Doing something that will give you a very attractive competitive edge with parents is a no-brainer, right?
“The difference in how well we are informed now and before is absolutely un believable. It is as life changing to parents as it seems to be for the studio. It gets rid of their challenges in managing their time and the money we’ve spent.”
How would you like for your parents to make these statements about your studio? It can actually happen quite easily for you.
The statement above and each of the quotes that follow are parents’ references to the implementation of a portal for parents to use to view financial details of their child’s dance classes and performance needs. Quite honestly, making it easier for parents to do business with you using online options that they want to use is huge – especially if other studios in your vicinity aren’t being this accommodating
A Better Experience for Them is a Big Plus for You
“I love having all of my account details at my fingertips any time I want to look through them. The studio is awesome in automatically registering the company dancers for their required classes. And then I can use online registration to enroll her in other classes that she may want to take. A quick check in the parent portal confirms for me that my child is all set for the approaching season. I can pay everything in full or choose what I want to pay for immediately. The beauty of it is that in the rare instance that I have a question about something or identify a discrepancy, the studio can log in and look at the same information that I’m looking at – and address my question immediately!”
The parent portal is a popular family convenience that opens the window on studio transparency. Without missing a beat, parents can review every detail of their account including class specifics and instructors. They can register, pay or ask questions whenever or wherever they choose. The portal is especially helpful for parents with students on company teams. By just logging in, parents can understand everything about their student’s activities at the studio, whether required or chosen classes, company fees, costumes or one-time special events, charges are line-itemed and detailed. By using the portal, parents have a greater understanding of their student’s expenses.
It Lets Them Help You
“A parent portal gives the studio great tools for being transparent to parents. This helps us – as parents – take care of our own needs without studio staff getting involved. And that gives them freedom to dedicate more of their attention to their students.”
The parent portal is streamlined yet allows a view of everything. Automation allows all financial and registration details to be handled directly and professionally online – removing the awkwardness of asking questions as students are dropped off or classes are starting. It is obvious to parents that the system frees teachers from administrative details so they can actually teach. It also creates a self-serve tool that takes the management of all of these sensitive details out of your staff’s hands.
“Automation takes the awkwardness away. All financial details are taken care of directly and professionally through the online registration, automated payment capabilities and online account access. I was able to see everything broken down into categories so I knew exactly what we spent money on. It was also a powerful way to show our older daughter what the financial consequences were when she missed classes. We can also make better decisions about future classes and budgets.”
Offer Options that are Life-Changing to Parents
Just as it is game-changing for studios, it is life-changing to parents because they can:
- Use today’s most popular devices to manage their account.
- Understand all charges and class details and requirements.
- Keep costs and schedules for multiple children organized.
- Look at account details from home when the evening winds down.
- Use history to budget for future classes.
- Review class details and costs with managers easily and accurately without going into the studio.
- See their children’s progression clearly and plan the next season well in advance.
- Identify spending trends and establish a reasonable budget for lesson costs.
“We’ve been able to understand where the 12K-15K we’re paying goes – exactly. By tracking payments, absences and make ups, we have better knowledge of and access to what is going on so money just doesn’t go down the drain. I wish studios had had access to Jackrabbit years ago. It would have helped us manage our child’s time – and our time and money – much better. Now I can go back at the end of the year to see what we paid for and how it broke down. It is awesome!”
Speed and Convenience for Parents Boosts Their View of Your Studio
“Jackrabbit helps studios be less chaotic. Important activities – like class registration – are no longer based on the parameters for when the studio is open. We have the freedom and convenience of handling this on our on time. We’re also better able to make sure we are in the classes that our children need at the times that fit our hectic schedule.”
Your parents are just like you. They want to be able to take care of critical details of their families’ activities at their convenience. By offering a parent portal, you’re making it possible for them to feel productive during that time they usually daydream away in drop-off/pick-up lines. We all try to multi-task so we can enjoy the free time that we manage to squeeze in with our families. Your parents will appreciate the fact that you provide them convenient, up-to-date options and their opinions of your studio – and their likelihood to recommend you – will soar.
“I always have my iPad with me so being able to work in a parent portal when I’m waiting in the school line or watching the late news is liberating! I have the freedom to pay bills, register the kids or check on their skills progress whenever I have the time to do it. There are no more registration lines in my future!”
It’s simple to put a portal in place for your parents to use. It comes “standard” with Jackrabbit Dance software.
You maintain absolute control over your data and what they can see and do in the portal. They get the amazing convenience of anytime-anywhere access to their financial details. Visit www.jackrabbitdance.com to learn more about the parent portal, part of Jackrabbit’s online registration feature, and other capabilities that Jackrabbit Dance’s class management software offers.