By Chris Derby, Senior Customer Service Representative
The traditional method of mailing payments has long been referred to as “snail mail”. A frequent question our Customer Service team hears from insureds is, “Did you receive my payment?”
COVID-19 has brought about many challenges for everyone over the last year and our US Postal Service is no exception. USPS has been down workers due to illness and stretched to capacity with increasing delivery demands. Add to that extreme weather, the holidays and now tax season and it’s no wonder delivery has been affected.
Customers have expressed concern with mail delays, so we would like to offer some premium payment options of which you and your clients may not be aware.
First, PLM offers Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This safe and convenient form of payment is handled electronically between the customer’s bank and our own. With this electronic option, the pay plan has no down payment, just nine equal installments, and because this is all handled between banks electronically, there is no monthly billing fee applied.
Second is our ePayment option. Again, this is an electronic option but is managed by the customer and is accessible through our website at www.plmins.com. On the home page, there is a tab for ePayment and with their routing and checking account number, clients will be able to set up a one-time payment or a recurring option on a date convenient to them. A benefit of this option is that while they will still be assessed a down payment, if they pay on or before the due date, the billing fee will be credited to their next invoice.
Finally, a payment can be called in to our Customer Service Team at 1-800-752-1895. Brokers can advise their clients that they only need their routing and checking account numbers for us to take their payment over the phone. They will still be assessed a down payment, and a monthly bill fee. However, if they pay on or before the due date, the billing fee will be credited to their next invoice.
In each of these options your client’s payment would be posted within 24 hours, avoiding the anxiety of waiting for the payment to arrive, or additional correspondence from us. Taking advantage of these payment options will allow clients to manage their account and have the confidence their payment will be applied in a timely manner. Our Customer Service Team would be happy to review any of these options with brokers before you present them to clients.
