Similar to an ATM, U.S. Bank's E-Payment Service Kiosks are customizable, free-standing units available to businesses, nonprofits, utilities and other billers that want to give their own customers the option to conveniently and securely pay bills on the spot.

"Our business clients want to give their customers easy options to pay their bills," said Ann Smith, senior vice president of Treasury Management Product at U.S. Bank. "The E-Payment Service Kiosk is a great payment acceptance tool that enables businesses to reduce their own costs and strengthen customer relationships."

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD) helped pilot the project with a kiosk in their main office in downtown Detroit. "The installation of the U.S. Bank E-Payment Service Kiosk is DWSD's way of acknowledging what our customers were requesting - another payment channel," said Darryl Latimer, Chief Customer Service Officer/Deputy Director of DWSD. "In our current, fast-paced environment, time is everything and our partnership with U.S. Bank has positively affected customer wait times associated with bill payments. This is a win-win for everyone involved."

U.S. Bank now offers five payment channels through E-Payment -- the internet, touch-tone telephone (IVR), staffed service center, remote web service (API) and kiosks -- that are designed to improve clients' receivables processing.

The E-Payment Service Kiosk allows for the acceptance of multiple forms of payment, including cash, checks, and credit or debit cards. The kiosk can be customized to reflect a company's brand and includes both indoor and outdoor models. Businesses using the kiosks can also access real-time balances and view which of their customers have made payments, which helps reduce the costs associated with supporting multiple payment collection processors.