Streamlining Your Leisure Centre's DD Journey: The Power of SMS Rejection Comms

Facing a mountain of Direct Debit (DD) rejections and feeling a bit overwhelmed? You’re not the only one! We hear all the time from our clients about the struggles of juggling member debts and the endless hours spent on chasing those elusive unpaid memberships.

Let’s face it, managing DD rejections should be a breeze, not a storm. While we can’t magically make your members pay on time, we can certainly help smooth out those DD journey bumps. How you ask? With a little thing we like to call SMS rejection communications.

The Challenge of DD Failures

You’ve got your late payment system in place, ticking over. It gets the job done…eventually. But have you thought about how much time your membership team pours into rounding up those unpaid debts? Imagine if they could redirect all that energy into something a tad more enjoyable, like engaging with members or wooing new ones.

And how do your members feel about those front desk reminders or the familiar voice on the phone telling them their payment didn’t go through? Plus, wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air if your team didn’t have to play the debt collector role? It’s not just about the money; it’s about nurturing the bond between your team and members.

Introducing SMS Notifications

Enter the hero of the story: SMS notifications for DD slipups. This nifty solution means you can automatically ping your members the moment a DD issue pops up, cutting down the time and hassle of sorting out payment woes. And you’re telling us you’re keen on this too – a whopping 67% of you said you’d love to handle payment issues with a quick text.

Real-World Benefits

Scenario 1: Becca’s Banking Blip

Picture Becca, a loyal member at our fictional leisure centre, TreadActive. Five years in and no hitches, until she switches banks and forgets to update her details with the club. Cue the failed payment saga. TreadActive’s team tries calling, emailing, but no luck. Becca only realises there’s a problem when she’s stopped by the turnstiles, leading to a slightly awkward interaction with the front desk.

Now, imagine if TreadActive had shot Becca an automatic text right after the failed DD attempt. She’d get a heads up about the invalid bank details and could sort it out straight away by calling the memberships team.

And really, it’s no shocker that texts win the communication race, with a whopping 98% open rate (Source: Sender) versus 21.5% open rate for emails (Source: Campaign Monitor). Now, we’re not saying you shouldn’t send emails, we believe they’re a great method of communicating with members. But adding SMS to the mix? That’s your safety net for catching those like Becca who need that extra nudge.

Scenario 2: Dan’s Debut Drama

Then there’s newbie Dan, whose first DD attempt bounces due to insufficient funds. The team’s back to the drawing board, trying to reach out to him as he’s signed up to a 12-month contract and he’s been pretty unresponsive so far.  

With SMS alerts, TreadActive could’ve just sent an automatic text to Dan about the hiccup, and even slipped in a link for easy payment. Dan gets to skip the awkward chat about bills and make payment to the centre within minutes. This self-service approach puts your members in control of their payments.

Keen to Give it a Go?

The good news is that this feature is LIVE and ready to be set up in the GladstoneGo Communications Module. If you're managing your DD's with us, and using the Go platform you can dive right in. 

Haven’t made the switch to Go yet? No worries, fill out this form and our team will reach out to guide you through the transition. And because we love to make things a little sweeter, activating SMS in your account comes with 50 complimentary credits to get a feel for the new feature. Need more? Topping up with our credit bundles is as easy as pie.

So how about it? Ready to turn those DD dilemmas into a smooth sailing experience with a bit of SMS magic? Streamline your leisure centre’s Direct Debit Journey today.