After using a competitor's software system for about 22 years, Kent Parks in Kent, Washington was ready for a change.
They were utilizing a system that was old and out of touch with what their large growing community needed. After much searching, they decided to make the switch over to Vermont Systems. Kent Washington Parks & Recreation Department has over 30 employees across multiple departments that now use Vermont Systems on a daily basis. Parks Systems Support Specialist, Julie Romano, met with us about their experience utilizing flexible payment options for their community members.
Keeping Up with the Community
When on the hunt for a new system, they were looking for a software that could provide them with the features and functionality needed to keep up with the capacity of their ever growing community. “We looked at a couple of others and ended up with Vermont Systems RecTrac. We liked what we saw and it [has been] nice to have PayTrac,” said Romano. Vermont Systems had exactly what they needed for their community with over 30 employees across the main community center and senior center.
With flexible payment plans, members do not have to worry about missing out on their camp because of the inability to pay in full when registration happens. Kent Parks currently has installment billing set up for their camps. According to Romano, they’re “going to add it to more programs in the future, such as senior center trips, large trips, etc. For example, if the seniors want to pay a down payment and then pay the balance later on. That's primarily what our billing is set up for right now.” It was important to their community members to have access to these options as many times members would sign up for multiple camps or classes at a time.
Sign Up Now, Pay Later
Providing flexible payment options has allowed Kent Parks to provide more options and payment abilities for their members across their departments and buildings. Currently, “about 50% of our community members consistently utilize our flexible payment options for camps and we are hoping it grows as we continue to promote it. People really like where they pay the down payment to hold the spot for their child and then they can pay it later on. They're signing up in April and [usually] for multiple camps. To have to pay all that at once is a lot of money,” says Romano.
Promote and Grow
After utilizing PayTrac for over a year, Kent Parks is ready to continue to promote and grow their flexible payment options for their members. Switching to Vermont Systems has given them the abilities they need to keep up with surrounding communities as they navigate each new season.
Interested in learning more about PayTrac?