond to customers in a good way, and they, in turn, gain a better understanding of their situation.”

Why is this so important?

Nils: From the user's perspective, they see payment as part of the product they're buying. It should be seamless, so it feels strange when we, as the provider, can't stand up and answer questions the customer has about their payment. At the same time, we had managed to shut the user out of the payment process, as we couldn't link to the invoice or show the payment status on our "My Pages" or in our app.

Did the customer service department notice any difference after the transition?

Viktor: Yes, there has been a big difference. The total number of customer service cases decreased by over 40% during the first six months after the transition to Billogram. And during that time, we were still using Billogram in parallel with the previous provider. It’s also faster to resolve the cases that do come in. We also have better opportunities to respond to customers in a good way, and they, in turn, gain a better understanding of their situation. This is largely thanks to the fact that we can easily pull up the invoice, see the same view as the user, and then guide the customer through their case.

Have you seen any changes in users' payment patterns?

Nils: Yes, right from the start, we've seen interesting numbers when we looked at the statistics for different payment methods. Swish has become very popular and is a big hit among users who previously ended up with an automatic direct debit, perhaps without wanting to. But when they get to choose for themselves, many are opting for Swish, at least so far.

Viktor: Mmm, it will be exciting to see if people continue to use Swish or switch back to direct debit.

How was your implementation experience?

Viktor: Billogram was very helpful! The support was great at every stage, so we're super satisfied.

Nils: I agree. The Billogram team trained us and sat with us during major migrations and when we were coding. They have also always been available via chat and answered questions as they came up. This has made the project really smooth!

What effects have you seen so far, and what do you hope to see in the future?

Nils: We already have fewer customer service cases and fewer payment complaints. Our next exciting challenge is to develop our own collections processes and thereby test our way into an area we lack previous experience in. So far, the most important thing has been to ensure everyone gets their invoice, pays on time, and in the right way, so they remain satisfied.

Finally: Since you have Sweden's most satisfied telecom customers, one must ask - what is it you're doing so right?

Nils: I would say it’s all about our high level of support, our simplicity, and our digital interface.