Sappa on changing payment partners and future-proofing their growing customer base

Sappa provides broadband, TV & play, internet security services, and telephony to over 400,000 households across Sweden. As a growing company, Sappa frequently acquires new customer bases, necessitating seamless payment administration for smooth transitions.

"The invoice shouldn't ideally be the first communication to new customers, but sometimes it is. It's crucial that this process is smooth to ensure customer satisfaction from the start," explains Rasmus Lidh, Controller at Sappa.

Reducing manual processes saves time and enhances efficiency

Since June 2022, Sappa has collaborated with Billogram to streamline their invoicing and payment processes, digitizing the customer journey. This partnership has enabled Sappa to automate several internal processes that were previously time-consuming.

Automation ensures that both Sappa and their customers have an up-to-date view of each payment case:

"Now we have near real-time payments. If we issue credits or adjustments, the customer sees the updated amount immediately. If a customer overpays, the overpayment is smoothly handled via Billogram. Previously, we spent considerable time each month managing overpayments; now it takes less than an hour," says Rasmus.

Activating direct debit (Autogiro) has also been simplified:

"We've eliminated direct debit forms to reduce manual work. Sending them out used to take an entire workday per week. We'd rather spend that time on other tasks," Rasmus continues.

Sappa's CFO, Helena Andersson, notes that this efficiency has made the finance department less vulnerable during illnesses and vacations:

"We are only four to five people in the finance department. Previously, we always needed someone to manually send reminders and handle debt collection. Now, we don't have to worry during vacations, as these are triggered in our automatic flow with Billogram."

Seamless digital payments enhance customer experience

By integrating the customer portal "Mitt Sappa" with Billogram's platform, customers can pay their invoices directly from their personal Sappa account, logging in with BankID.

"Previously, customers were redirected to their bank and had to log in there to pay, which involved more clicks and a poorer user experience," explains Rasmus.

He also mentions that Billogram has enabled a broader range of payment options:

"It's important today to offer multiple options for easy and smooth payments, as this is increasingly demanded by customers. Now, for example, our customers can pay with Swish."

To avoid late payments, Sappa has implemented "due date reminders." These "soft" reminders incur no fee for the customer and serve as a friendly "heads up."

"It's a fantastic feature that we've already seen positive effects from," says Rasmus.

A long-term partnership with personalized support

Both Rasmus and Helena highlight the close and personal partnership with Billogram, both during the initial implementation phase and ongoing collaboration.

"The implementation went much smoother than we had anticipated. Billogram and our IT department collaborated very well," says Rasmus, adding:

"Now we have regular check-ins with our contact person to exchange ideas and see how things can improve even further."