5 Ways To Modernize Your Bill for Better CX

Whether they’re landing in physical mailboxes or inboxes, bills and statements are the most consistently opened communications across any industry. With an impressive 94% open rate for transactional documents compared to just 20% for marketing emails, every bill is a guaranteed moment of customer attention. It’s a chance to reinforce trust, provide clarity, and build connection. 

Experience-led businesses are reframing the bill from simply a payment request into a meaningful touchpoint in the customer journey. When done well, a bill becomes more than a transaction; it’s a reflection of your company’s reliability, transparency, and care. Yet too often, this opportunity goes untapped, leaving customers with confusion instead of confidence.

Why your bill might be working against you

Poorly designed bills are confusing, dense, or reinforce the message that the sole purpose of the document is for the biller to get paid. None of those scenarios is positive from the customer's perspective. When customers struggle to understand a bill, they typically become frustrated, which leads to more support calls and delayed payments. In other words, what’s not good for customers usually ends up not being good for businesses.

KUBRA research found that customers who understand their bills tend to have a more positive payment experience. Specifically, the KUBRA Utility Bill Design Report found that the top three factors contributing most to a positive experience with utility bills are: ease of understanding, customers knowing what they owe and when it’s due, and understanding what they’re paying for. 

Despite the shift to digital, a large segment, around 42% of customers, still prefer paper bills. Catering to your digital and print customers means ensuring clarity in layout, tone, and readability that works across both formats. 

Transforming your bill

Instead of treating bills as a payment request, treat them as engagement points. Here are some small design and content improvements that can shift perception and increase satisfaction.

1. Simplify the layout.

• Establish a clear hierarchy of information to reduce confusion and build customer confidence quickly.
• Make it easy for customers to see at a glance what they owe, when it’s due, and how to make a payment.
• Eliminate clutter and break up dense text blocks.
• Move the Terms and Definitions section online. It was rated the least valuable information, with 45.6% of customers saying they didn’t find it useful.

2. Use visual comparisons

• Include charts showing usage trends or previous balances to help customers quickly understand changes.
• Use visual elements, such as usage graphs, trend lines, or before-and-after comparisons, to help customers quickly understand their data.

Visual comparisons reduce call volume by preempting questions like “Why is my bill higher this month?” and empowering customers to self-diagnose changes in usage or cost.

3. Include positive confirmations 

• Use bills as an opportunity to reinforce reassurance and reliability, since they're often the only regular communication customers receive from your company.
• Provide simple confirmations such as “You’re enrolled in AutoPay”, “Your payment was received,” or “Your account is in good standing” to build trust and reduce anxiety. 

These messages remind customers that systems are working and that their actions (like signing up for paperless billing) are recognized. 

4. Add personalized, timely messages 

• Tailor content to the customer’s situation. For instance, send upcoming rate changes, conservation tips, or loyalty milestones.
• Reduce static, one-size-fits-all messaging; it just doesn’t work anymore. Dynamic content, like personalized billing and payment communications is where your efforts should be focused. Include custom payment reminders, offers, or messages based on payment history to keep content fresh and customers engaged.
•  Leverage behavioral data for valuable insights into how customers interact with you. Use data insights to spot patterns, preferences, and pain points, then tailor content to drive engagement and healthier cash flow. If a group pays inconsistently, emphasize the ease and reliability of AutoPay.

5. Keep the tone human

• Replace jargon with clarity. Plain, conversational language makes bills easier to read and builds transparency.
• Use a human tone to reduce cognitive effort. This helps customers process information more efficiently.

Not sure where to begin? We’ve broken down some quick wins and long-term improvements. 

Quick wins

• Audit your current bill for unused space and redundant information.
• Refresh the tone and readability of your copy.
• Add QR codes or short URLs to drive traffic to online portals or self-service tools.
• Include visual comparisons to make data intuitive.

Long game

• Plan a complete bill redesign that aligns with brand and CX goals.
• Work with your billing vendor to enable data-driven personalization at scale.
• Give customers choice and control by allowing them to customize what appears on their bill or how they receive it (via email, paper, or app).
• Test your designs regularly for clarity and comprehension.

Why a better bill means a better relationship

Your bill is more than a payment request. It’s a decisive moment of truth in your customer relationship. When designed with clarity, empathy, and intent, it becomes a trusted extension of your brand. Every statement you send is an opportunity to strengthen connections, reduce friction, and demonstrate that even the most routine interactions can deliver genuine customer experience value. For deeper context on why transactional thinking in billing and payments creates friction and harms CX, read Part 1 of this series on the hidden cost of transactional thinking.