Making life easier for you and your members is at the heart of what we do at Pitchero. One way to make things a whole lot easier for clubs is to encourage members to pay by Direct Debit.
We probably all know what Direct Debit is, in principle. But have you ever sat down to think about the core value to your members? It’s not just another run-of-the-mill way for them to pay the club. In fact, it’s a way to process payments that adds a whole bundle of benefits to clubs and club members.
So, to help you get across the true value to your members, here are GoCardless’ top 5 reasons for customers to pay by Direct Debit.
1. It’s easy to set up
Members love ease of use. A payment method that’s fast and hassle-free is a big selling point to everyone, and setting up Direct Debit payments couldn’t be easier.
Once your club is signed up with a Direct Debit provider, there’s a one-off process to get members ready for payment collections. Members simply enter their bank details online, you send an email to prompt them once this is done and they give you the authority to take payments from their bank account. With GoCardless, payment pages are optimised for mobile so customers can sign up on the move.
It’s as simple as that.
2. It saves time for customers
Your club members all lead busy lives and finding the time to stay on top of bills can sometimes be a challenge. With their payments set up using Direct Debit, everything happens automatically and efficiently.
Once the payment mandate is set up, members don’t have to do anything more. It’s this ease of use that’s resulted in 80% of Brits having at least one Direct Debit and the average person having six! Don’t waste time with cheques or online banking, and there’s no need for them to remember when payment is due. You just collect the right amount of money on the agreed date.
3. It takes away the hassle of late payment
There will be times when members forget to pay you on time. We’ve all been there, but late payments needn’t be an issue – with Direct Debit, payments are made on time, every time.
With agreed payment dates, and the whole process of collection taken care of automatically, customers need never miss a one again. That means no disruption to their membership to the club, no awkward chase-up emails and no embarrassment for when being asked to pay their fees on time in the future. Plus, it saves you the hassle of chasing round after people who still need to pay.
4. It’s secure and protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee
Using the Direct Debit system is an extremely safe way to pay, with modern encryption and secure firewalls used to protect customer information.
Bank account details are encrypted at the source, so your club can rest assured that all their data is safely stored and that every possible effort is taken to keep their bank details secure.
All payments are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee. This gives customers complete cover for payments made in error or taken fraudulently, making Direct Debit by far the safest payment method for UK consumers to use.
5. It saves money for clubs and members
Using Direct Debit brings plenty of time, admin and cost savings to your club. Passing these savings on to members, by means of incentives and discounts, can be another way to make it an even more attractive proposition to your end user.
By offering an incentive to sign up to regular Direct Debit payments, your members get a more flexible plan for online payments, and the core benefits of a faster, more efficient method of payment.
Use GoCardless for online payments
Every Pitchero user can take advantage of our Direct Debit payment gateway GoCardless. Setup is totally free and it's one of many ways you can start boosting revenue at your club. Start collecting your club fees online and reap the benefits outlined above.
If you're having trouble with online payments, check out the video above or contact support at support@pitchero.com.