Why is a Sports Payments System Important?
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Everyone knows that Aussies love their sport. In fact, almost 80% of Australians believe that sport is a significant part of Australian culture. But not only is sport one of the great loves of the Australian people, it’s also a major contributor to the Australian economy. In fact, an estimated 14 million Australians participate in some form of sport each year, generating a whopping $50 billion for the Australian economy per annum. But with the rise in the cost of living, many parents are struggling to keep their kids in club sports. So why is sport so expensive? And how can an elite sports payments system, like Biz Core, help?
What makes club sports so expensive?
Before we explore the benefits of a sports payment system, we first have to understand what makes sport so expensive in the first place.
Well, it depends. If someone is just kicking a soccer ball around the park with their friends and family, it’s a relatively cheap activity. But if they’re looking to join a club sport like netball, soccer, or rugby, then they may find the dollars quickly stacking up.
With club sports comes costs for things like:
- Registration fees
- Uniforms
- Sportswear like boots, knee pads, shin pads, and helmets
- Travel; the cost of getting from game to game
- Miscellaneous items like sunscreen, hats, water bottles, and anything else someone might need as a regular sports person
When looking at the above costs on their own, they can seem quite benign. But when adding them together, the cost soon becomes a little overwhelming, particularly if a parent has multiple children playing in club sports.
Why is sport so popular in Australia?
So what makes sport so popular in Australia? What keeps customers coming back to sporting clubs year after year despite the rising costs?
Enjoying the great outdoors
Australians love to enjoy the great outdoors and getting outside on a sunny day to play their favourite sport is a popular past-time.
Physical and mental health benefits
It’s a well established fact that physical activity, including sport, has extensive health benefits. People who engage in regular physical exercise will:
- Have more energy
- Reduce the risk of chronic disease such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer
- Improve and maintain areas of their everyday health like blood pressure and cholesterol
- Improve their mental health
It can even extend a person’s lifespan by up to 7 years!
Social benefits
Another major drawcard for club sports is the social aspect. People who play club sports meet new people and feel a sense of community and belonging.
How can a sports payment system help your club?
We know the benefits of playing sport, and we know why it’s so alluring to the Aussie public. But how can a sports payment system help your club retain members and keep your business growing?
Privacy
The digital age is well and truly upon us and these days most registrations are completed and managed only. But Australians are big on privacy, with 70% of Australians admitting that privacy is a major concern. They want a service provider they can trust. That’s why you need a reliable payment solution for sports, like Biz Core, that offers your customers the security and protection they crave.
Flexibility
Customers don’t just love flexible options, they need them. The world is moving at a fast pace and circumstances can change in a heartbeat. The right sports payment system should offer you the flexibility to keep up with your customers changing circumstances. Like Biz Core, it should offer a range of payment schedules such as weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. And it should have the capability to process credit card payments, debit card payments, and direct debit payments.
Simplicity
The last thing a customer wants to do is join a club if the registration process is a nightmare. Especially when customers join sports clubs for enjoyment and fun. So you need a system that is user friendly and intuitive, and that offers customers easy access.
Automated
The ability to set and forget is important. Customers don’t want to rely on their memories to make payments or keep track of registrations. They want to set, and forget. If their registration is due, or they need to make a payment, customers want clubs to be proactive and take charge. That’s why you need a system that has top of the range automation and customer tracking so you can help your customers stay up to date.
What Biz Core can do for you and your customers
Biz Core’s comprehensive system offers sports clubs the tools they need to keep customers happy and grow their business.
Our advanced payment platform provides:
- Extensive customer management tools that allow you to log, store and manage customer data.
- The ability to track registrations and set reminders for expiring registrations.
- Payment tracking facilities that will allow you to keep track of successful payments, failed payments and overdue accounts.
- Flexible payment schedules with weekly, fortnightly, or monthly options.
- Automation, allowing you to create and send receipts, reminders and notices automatically.
- Reporting capabilities; see how your business is tracking at a glance with easy-to-read dashboards.
- Simplified document management; you and your customers can upload, send, e-sign, and store documents with ease.
- The ability to record and monitor customer interactions.
- Strong built-in data protection and security with multilayered Microsoft Azure Cloud Security.
With Biz Core, you’ll have everything you need to grow your business and keep your customers coming back year after year.
Loan management software FAQs
Why is sports membership payment software important?
Sports clubs have a range of fees and costs that need effective management. From day-to-day payments to competitions to club fees and membership, there are a lot of payment structures that need to be accounted for. A sports club payment system is built to meet these unique needs and make payment processing and collection simple.
Read more: Why is a Sports Payments System Important?
How do I get my sports club members to pay by direct debit?
First, keep it simple by having a user-friendly payment system, like Biz Core, that will offer your customers a hassle-free direct debit process. Life is busy and the last thing your customers want to do is battle complicated systems and arduous set up processes. That’s why Biz Core has you covered with our easy three step process: set, sign and forget!
Once you have your user-friendly payment system ready to go, incentives are also a great way to encourage your members to pay via direct debit. Popular incentives include:
Offering small discounts on products or services for direct debit customers.
Offer the first month free.
Rewards cards.
Waiving admin fees.
Offer a once-off charitable donation for every customer who chooses to pay via direct debit.
What should I look for in a direct debit solution for sports clubs?
The best direct debit solution for your sports club should allow you to:
Automatically log your customers’ contact information, including tracking the date they signed up
Protect customer data with state-of-the-art cybersecurity
Monitor their payment history and instantly handle failed payments
Change payment details and schedules
Send out automated receipts, reminders, and notices
Record customer interactions
Upload and store documents
Send e-signature documents
Contact Biz Core today to find out how our system can help make direct debits a breeze for your business!
What is a membership payments system?
A membership payment system combines the ability to process payments and manage customer information simultaneously. Payments are often made by credit card, debit card or direct debit, and are often recurring at scheduled intervals. A membership payment system can also accommodate once-off payments.