The following are key points of differentiation, which provide advantages over competing models. Rapidly changing EBPP technology, the uneven pace of federal and state deregulation and the substantial up front costs of developing, buying or supporting technology, positions ePower as a safe, cost efficient option for utility firms. Targeting utilities provides focus for product development and sales efforts. EBPP providers blanketing several different industries have more stakeholders to appease and potential conflicts of interest within a diverse customer base. The push approach to ePower's EBPP, based on email, allows greater benefits than other solutions.
Email is active, and provides a better mechanism for customer interaction and faster payment cycles.
Presentment and payment via email is the closest to the current paper bill process and this should which facilitate faster adoption. Online banks can provide EBPP services, but only to the subset of the population, which is both signed up with that specific bank, and with the utility. With this model, for the utility would have to make arrangements with all banks to offer EBPP to all its customers. The market is still taking shape and each solution differs in its approach to delivering and storing billing information. Currently, ePower's CustomerDirect is the only solution that is designed specifically for the utility industry and presentment of bills via email as well as on the Internet.