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Tech: Smart and flexible
Providing customers with the best member experience, while maximising revenue, is vital. We look at the latest in customer centric payment solutions
Gantner’s near-field-communication-based (NFC) payment systems are specially designed for fitness clubs. Our cashless payment systems use NFC membership IDs, containing an embedded chip that can communicate contactlessly with other devices and comes in the form of a card, wristband, key fob, or even NFC-enabled mobile phone, and can be used to make purchases at vending machines, power plates, sunbeds and standard points of sale.
The access chip serves as a means of payment and all services and offers can easily be booked onto the chip. The payment is performed either by uploading an amount onto the chip prior to consumption, or when leaving the club. It’s possible for both methods of payment to take place at a self-service kiosk meaning reduced staff costs, higher turnover, increased safety and easy assessment of revenues.
For facilities that operate 24/7, Gantner has also introduced a card dispensing machine. The station automatically produces tickets and membership cards, reducing the need for continuous staffing of reception desks, as well as cutting peak-time queues and admin costs.
Members can sign-up online to receive a pin that they enter at the GAT CardDispensing Station to pick up their new card. The machine can also be loaded with NFC smart cards and customised with a facility’s logo, colours and design to bring it in line with the brand.
"Our new card dispensing machine reduces the need for continuous staffing of reception desks" - Mario Morger Gantner
Our Revenue Management Solutions benefit operators of all sizes: large private operators, budget operators, trusts, local authorities, hotel health and fitness, and the independent sector.
Our solution is to enable people to sign up online through our online joining solution, FastDD. As well as a joining gateway, the solution also operates as a sales aid, automatically offering other memberships and services.
Debit Finance integrates joining portals into the websites of independent gyms as well as large cultural and leisure trusts. Our solution integrates with many of the leading gym management systems enhancing the member journey along with internal administration with a bespoke, tailored system.
We’ve also integrated FastDD with Leisure Net’s sales Focus software, a lead management tool used by fitness professionals across the UK. Individuals submitting their information for an enquiry are greeted with a button offering them the chance to sign up there and then, dramatically shortening the sales journey.
Another area we’ve focused on is MyPayments, which is a way for members to keep their membership payments up to date via an app or website. Since roll-out, the impetus to resolve missed payments has increased 15 per cent with nearly 50 per cent of people choosing to rectify a missed payment in this way.
"Our solution integrates with many of the leading gym management systems" - Ivan Stevenson
GoCardless works with fitness businesses that need greater flexibility in how and when they collect payments, and who want a better service for themselves and their members, plus greater transparency from their provider. We give our customers more visibility when it comes to the status of payments, as well as faster payouts; and we only charge for successful transactions.
We also aim to help customers reduce payment failures to as low as 0.5 per cent by utilising payment re-tries and flexible collection dates. That means less admin time for finance and operational teams and less disruption for members.
For health and fitness operators who want to build a seamless sytem, we’re integrated with a number of membership and CRM software platforms, including ClubRight, Virtuagym, Glofox, TeamUp, ClubManager, OpenPlay, PaySubsOnline and BoxChamp.
Operators can also opt to use the GoCardless system through our online custom dashboard, or alternatively build their own bespoke integration via our API.
As well as working to provide a flexible payment solution, we also help businesses with global ambitions to take international payments, enabling businesses operating in multiple markets to take Direct Debit payments with a single point of access to create a standardised user experience.
We serve 30,000 customers in the UK, Europe and Australia, processing £5bn in payments annually.
"We give our customers more visibility into the status of payments" - Andrea Giardina GoCardless
Harlands processes some two million membership payments a month in the UK. Our online signup portal SNAP signed up over 300,000 memberships in January alone, with most members joining directly through their smart phones. There’s no need for a PDQ in our process and members can sign-up in a single process, resulting in fewer drop-outs and more sales.
We’re currently rolling out Payflex, allowing members to manage their payments online, mostly through their phone. Members can pay arrears, change the payment date or reinstate their payment with a few taps on their phone. This can be delivered to clients as a standalone product or as part of a members’ self-serve area on an app and website.
We’re keen to partner with any system that our clients want to use and we integrate with 36 different leisure management systems (LMS).
Harlands has also recently increased its online sign-up process capability by adding i-SNAP in order to work with the LMS’ front-end sign-up pages, allowing for a flexible, future-proof membership sign-up process and richer integrations.
Our service is fully scalable and we work with chains such as The Gym Group, Marriott and énergie, as well as public sector operators and smaller boutique studios.
"Our service is fully scalable and we work with some of the largest chains in leisure" - Robin Karn Harlands
NEWS IN BRIEF
Take payments on a phone with SumUp
SumUp offers a device that works with a smartphone, to allow small businesses to accept card payments.
The company, which is in 31 countries, including the UK, is backed by American Express, BBVA, Groupon and Holtzbrinck Ventures and used in fitness, beauty and F&B.
www.sumup.co.uk
Square brings Stand to the UK
Square brings Stand to the UK
Square has launched Stand in the UK. The out-of-the-box solution turns an iPad or iphone into a fully-integrated point-of-sale system, allowing small and medium-sized businesses to accept payments and run their business operations from anywhere with an online connection.
www.squareup.com/gb
iZettle and PayPal join forces
PayPal has acquired European fintech company iZettlefor $2.2 billion to better compete in the payments market. The company produces mini credit card readers for smartphones and tablets.
Adding iZettle to its arsenal gives PayPal a greater international presence while offering a more streamlined payments solution that allows transactions in-store and online.
www.izettle.com
