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The Council for Electronic Billing and Payment maintains a list of companies that can
help provide online billing and payment systems. The list can be located by following
Link 13-7.
Is paperless billing right for you? If you send out bills to consumers or other companies,
then the answer is “Yes.” What’s more, the trend is moving that way.

Microsoft Surface
If you really want to be ahead of the curve and your organization is one that will
accommodate it, you might consider using the Microsoft Surface. This touch-sensitive
computer is a standalone device about the size of an old arcade Pong machine. A picture
of it is shown in Figure 13-4.
Surface is, basically, a Windows Vista PC inside a table and topped with a 30-inch
touch-sensitive screen. A projector beneath the screen projects an image onto its underside,
while five cameras in the machine record reflections of infrared light from the user’s
fingertips.
The cameras can also recognize objects placed on the surface. If those objects have tags
applied to them, Surface can access a database to gather information about the objects.
Surface can recognize finger movements, and if a customer sets down a wine glass,
the Surface can recognize the glass and offer dinner suggestions. Initial plans for the
Surface call for it to be used in hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The Surface costs
around US$10,000.

FIGURE 13-4 The Microsoft Surface is a touch-screen computer that allows customers and guests to
interact with the company in various ways.