Wisconsin Fuel and Light to Pilot PaySense Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment Solution

Business Wire, August 24, 1998

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1998--

Wasau Financial Systems and TriSense Software Gain Fist Joint

Customer as Internet Bill Delivery Pilot Program Begins

TriSense Software Ltd. and Wausau Financial Systems Inc. (WFS), strategic partners in the marketing and support of TriSense Software's PaySense(tm) electronic bill presentment and payment solution, announced today that Wisconsin Fuel and Light Company is the first joint customer to join their PaySense pilot program. Wisconsin Fuel and Light is a regional utility supplying natural gas services to central and eastern Wisconsin.

"We're delighted that Wisconsin Fuel and Light has made such a forward-thinking move on behalf of their customers, and that our alliance with Wausau Financial Systems is paying mutual dividends after only one month," said David R. Lamm, president and chief executive officer of TriSense Software Ltd. "Wisconsin Fuel and Light understood the value of electronic billing and payment for consumers, and Wausau Financial highlighted the advantages of control and customer service that PaySense will bring to the utility's operation."

With PaySense, customers of Wisconsin Fuel and Light will be able to privately and securely receive and view electronic replicas of their familiar paper bills on their personal computers. Consumers will also be able to control the amount and timing of their electronic payments, easily manage their own payment records, and save the time and expense of making paper payments through the mail.

"We're very pleased to be participating in the pilot phase of this developing technology," said Mark T. Maranger, president of Wisconsin Fuel and Light Company. "We saw how rapidly automatic debit programs moved from being an innovation to a customer expectation. Now, PaySense is here to provide a complete, round-trip payment facility. This technology will provide our customers with the same level of control as traditional billing, but in an efficient, convenient and easy-to-use electronic format. We believe this system offers real potential for cost and resource savings throughout our company in the future."

The PaySense solution allows banks, remittance processors and billers to control all aspects of electronic bill presentment and payment. It gives banks and remittance processing companies an electronic billing and payment service they can own and offer to their commercial customers, and gives billers the option of implementing electronic billing directly or through their trusted commercial bank or remittance processor.

PaySense places full control of bill server software, bill and payment data, and payment relationships directly in the hands of existing billers, banks and remittance processors. No new third-party bill processor or payment processor is required. This solves the problems of reduced data privacy, increased data mining and potential disintermediation typical of offerings that use centralized third-party bill and payment processing services.

"Our customers told us they wanted to maintain control of their important billing data and existing payment relationships," said Robert Weirauch, WFS president. "We aligned with TriSense specifically because their PaySense solution lets our customers become e-billing system owners rather than just agents of someone else's service."

PaySense Pilot Program Launched

In addition to the cooperative pilot with WFS and Wisconsin Fuel and Light, TriSense is piloting PaySense with a leading Internet service provider in the Midwest. After two years of development and testing, PaySense software is currently being configured and installed in both pilot companies, with live Internet-delivered bills and payments expected in the fourth quarter.

The PaySense pilot program has a limited number of additional openings in 1998. Banks and remittance processors are preferred for the remaining pilot openings. Interested companies should contact Wausau Financial Systems or TriSense Software.

About TriSense Software

TriSense Software Ltd. is a Minneapolis-based financial systems software company founded in 1996 by David R. Lamm, a banking technology veteran who developed check-imaging systems for community banks. TriSense developed the PaySense electronic bill presentment and payment system for consumer-oriented and financial services companies. Based on advanced e-mail architecture, PaySense is a bank-centric solution that enables financial services companies and billers to maintain control of the payments process. For more information about TriSense Software Ltd. or its PaySense solution, contact TriSense by phone at 612-894-9500, on the Web at www.trisense.com or by fax at 612-894-6840.

About Wausau Financial Systems

Since 1974, Wausau Financial Systems has grown to become the leading resource of item, image and remittance processing solutions for financial and commercial businesses. With more than 270 employees supporting WFS' full product line, they are a recognized leader within the transaction processing arena. WFS is currently NCR Corporation's largest financial reseller in North America and has established a strong partnership with Unisys Corporation. In addition to software and hardware solutions, WFS provides full training and implementation services, consultative services, customer support, supplies and a 100% money-back guarantee. For more information about Wausau Financial Systems and its products, please refer to www.wausaufs.com.