Netscape Communications rolled out new software on Monday that lets companies process bill payments online, while simultaneously sending tailored advertising to the customer.
BillerXpert would help Netscape (NSCP) keep up with rivals in the burgeoning online bill-payment market. Companies like Visa International, Microsoft, Intuit, America Online, and First Data are developing similar products.
BillerXpert has three components: software to port customer information from databases to the Net, software to manage billing transactions, and software to serve advertisements based on customer demographics.
Netscape said it's the perfect product for companies whose primary interaction with customers is through the billing process -- like telcos, cable companies, utilities, and banks.
"Traditionally, companies have viewed billing as a nonstrategic cost center," said Jason Rosenthal, group product manager for customer relationship applications. "But by taking the bill to the Internet, it's a great way to increase interaction with your customers. And you know where someone lives, their name and phone number, and a lot about their purchasing behavior -- it's the perfect vehicle for targeted marketing."
Netscape estimates that about 1,000 large companies might be interested in the new software, which will sell for US$250,000. It already has already deployed the system for two Canadian telecommunications companies.
Companies who don't want to buy BillerXpert will be able to "rent" the software in a custom site on Netscape's Netcenter site beginning in mid-1999. Netscape has been touting Netcenter as the home of "vertical portals," or industry specific sites that draw news and other content from Netcenter to spruce up their customer appeal.
The BillerXpert software is the latest offering in a long line of enterprise e-commerce software that Netscape has rolled out over the last year.
Reuters contributed to this report.
