,  Bills

Harmonized eBill registration forms: how the switch works

eBill SIX has standardized the eBill registration forms used by customers to add invoice issuers and will now administer the forms centrally on the eBill portal. The previous forms will no longer be supported from November 2022 onwards.

You can find more detailed information in the “Registration screen” and “Delivery of registration/deregistration data” sections below.

The key information

  • Harmonization of eBill registration forms: the registration forms will in future be managed centrally with eBill. Alongside the standard information, individual additional text and up to three extra fields can now be configured.
    Important: PostFinance recommends using the standard form without the additional fields. Experience shows that eBill registration forms that require additional information from customers are more frequently abandoned.
  • Delivery of registration/deregistration data: as part of the redesign of the registration form, the structure of the file (CVS or CRM XML) used for delivery has been standardized. In addition, the delivery of direct registrations via QR-IBAN/QR-bill is now also possible.

The required settings can be entered independently in the eInvoicing portal or configured via the Billing Support. Contact us by telephone on +41 (0)31 667 99 00 (max. CHF 0.08/min. in Switzerland) or by e-mail.

If you process the registration and deregistration data automatically, contact your software manufacturer in advance to check when these adjustments can be delivered and ensure that you have made the switch in good time before the end of October 2022.

Details on the registration screen

Background

Registration forms (registration screens) have always been used to enable eBill customers to register you as an invoice issuer. The design of these registration forms varies greatly from one invoice issuer to another. This has resulted in inconsistencies. But above all, the lack of a uniform customer experience saw the abandonment rate during registration rise.

Innovations

eBill SIX has standardized the eBill registration forms and will administer them centrally in future. The current forms will no longer be supported from November 2022 onwards. The new standardized registration forms have the following advantages:

  • The process is less complex for all parties.
  • The new registration forms meet the highest standards in terms of accessibility.
  • The new registration forms are more user-friendly and have been optimized for mobile devices.
  • Customers don’t have to complete a different registration form for every company.

As an invoice issuer, you must be able to process registrations using the following information (standard form):

  • Name
  • Postal address
  • E-mail address or company ID number

If these details are not sufficient, an individual supplementary text and up to three extra identification features (e.g. customer number) can be defined per registration form (private and/or business customers). The invoice recipient must fill out this additional information during registration.

PostFinance advises against using additional identification features as far as possible as they complicate registration for eBill recipients and lead to abandonment of the registration process.

On the eInvoicing portal, you have the option to define the registration form yourself and to select the preferred delivery format (CSV v2.0 or CRM XML v2.0).

If you require support with the switch to the new registration forms, please contact your advisor or the Billing Support by telephone on +41 (0)31 667 99 00 (max. CHF 0.08/min. in Switzerland) or by e-mail.

Details on the delivery of registration/deregistration data

The current file with the registrations and deregistrations (CSV v1.0) from PostFinance will be discontinued at the end of October 2022. Registration and deregistration data will now be delivered in a new CSV or CRM XML file (v2.0) aligned to eBill.

If you process registrations/deregistrations manually, you do not need to take any further steps. For automated processing, please ensure that the necessary adjustments are made for the processing. Our software partners have already been notified accordingly.

The key documents and links