Warrington Wolves is a professional rugby club based in Warrington, Cheshire. Known locally as the Wolves/the Wire, they compete in the European Super League and play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
The Wolves have had a working relationship with DFC for over a year, using them to collect and monitor Direct Debit payments. Prior to this the club jumped between standing order and Direct Debit, struggling to settle on one particular payment method.
Settling on Direct Debit
Between the two, standing order proved more tiresome and required a great deal of administrational effort. Equally, keeping tabs on cash flow was difficult, so after being approached by a DFC consultant they decided to move back to Direct Debit for good.
Ticketing Coordinator, Emma McEvoy, said:
‘It mostly fell on me to manage the standing orders, and luckily I was on the ball with it but if you’re not, it’s easy to miss things and for it to become a nightmare to track payments.
‘DFC sounded appealing for two reasons: firstly because they put everything online making it easy to book for the season. Secondly, because we can get daily, weekly and monthly email reports breaking down where our payments are coming from. The finance team agreed that Direct Debit would be more beneficial, and DFC certainly has been easier.’
Appealing to all generations
Since partnering with DFC, Warrington Wolves have found great advantages in using DFC’s online joining portal and Electronic File Transfer to collect membership payments. Emma continued:
‘We’re pretty divided on how many people use the online system or set direct debits up over the phone – but Electronic File Transfer is definitely preferable to the older generation who are still getting their heads around the internet.
‘From the supporter side of things, it’s really easy to go online or get in touch and set up their Direct Debit. The online portal is clear on pricing and easy to understand. It’s also available all day every day, so this is great as we only work office hours, and ticket holders will receive a confirmation email when this has been completed.’
Planning the next season
Emma says the best thing about DFC is their responsiveness and flexibility.
‘DFC is quick and easy to work with. Last year, we changed the price point regularly, giving variable opportunities to spread costs over a differing number of months. Sometimes they were even able to make these changes on the day. They’ve been really quick, and they’re always helpful when we have questions.’
The Wolves are now looking towards their 2018 season. They are looking forward to working with DFC to get the ball rolling so that they can continue developing a sustainable cashflow strategy.