Setting Up Your Camp Registration.
This article discusses the best way to build yourself a summer camp registration system. The approach below has returned some impressive results over the years. Day camps are numerous and have a wide range of nuances that our setup team pays special attention too. If our software does not have a specific “rule”, for example to do with your camp registrations, our programmers will add it into the package for you. If you are new to online registration, our customer support will offer you personalized training to get you up to speed. It is important for us to build strong relationships in order to build lasting registration solutions.
Our web design team will perform a FULL CUSTOM SETUP in order to get you off to a great running start with your new registration system. It is important that the registration pages match the look and feel of your existing camp website. Your camp parents are already comfortable dealing with you and so the registration interface should just be an extension of your existing website. Our team will design camp registration form templates from your existing paper registration forms. In theory, it is faster for our team to understand your registration process than it is for you to learn a new software package.
Starting Online Camp Registration and Payment.
It is our belief that, “it is easier for our team of web designers to understand your events, than it is for you to learn a new software package”. We are determined to get you up and running with a quality user interface, and then teach you how we did everything. Going forward, our setup team is always available for consultation or for setup help whenever you call. Our camp registration software setup process is as follows:
#1 DEMOS (optional)
- Ask us for a 20 minute DEMO and we will show you how the e-RegisterNow system works using another camp setup which is similar to your camp. Occasionally, if we have time, we can setup your camp for this initial demo.
#2 KICK OFF MEETING
- Our setup team and your team meet over gotoMeeting to discuss your needs and any nuances with your registration process. The meeting produces a written action plan. The aim of the kick off meeting is to introduce our two teams and to collect some information relevant to the registration process.
- A VISA/ MC/ AMEX merchant account hookup discussion occurs. Our team suggests several options associated with hooking up your merchant account to the e-RegisterNow system. For example, is your merchant discount rate a “good” rate or would it be better to open a new account?
#3 FIRST DRAFT
- Our team meets with your team to smooth out the first draft. Careful attention is given to wording and how data will be collected are in focus.
- A new or existing merchant account is connected to your e-RegisterNow account. This connection is ten-penny tested.
#4 TESTING
- Our team tests coupons, early bird discounts and the overall pricing structure to endure correctness.
- If there are special rules regarding eligibility or age, these rules are carefully tested.
- Your team also makes a series of tests.
- The more testing that occurs, the smoother things will go when we go live.
#5 GO LIVE
- Parents begin registering for camp sessions. Your team monitors the flow of money ensuring that the right amounts are correctly received into your corporate bank account.
- Our customer support team, trains you on basic cashier functions like printing reports, changing a camper’s program or making refunds for cancellations.
#6 TRAINING
- Our team trains your team on how to monitor and manage the registration flow
- Our team shows your tech staff how we set everything up so that your team can set things up going forward (optional).
- Our team is just a phone call away to setup up the camps next year or to answer questions.
#7 EMAIL BLAST
- We discuss marketing strategies for next year.
- Training on the C-level CRM database which is automatically created from all of the registration forms submitted ensures that you have a historical record of each past camper’s program.
- Email lists to initiate the registration process for the next camping season are discussed.
One of the more important discussions during setup is whether or not to use a family based portal-login approach or instead just provide the camp registration form template. The family based approach has many advantages. For example, the wallet feature can dramatically save the camp money by reducing VISA/ MC merchant fees. Read more about the CAMP WALLET here. The portal approach also saves the family time when registering since commonly asked questions are pre-populated.
Our collaborative approach is efficient and has been used by our company for the last 15 years. Without a doubt it leads to the best camp registration setup experience. Setting up a online registration service is a two way process between the camp director and the web designers of the ASP company.
New features are being added all of the time. These features usually are motivated from our current camp customer base. The new features are communicated to our community through our @eRegisterNow Twitter feed.
Social media is becoming essential in order to drive traffic to your camp website and grow your business. Have a look at the partnership between InGo.me and e-RegisterNow.com.
Read more:
Camp Online Registration Movie
Why do some of the best day camps use e-RegisterNow