The Brookfield, Wis., technology vendor Fiserv Inc. has licensed a bar-code scanning application from PayScan America Inc. and plans to offer it to retailers as part of a walk-in bill payment service for checkout lanes.
Fiserv announced the exclusive licensing deal last week and said its walk-in service will also be available at self-serve kiosks.
The PayScan America application enables checkout clerks to process bill payments by scanning bar codes on customers' monthly statements.
Fiserv plans to offer its service through its CheckFreePay unit, which operates a network used by about 12,000 retailers to provide payment services to consumers.
The unit's clients typically offer the services at a customer service window, Fiserv said; moving that function to the checkout lane will be more convenient for customers, while the scanning technology would reduce errors.
"We believe in-lane bill payment services will transform the walk-in bill payment landscape," Paul Harrison, a Fiserv senior vice president and the general manager of CheckFreePay, said in a press release.
