Benefits
QR-bills replace the traditional orange ISR payment slips. In addition to human-readable text, the payment data is encoded in a dot pattern that can easily be read by machines. This offers many benefits, both when issuing and when paying invoices. According to our customers, printing invoices in particular has become easier. Special paper is no longer needed, and the printer no longer has to be calibrated to the payment slip format. A standard black-and-white printer is all it takes.
For the invoice recipient, the payment process becomes easier, because all they have to do is scan the QR code with a mobile phone – either from a paper printout or directly from the screen. Typing in payee details and reference numbers in mobile or e-banking is no longer necessary. The new QR-bill can still be used at the post office counter or sent to the bank with a payment order. The advantage here is that customers can print the payment slip themselves if needed, even when the invoice was delivered digitally, which wasn't possible before.
Our customers usually send their invoices by mail and/or digitally as PDF files. Here, too, the QR-bill shows its strengths: the same PDF document can be used for both channels. This means you usually need only one invoice template.
Technical implementation
In the Java world, the choice of free libraries for creating template-based (invoice) PDFs is fairly limited. We use Apache FOP, which doesn't fully convince us in every respect but has already proven itself elsewhere. The requirements for the layout and dimensions of the various elements of the QR-bill are described in detail in this SIX document. In Apache FOP, we were able to implement these requirements down to the millimeter using simple container elements.
For actually generating the QR code, SIX provides graphics and Java sample code that can be adapted without much effort. Mainly, the data shown in the QR code has to be filled with the details of the actual invoice. The generated image file can then simply be placed in the Apache FOP template.
While developing the new QR-bill template, PostFinance's validation tool proved very useful. It lets you upload the generated PDF file and checks whether the document meets the format specifications in terms of dimensions and data. If there are deviations, you receive a detailed report listing the errors found.
Incoming QR payments are still processed using the CAMT.054 standard. This is an ISO-standardized format for reporting credits (and debits). We didn't have to change a single line of code in our back-end system, which reads the CAMT.054 files delivered by the payment service provider. The required parameters such as payment reference, amount and date remain unchanged with the QR-bill.
In practice
Some customers have a PostFinance account into which the invoice amounts are credited. Only minor adjustments were needed on the customer side to receive credits from QR-bills. After signing up for the new invoice format, the provider issued a so-called QR-IBAN (International Bank Account Number). It has the same format as a conventional IBAN but must be used for the QR-bill. It is printed on the invoice and also encoded in the QR code.
The switch to the QR-bill went smoothly, and the feedback after the rollout was positive across the board. The benefits described above simplify invoicing through streamlined printing and email delivery. On our side, there is no longer any need to maintain multiple invoice templates. According to the feedback received so far, paying by QR-bill has caused no problems for invoice recipients and has been well received.
Even though no date has yet been set for the final phase-out of the classic ISR payment slips, it pays to switch to the new format soon. With manageable technical and administrative effort, invoice issuers gain another step toward digitalization and customer friendliness.
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