DEALING WITH REJECTION

New system tackles missed payments
Rejected direct debit payments are a headache for operators and one of the biggest causes of lapsed memberships. To help clubs eradicate the issue and encourage members to get back on track, payment solutions provider DFC has come up with a service called My Payments.

The online portal makes it easier for customers to pay defaulted fees through a variety of platforms. Accessible 24/7, the system gives club members payment flexibility outside working hours and saves operators the task of manually chasing payments.

“Customers tend to bury their heads and ignore the problem – either because they’re too busy or embarrassed by the situation,” says DFC’s IT development manager Matt Clements. “My Payments takes care of all these issues, meaning members can get back into the gym and operators can free up time for attracting new joiners.”

MOVING TO SELF SERVICE

SUPPLIER: Gladstone
CLIENT: activeNewham

Joanne Barton

Gladstone Software

Leisure trust activeNewham has seen casual income increase by 8 per cent since switching to Gladstone’s cashless, self-service payments system.

The trust, which operates four leisure centres and a fitness centre on behalf of Newham Council, took the bold step of replacing reception desks and receptionists at all of its sites with Gladstone’s self-service kiosks, and also stopped taking cash payments.

Now, all customers are required not only to pay with debit or credit cards but also to ‘self-serve’ their way into activeNewham’s centres – although a member of staff, a ‘concierge’, is on duty at all times.

Keiron Butcher, commercial director for activeNewham, says: “Customers can now use their membership card to top up their cashless account at the kiosk, as well as online or via our call centre. They can also use their membership card to pay for activities or services at the kiosk, instead of a credit or debit card; it’s similar to Transport for London’s Oyster Card system.

“Since introducing the kiosks, we’ve eliminated all queuing in our facilities and seen a nine per cent increase in usage, which leads us to believe we’re now counting the number of people using our sites more accurately.”

“Self serve kiosks and mobile devices are now preferred to the more traditional method of making payments at a reception point”

AN ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEM

SUPPLIER: Harlands
OPERATOR: Marriott

Robin Karn

Harlands Group

Marriott operates 39 premium health clubs in the UK and recently went live with a Harlands system that provides online signup, full management of membership payments, full credit control and a link with the front of house system in the clubs.

By linking in with Marriott’s leisure management software, the system has enabled the operator to consolidate its processes and retain control of its memberships. James Wild, director of golf and leisure operations, says: “The Harland’s partnership supports our efforts to reduce direct debit rejections and first payment bounce backs, positively impacting our business performance and bottom line.

“Due to the reduction in administrative duties, our leisure teams can now focus 100 per cent on creating new opportunities for customers, generating additional prospects and providing an enhanced service to those in the club already. We’re also in the process of deploying the Harland’s Sales Generator prospecting system, in order to convert more leads into memberships and slicken up our processes.”

“We process more than 1.7m transactions a month in the health and fitness sector and 99 per cent of these signups are made online”

OPINION: Payment security

Sean Maguire

Managing director,

Legend Club Management Systems

While awareness may spike following headline grabbing cyber attacks, ignorance of security obligations when it comes to tech continues to place the industry at risk.

Given the volume and extent of personal information we routinely collect, our industry is a target.

With no industry regulation and few guidelines, the implications of the next breach could extend beyond regulatory fines and brand damage, permanently undermining trust and causing business failure.

With the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to up the stakes, it’s time to take data, its use and protection, far more seriously. The world has changed and managing this risk is now a top priority requiring constant ongoing attention.

According to the UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2017, just under half (46 per cent) of all UK businesses have had at least one cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months.

Furthermore, businesses that hold electronic personal data are targeted more (51 per cent versus 46 per cent), and that places operators firmly in the cross hairs.

In the absence of any other solution, the onus is on individual operators and industry suppliers to step up and proactively secure customer data. GDPR is a big change but we shouldn’t be scared of it. Instead we must warmly embrace it and use it as the catalyst to obtain ‘excellent’ grades when it comes to our data management.

“It’s time to take data, its use and protection, far more seriously. The world has changed and managing this risk is a top priority requiring constant attention” - Sean Maguire, Legend Club, Management Systems