U.K.-based Macro4 (www.macro4.com) in July introduced its
Columbus software, which is designed to help
utility and service companies capture and distribute electronic copies of bills and statements via Web, wireless
access protocol and interactive television. The suite's e-billing module can also be integrated with call center
customer service applications to give agents access to customer records.
Columbus is designed to transform bills and statements into XML and HTML for Web delivery. Paper
documents including checks can be scanned to produce exact electronic copies of the documents that customers
see. Columbus combines output management with workflow distribution of the reports. The system can also
provide email notifications of new statements and querying of bill data.
