5 Ways to Improve Your Summer Camp Payment Collection

If you want your summer camp to thrive for generations, your legacy must be built on a strong foundation of robust business practices.

The following suggestions can help to ensure that your camp receives the revenue that will make it strong and keep it that way.

1. Streamline your registration and payment processes

Successful bill resolution starts as soon as a family lets you know that they are interested in enrolling in your summer camp. 

Make every effort to ensure that the paperwork necessary for registration is readily available, and clearly details every aspect of the child’s upcoming experience. Break down all costs in specific terms, and ensure that you answer any questions that are posed either in-person, over the phone, or via email.

You also need to make it easy for customers to remit their tuition money. Online invoicing options allow parents to resolve charges from anywhere at their convenience. 

This method provides them with a retrievable electronic receipt. You can even configure your software to allow for recurring billing that can split the charges into more manageable amounts, paid in specified intervals.

2. Incentivize early payments

If you have done your job well and have provided clear pre-registration information, families will be well aware of what is financially expected of them before their child goes to camp. Even so, procrastination and busy lifestyles often mean that families put off paying their bill.

Thanks to modern technology, you can get around these obstacles. 

Most payment solutions for child care businesses allow you to set up pricing schedules that gradually rise as the start date for camp draws closer. This provides a powerful incentive for families to transfer funds sooner rather than later.

3. Offer multiple ways to pay

Customers are happier when they are given choices in the ways that they can pay for their purchases. 

Most modern payment terminals allow you to provide your clients with multiple payment options. In addition to standard credit cards, they can also submit funds via debit card, check, or by using digital wallet apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.

4. Be friendly and flexible

Although no one likes to talk about bills, families understand that paying in full s a necessary and unavoidable step that must be completed so their child can participate. 

As a business owner, you can make the process easier by being as accommodating and flexible as possible. One way to make payments more bearable is to give people the option of paying over time. 

You will need to specify the account or card from which the withdrawals will be made, the dates when the funds will be taken out, the frequency, and the duration of the agreement. 

Additionally, you should give families a document that spells out the entire contract, including your policy related to late payments and closed accounts. 

Although this process requires some initial effort, it usually leads to a smoother long-term relationship with families because all expectations are clear and manageable.

5. Keep the lines of communication open

Whether families pay all at once or on a recurring basis, your responsibility of staying available and in touch never stops. 

Satisfaction and return visits occur only when families feel heard and valued. Taking the time to provide personal interactions will help to create positive bonds between you and the families you serve that can last for years, or even from one generation to the next.

Technology will make communication much easier. Your software can send notices of upcoming obligations, payment confirmations, and even notices that a card on file is expiring. 

When issues arise, it’s often the case that a simple phone call or discreet face-to-face conversation is all that’s needed to get back on track with payments.

Long before the canoes begin skimming over the lake this summer, you need to have a solid plan in place that will help you to collect the dollars that make it possible for you to provide a fun, well-rounded experience. 

By making registration easy, and offering choice and flexibility in all aspects of the payment process, you will have laid the groundwork that will support an enjoyable and memorable camp session.