Online registration is less perk and more expectation as the digital natives grow up and become parents. The kids who don’t know a time when technology was not part of everyday life have come of age and expect service providers to implement digital solutions over analog processes.
Providing online registration, enrollment, and payments meet those expectations and provide a wealth of benefits for you as a business owner. Online registration is both an attraction for parents and a business problem solver for you.
Create efficient processes
Consider the paper-based, manual registration process.
- Parents pick up or receive in the mail a batch of forms to fill out.
- Parents then drop off the forms along with a check for payment.
- You and your staff transfer information to another form and file it.
- The check is endorsed and taken to the bank for processing.
- You mail or call the parents to finalize enrollment and ensure they have all the information needed to begin daycare, preschool, or camp.
You do this for each participant, spending hours performing data input, entering information into multiple forms, and running back and forth to the bank.
What parents would prefer to do, and the way to save a lot of time and administrative work is to enter the information online, make payment online, and receive all their communications online.
Meanwhile, all information is automatically placed in a centralized database where it is shared with a variety of applications to streamline other parts of the operation. Also, payment processing includes accepting credit cards, bank drafts, and e-checks. No more trips to the bank, and the money is deposited directly into your accounts.
Data entry is simplified, which mitigates the chances for error and saves time for dealing with other matters like planning a party for the first day of school.
Online payment processing
Speaking of online payment processing, young parents take for granted that you can offer them the ability to pay online at their convenience. Filling out checks is a foreign activity to them. If they did fill out a check, they would then have to remember to deliver it. They don’t have time for that.
- Offering online payment means parents can pay anytime they want. It’s available 24/7.
- Payment is secure, encrypted by the system and electronically processed without exposing client information to the public.
- Nothing gets lost, forgotten, or misrouted.
- You do not need to keep checks or cash at your facility.
Online payment processing allows you to accept more, and faster, forms of payment than manual processing.
Centralized data management
How long does it take you to read through a registration form to ensure it is complete and without errors? Can you read it easily or does it take more than twice as long for data entry because of poor handwriting?
Most childcare operations use some form of software to manage data but still rely on handwritten forms to gather the information. Then the information must be entered into one or more applications to create the family's record. At every step, you have a chance to make an error, leave out information, or lose a document or form.
Online registration eliminates data entry and information transfer.
- You provide access to a parent portal.
- Parents fill in an online registration form.
- Parents attach other documents to the family account, such as vaccination records.
- Parents select classes, activities, and take advantage of calendar-based enrollment.
An online registration solution also tracks whether you have openings for new participants and provides feedback to the parents that there is currently no opening and places them on a waitlist if they desire. It tracks the form fields to ensure they are complete.
All data is placed in a central database where all applications in the solution can access it. There is no need to enter the same information into more than one application or to re-enter it when using a different application.
The information can be accessed by systems integrated into the childcare management solution, relieving you and your staff of the necessity to enter data into different business software solutions.
All data is stored safely and securely, accessible only by authorized personnel and the child’s parents or guardian.
Customization
Forms and reports from an online registration system can be customized to your specific needs and configured for easy use.
- The registration form is configured according to the type of data you need.
- Forms can be prepopulated with information to save parents data entry time and effort.
- If you offer discounts or special events, they are applied automatically.
- Reports use real-time data and present it for actionable analysis.
- You can define fields specifically for your facility’s use.
While standard forms and reports are available, they may not capture or present information you need to make the best business decisions or to meet regulatory requirements in your state. You can create customized form fields and reports to meet the requirements or to show you information in a new or different way that helps you grow your business.
Communication
An online registration portal keeps the lines of communication open between you and your clients. If a parent must withdraw a child from enrollment or if an opening becomes available, the system can notify all interested parties and perform certain business functions like refunding the appropriate fees for withdrawal.
All communication is stored and remains accessible to you and the client to update, change, or modify as needed. If something is missing, the system automatically notifies parents of the need for an updated vaccination record. It can send reminders for enrollment in the future and provide tax documentation as needed.
The online registration can be configured for one-time payments as well as recurring payments. It can automatically add a late pick-up and late payment fee to an account and notify you of overdue accounts. The system can even help with split fees, subsidized payments, and record-keeping for tax and reimbursement purposes.
Online registration is moving into the mainstream, becoming an expected part of doing business with the digital natives who move into parenthood. It eliminates data entry, filing, and monitoring stacks of paper forms that take so much administrative effort.
EZChildTrack’s childcare management software provides online enrollment as part of a package of applications developed for the childcare industry. Take a look at our solution to learn more about consolidating your business software solutions and working with a centralized, secure database and payroll processing.
