Through its partnership with the ONLINE Utility Exchange, NISC’s Telecommunications SIS can now provide an integrated, real-time credit risk assessment tool for their customers. The ONLINE Utility Exchange will utilize application data within the NISC Telecom SIS to verify that the applicant is who they say they are, to help set an accurate deposit amount according to the deposit policies of the Telecom provider, to access unpaid utility bills and disconnects from ONLINE’s unique national utility exchange, while providing unpaid utility account information from other national data sources. Additional functionality in the not-too-distant future will allow NISC Telecom customers to send their customer payment information to ONLINE in an automated fashion so that their Telecom customers who typically do not pay their bills will be tracked from one utility and telecom provider to the next through ONLINE’s national utility exchange database.

In the past, the financial burden of bad debt and charge-off accounts were spread across the entire customer base of the Telecom Provider. According to ONLINE President J.W. Blair, “With the ONLINE Utility Exchange, we work with Utilities and Telecom Providers who are facing losses each year and are looking for methods to reduce risk when customers first request service. We help Telecom providers analyze the risk and set a deposit level that meets their guidelines by utilizing information from past payment histories and unpaid debts and collections data from our exchange database. We are excited about the opportunity to work with NISC Telecommunications and their customers, as NISC Telecom provides world-class technology and a world-class system for the telecommunications market. ONLINE looks forward to assisting their customers in the elimination of bad debt at the point of new service application.”

Gerry Fisher, NISC’s VP of Telecom Solutions, added that “being able to offer our Members with a credit risk management tool like the ONLINE Utility Exchange is a win/win/win opportunity for ONLINE, the NISC Members, and NISC”.

About the ONLINE Utility Exchange
ONLINE Information Services, Inc. has been in business since 1956, first as a Credit Bureau and Collections Agency, and now as a provider of Risk Management tools for the Utility and Property Management Industries. The ONLINE Utility Exchange is a utility-specific credit bureau with the single goal of providing utilities with the tools necessary to eliminate bad debt. The ONLINE Utility Exchange operates nationwide. For more information, please visit their website at www.ONLINEUtilityExchange.com.

About NISC Telecommunications
National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) is an information technology company that develops and supports software and hardware solutions for our Members who are primarily utility cooperatives and telecommunications companies across the nation. NISC is an industry leader, providing advanced, integrated IT solutions for consumer and subscriber billing, accounting, engineering and operations, and bill and payment solutions, as well as many other leading–edge IT solutions.

NISC’s information technology solutions enable independent telephone companies to excel in customer service, maximize diversification opportunities, and compete effectively in today’s changing telecom industry. With offices in North Dakota and Missouri, NISC processes more than $12 billion in annual member utility billings and $800 million in annual member payroll. NISC employs more than 670 IT professionals, and is currently deploying its iVUE software solutions at customer sites in 47 states and in the U.S. territory of American Samoa.

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