Project Overview

A cloud-based utility billing app that automates payments and provides a mobile-first experience for users and providers.

What We Did

Added .NET and UI/UX resources to the client’s Agile teams to fill internal skill gaps, speed up delivery and frontend-backend consistency.
Added real-time payment automation via ACH debits, receipt generation and instant notifications to reduce manual overhead and user experience.
Built secure, PCI DSS compliant architecture with multi-factor authentication, role-based access control and end-to-end encryption to protect user and payment data.
Enabled rate management with a dynamic pricing engine that supports regional tariffs, seasonal discounts and time-of-use billing.
Improved support operations with transaction logging and a built-in dispute resolution module to speed up issue handling and transparency.
Made it accessible and inclusive with a WCAG-compliant, mobile-first interface, simple navigation, SMS alerts and voice-friendly interactions.

Development of a Secure Utility Billing Application

The project was to build a secure web-based utility billing application for a US fintech startup, automate payment workflows, and provide a mobile-friendly interface using .NET and Azure for real-time processing and scalability.

An End-to-end utility billing architecture built with .NET and MySQL, fortified by Azure services for control, scalability, and compliance:

Client Overview

The client is a US fintech company partnering with residential utility providers, looking for a web application for households to monitor usage, analyze expenses, and pay bills, while suppliers get automation, incentives, control and insights.

Client Requirements and Challenges

The client needed a partner with experience in payment automation, secure software and PCI DSS compliance, with fast delivery and clear communication, as their team lacked utility billing expertise and needed backend and UI augmentation.

💡 Did you know?

As of 2024, the utility billing software market is valued at approximately USD 5.2 billion and is expected to reach around USD 18.3 billion by 2033, demonstrating a strong CAGR of 12.3% from 2025 to 2033.

The Problem

The client was running on old systems with inefficient workflows and siloed functionality causing delays, errors and missed opportunities. This was hindering growth, customer satisfaction and resource strain across departments.

Skills Gap

The client’s team didn’t have deep .NET and Blazor expertise and UI/UX skills for modern web apps. This was putting deadlines at risk and quality in both front-end and back-end.

Integration Silos

Billing, payment and data services were separate. No straight through payment flows existed and external APIs for property data or ad management were hard to connect causing manual work and data inconsistencies.

Security Vulnerabilities

Data was stored with minimal encryption and single factor logins. This put the client at risk of PCI DSS non-compliance, breaches and loss of customer trust due to inadequate authentication and data protection.

Manual Payment Burden

Without payment automation customers and suppliers were doing manual ACH or credit-card processing. This was causing delayed settlements, extra administrative work and no real time notifications or receipts, harming cash flow and user satisfaction.

Lack of Flexible Rate Management

The client’s billing system couldn’t support dynamic pricing models like regional rates, peak-hour charges or promotional discounts. This limited the ability to adapt to real-time utility rate fluctuations or customize pricing based on user segments or time-of-use, and affected revenue and user trust in billing accuracy.

Dispute Resolution Delays

Customers were disputing billing errors or payment failures but the legacy system didn’t have transparent transaction logs or user-friendly resolution tools. This slowed down support processes, increased response times and damaged customer satisfaction and retention.

Accessibility Challenges for Elderly and Rural Users

The previous interface wasn’t optimized for elderly users or those in rural areas with limited digital literacy. Complex navigation, small UI elements and desktop only access hindered user adoption especially among the underserved demographic.

The Solution

A modern system, automated workflows and cross team communication. This streamlined everything, reduced errors and increased responsiveness so the business could deliver features on time, support growth and be agile.

Team Extension

Senior .NET and UI designer were added to the client’s Agile teams. They worked closely with in-house staff to increase development capacity, speed up feature delivery and ensure high quality code across both frontend and backend.

Security Features

Multi factor authentication, role based access control and end to end encryption to protect user and payment data. KYC verification and strict PCI DSS compliance to meet regulatory standards and customer trust.

Azure-powered system manages billing, compliance, and user access while supporting real-time updates, secure transactions, and admin oversight:

Seamless Integrations

Payment gateways for straight through processing, property data APIs for real time address validation and Amazon Ads for in-app campaign management. Automated data flows replaced manual imports to improve accuracy and operational efficiency.

Payment Automation

Real time payment processing with automatic ACH debits and instant notifications. Users got receipts immediately, reduced administrative overhead and settlement delays and transparent transaction tracking for both customers and utility providers.

WCAG-Compliant, Mobile-First Design

The team redesign the frontend with accessibility in mind following WCAG standards. Features included large tap targets, simplified navigation, high-contrast design, voice-guided actions and SMS-based alerts. This increased platform adoption by 26% and reduced support queries from rural and elderly users.

This WCAG-compliant platform ensures accessible billing, automated workflows, real-time payments, and secure dispute resolution with analytics:

Transaction Logs and Dispute Module

The dedicated development team added detailed audit trails for every billing event including timestamps, payment status and invoice history. A built-in dispute resolution module was introduced so users could submit complaints directly via the platform and support staff could review logs, validate issues and resolve them 50% faster than before.

Flexible, Rule-Based Pricing Engine

The admin panel had real-time rate updates and discount management so providers could deploy seasonal or demand-based pricing without developer intervention.

The Result

We delivered a secure, multi-utility billing app on time, giving our client a head start. The responsive design cut mobile development costs by 40%, increased accessibility, adoption rates, and user satisfaction.

This results schematic contrasts legacy inefficiencies with a scalable cloud platform that delivers automation, security, and measurable performance outcomes:

By leveraging our IT Staff Augmentation Services, the Client achieved a significant reduction in delivery time by 30%, kept 99.9% uptime, and ensured full PCI DSS compliance. Our client has extended engagement to add more payment features.

Delivering a User-Centric, Scalable Solution to Streamline Utility Payments with Enhanced Security and Accessibility

Secure and Mobile-Friendly Utility App for Simplified Payment Management

About The Project