Allowing your members to pay their gym membership fees via direct debit has many benefits, for both your club and your members. Let’s take a look at the top 5.
1.
Automated
Recurring Payments for better cash flow
Direct debit payments are set up to be requested on the same
day each month, which means you know exactly when money is coming into the
business. Direct debits also allow your members to plan and budget for their
payments, which greatly reduces the risk of missing or making a late payment,
resulting in higher payment success rates than other payment methods. Once it
is set up, there is no need for your member to lift a finger and you get more
certainty around your income.
2.
Secure
It’s important to choose a billing provider that has FCA
accreditation. The strict FCA safeguarding requirements work to protect your
funds. If your chosen billing provider is FCA accredited, you have peace of
mind and can be confident that your membership fees are collected in a secure
and trusted fashion.
3.
Reduces
Administration
Direct Debit collections are automated and processed
electronically. This reduces paperwork and eliminates time consuming
reconciliation as it’s all done for you. Direct Debit collections means you
don’t have to keep track of which members have paid and which haven’t. When
your direct debit collection service is fully
integrated with your club management system, the time you save becomes
significant, as all your billing data is available to you in real time. This
means you are kept fully aware of every member that has fallen into arrears so
that you can address the issue directly with the member. In addition you have
complete control over your memberships so that you can quickly change the
status of any member i.e put them on freeze if necessary.
4.
Cost
effective
Direct Debit is a very cost-effective payment method, particularly
when you compare it to processing card payments. As direct debits are
automated, you will also save valuable time on tracking payments and chasing
members. Choosing a good club management
system with integrated billing and membership management will be
revolutionary, as you are able to seamlessly keep up-to-date with the status of
every member’s account.
5.
Fast
and secure member sign-up
Direct debit payments allow you to streamline your member
sign up process as its quick, easy and secure. Direct debits also support a
paperless process and works really well in tandem with Digital
Signature Technology, making it
easy for your members to set up their direct debits and sign their membership
form online or in app, helping you stay ahead of the competition.