Monthly Archives: April 2017

Direct Debit is the simplest way for fitness businesses to collect money off its members, especially as payments can be varied in line with membership downgrades and membership fee changes.

Beyond this, Direct Debit provides a fantastic opportunity for leisure facilities to broaden their marketing scope. Customer acquisition and retention is heightened simply by choosing this as your method of membership collection. Here’s why:

Everybody loves discounts

In terms of processing and time spent on administration, Direct Debit is the cheapest payment method available in the UK. It adds a substantial amount of money to your company’s bank account and it’s up to you to invest this money in the most efficient way.

A large number of gyms channel this into member discounts.  Special offers and incentives for people signing up by Direct Debit will make your gym even more attractive to prospects and fend off local competition. It’s also a great opportunity to shift members away from pay-as-you-go to annual memberships.

Paperless joining

Nobody enjoys paperwork. In fact, people avoid form filling full stop. That’s why online joining portals like DFC’s FastDD are so handy. 24/7 access gives people the opportunity to sign up quickly and at their convenience through your website.

The portal can be advertised on marketing collateral and provided as a hyperlink on online promotional material such as eflyers. FastDD can even be personalised to your brand. With online joining, hassle is completely removed from the equation, which is just what busy prospects want to hear.

Direct Debits sell themselves

Direct Debit is as simple and convenient for you as it is for your customers. Late payments are a thing of the past, people can spread costs much easier (ensuring a continuous source of income for your business) and everything past setup is automatic.

One of the safest and most convenient payment methods in the UK, Direct Debit takes away the financial burden of going to the gym so members can channel all their focus onto fitness.

Not in the leisure industry? DFC works across a range of sectors, helping streamline businesses of all sizes and types.

Direct Debit is one of the easiest ways to collect your customer’s payments. It gives your organisation the authority to collect your customer’s payments when you want and allows you to vary payment quantities accordingly.

It’s also the safest and amongst the most trusted of payment methods in the UK. Usage is even on the rise – statistics from Bacs show an increase by 4.9 percent over 2016 in the UK.

With this in mind, are you aware of the ways your customers are protected?

The safest method for payment collection

All businesses, banks and companies, including DFC, using Direct Debit are bound to the Direct Debit guarantee. This is essential compliance that ensures customer protection under the Direct Debit scheme. Below is just some of the primary ways customers are safeguarded under these regulations:

1. Customers must be notified up to ten days in advance of any changes concerning the amount or the payment date.
2. Customers will receive immediate refunds from your bank in the case of an error. This includes payments on a date other than the due date and withdrawals of a different amount than originally agreed/notified.
3. Direct Debits can be cancelled at any time before the payment due.
4. Your business is also protected in the event of a mistake – customers receiving an incorrect refund must pay this back in full.

Organisations that operate using the Direct Debit scheme must ensure they meet specific standards in order to be accepted by banks. DFC, for example, ensures the safe transferal of money by being Bacs compliant and Bacs bureau approved.  Subject to regular inspections, it is frequently assessed to ensure that it meets all lawful protocol.

Transparent Direct Debit Management

With so much governance under the Direct Debit scheme, customers can rest safe in the knowledge that their money is protected. But this works both ways, and it’s imperative for businesses to regularly monitor the peaks and troughs of their Direct Debit cash flow.

Through DFC’s Data Retrieval Service, companies can easily maintain a transparent record of customer payments. Our 24-hour Data Retrieval system removes administrative headaches and ensures that all Direct Debits are accounted for.  Find out more on how you can streamline your Direct Debit collection here.

In an age of rapid technological growth and accelerated customer acquisition, seamless business operations are paramount. At DFC, we do all we can to ensure that the journey from customer attainment to billing is a smooth one by integrating with your current CRM.

 

Cohesive CRM integration

Direct Debit CRM integration ensures a joined up approach to customer management and administration.

By embedding cash collection processes into your CRM software as you can, the inner workings of your business will run more efficiently and you can almost guarantee a higher overall ROI as a result. Rather than waste time plugging numbers into separate data systems, cash flow data capture can be automatic.

Direct Debit sign ups and cancellations can easily be tracked and measured in line with KPIs. Similarly, all information is much more easily accessible and can be organised in a fashion that best suits your business functionality.

 

Simple and steadfast setup

We’re able to integrate cash flow data and reports into all leading CRM platforms. If your current system isn’t included in this, we’re willing to expand to include this. Setup is quick and simple, without detracting from your daily operational use.

DFC partner, Intermedia Brand Marketing, has had a positive experience with the speed of setup and the accuracy of incoming payment data. They said:

“DFC is able to deliver a reporting suite that enables us to stay abreast of the status of payments, easily manage new orders and alterations to details internally on behalf of our clients – and critically ensure that the integration with our customer relation management tools is simple and effective.

“The initial set-up of the relationship, along with the reporting suite and online access was seamless, with the functionality of the back-end system critical to ensure visibility, accountability and most importantly accuracy of the collection process.”

 

For more information on how DFC can streamline your business, get in touch now on 01908 422 000.