Melbourne Improves Customer Experience with Payments

Organization Profile

• Location: Melbourne, Florida
• Number of Employees: 800+
• Population: 87,000+
• Tyler Client Since: 2004
• Tyler Products/Solutions: Payments, Cashiering, Enterprise ERP, Enterprise Permitting & Licensing

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When siloed payment systems frustrate neighbors and increase staff workloads, finding a better solution is paramount.

The customer service team in the City of Melbourne, Florida, understood this challenge. Their systems were fragmented across several vendors, resulting in more customer service calls.

With a focus on operational efficiency and a frictionless experience for their neighbors, the City of Melbourne, Florida, earned a 2026 Tyler Excellence Award.

The City of Melbourne’s transition to a unified payment system was driven by a desire to create a positive resident experience from start to finish, remove barriers caused by disparate vendors, and reduce customer service calls. With a thoughtful approach, the city implemented a cohesive ecosystem that streamlined payments for neighbors and produced cost savings.

Disparate Systems Create a Siloed Payment Experience

The City of Melbourne had fragmented systems that couldn’t integrate with one another. Without the ability for the software to ‘talk to each other,’ neighbors struggled to know if the city received their payments.

“All of our systems were siloed. They were fragmented across several vendors. It was just a time constraint. Reconciliation was hard, everything,” said Donna McMahon, customer service manager with the City of Melbourne, Florida. “We had EERP, we had EPL, we had Tyler Cashiering, and we have the customer self-service piece. So why not implement that and make it a smooth process across all levels by using Tyler Payments?”

The fractured systems created frustration for both staff and neighbors. Neither party could see processed payments or billing history. Working within these disparate systems created unnecessary work for staff — tracking down payments, placating frustrated residents, and sending reports to vendors. Rather than simplifying the day-to-day, the systems added more work for everyone.

Communicating the Transition

With the coming changeover to Tyler Payments, the City of Melbourne strove to ensure the smoothest transition for its neighbors. Staff began communicating early through multiple channels to reach all customers; they used their website, social media, and mailed letters.

“We started communicating with our neighbors back in February, prior to our transition in June,” said McMahon.

Beyond this, staff made a concerted effort to contact neighbors who used ACH and auto-pay about the upcoming changes and to create a smooth back-office transition through training and high-touch communications. From the first customer phone call, it was clear that the City of Melbourne’s thorough communication paid off. The transition was seamless.

Unified Payment System Provides Improved Service and Efficiency

The City of Melbourne’s decision to transition to a unified payment system shows how a city can simplify and improve day-to-day operations for neighbors and staff. After implementation, the city’s customer service team noticed a marked improvement in phone-call volume and staff workload.

McMahon shares, “Our biggest win is the customer experience. They are able to see their payments right away and are able to obtain the information that they need at their fingertips.”

By taking a step back and reviewing their ecosystem, the City of Melbourne identified and implemented a single payment system that broke down silos, reduced staff workload, and improved the customer experience for neighbors.