It’s only natural you want the best for your camp and that is why you’re considering buying camp registration software.
Choosing the right software can be quite beneficial for your camp’s productivity, from increasing your enrollment rate, through simplifying the registration process all the way to helping you retain your campers and grow your camp.
But how do you choose the right camp registration software?
In this article, you will learn about some mistakes you should avoid while looking for the right registration software.
This will help you get started with your research and take your camp registration experience to another level.
- Buying the Cheapest Registration Software You Find
- Choosing a Solution Solely Based on Its Features
- Not Asking Questions Before Making a Decision
- Neglecting to Research the Vendor Before Buying
- Purchasing a Solution Without Getting Buy-in First
- Conclusion
Buying the Cheapest Registration Software You Find
Saving money is great. But buying software that doesn’t really suit your needs or is underperforming in any way, for the sake of saving money, doesn’t really make sense.
Sure, the cheaper option still might have some of the features you need, and buying it might seem like the right choice at the moment, but remember that software is a long-term investment.
Let’s go over the pros and cons of buying a cheaper option together and see if the cheapest solution really is that cost-effective in the long run.
Data: Quora/Illustration: Regpack
While the initial cost might be lower, the cheaper software could still cost you more in the end because of its limitations and unreliability.
Let’s be honest, parents won’t care at all about the software price, but they will care if the registration page constantly crashes and doesn’t work properly.
In other words, that cheap software might seem super affordable now, but investing in a registration software solution that is tailored to your needs, i.e., one that was developed precisely with the camp industry in mind, will pay off eventually.
Don’t forget, software should cut down your workload, not increase it.
And registration software developed specifically for camps will do just that by making the registration process more streamlined via integrated payments and customizable forms, as well as by providing you with reports to keep track of all your data.
All in all, the price of registration software should be an important factor in your decision-making.
You don’t want to go overboard and buy the most expensive and super-complex system with features you won’t even use.
On the other hand, a cheaper system could cost you more time and money in the long run.
So take the time to find a system that suits exactly your needs and compare the price against the features to determine the best solution for you.
Choosing a Solution Solely Based on Its Features
Speaking of software features, it’s important to note that an extensive list of them alone does not make for great software.
In other words, having a lot of features doesn’t guarantee that the software will do what you need it to do.
Of course, feature-packed software is hard to resist, but what happens if you purchase the software and it turns out to be too complicated to use—either for you or the parents you work with?
Therefore, intuitiveness is an important factor to look out for, as overly complicated forms often cause people to abandon the registration process and never return.
Source: The Manifest
Naturally, this is only one side of the coin. The software shouldn’t be too complicated to use for you and your team, either.
Since every camp is different and therefore has different software needs, it’s a good idea to come up with a list of features that you think would take your camp to the next level before you make your final decision.
Still, there are some important features that are must-haves.
Customizable forms that are embedded in your website and integrated payments are among them.
First of all, having users register and pay right on your website will make the camp registration process so much more streamlined.
Additionally, with customizable form builders, you will be able to choose the questions you want to ask, determine the format of the questions and shape the design of the registration form.
Source: Regpack
Our own solution —Regpack —has exactly these features. Additionally, with its drag-and-drop builder, it’s super easy to use.
Integrated payments are another important feature to look out for because they allow customers to pay with their credit cards on your camp’s site via a customized and secure payment form.
With Regpack, you can build your own payment forms and add recurring or monthly billing options.
Source: Regpack
Having custom billing plans is a great bonus and your applicants will appreciate the flexibility.
These are only some of the features to consider when researching camp registration software.
However, there are plenty of others, such as mobile-friendly forms or reports, that might prove useful to you. So do your due diligence and analyze your software needs thoroughly.
Nonetheless, you can only really know if the software is the right one for you if you try it out first.
Regpack offers a free demo so you can see firsthand if the software fits your needs before you even commit to the purchase.
Not Asking Questions Before Making a Decision
Another way of learning about the software before buying it is by asking questions about its features and capabilities.
By disregarding this step, you’ll miss out on the relevant information that would make you more equipped to make the right decision.
Here are just some of the questions to consider while searching for the perfect camp registration software.
Will This Software Increase My Operational Efficiency?
In other words, will this software make your workflow smoother by fitting in seamlessly with the processes you’re already implementing?
The best way to get an answer to that question is, as we already suggested in the previous section, by requesting a demo from the provider, so you can get a sense of how the software fits into your day-to-day operations.
Will This Software Be Easy to Use and Implemented on Time?
In a similar vein, your camp registration software should help you solve problems—not create more of them.
Look for software vendors that understand your needs, but also provide great customer support, in case you encounter any issues along the way. Educational materials and tutorials help a lot, too.
For example, Regpack’s video tutorials are a great way of getting familiar with the software.
Source: Regpack
Finally, it’s important to work with a provider that can implement the solution in a timely manner, so that you can start using it in time to set things up for camping season.
Implementation times depend on many different things, so don’t hesitate to ask the software company for a realistic assessment.
Will This Software Be Integrated Into My Website?
As mentioned earlier, seamless integration is crucial for a great registration experience.
Users don’t want to be redirected to another web page or deal with an overly complicated registration process.
Therefore, look into camp registration software that allows the customers to register and pay on your website.
Will This Software Purchase Fit Into My Budget?
We’ve already established that purchasing the cheapest option just for the sake of saving money is not the wisest move, but new software acquisition should still make sense for your camp financially.
Source: Regpack
Therefore, make sure there are no hidden costs or maintenance fees that come with your software. Moreover, don’t hesitate to ask the vendor for a quote.
Will This Software Be Stable and Reliable?
Finally, you’ll want to know if this software will work as it should, or crash unexpectedly from time to time and lose precious data in the case of an outage.
All in all, you want the best software you can get.
To determine if the solution you’re looking at is the right one for you, you need to acquire as much information as possible.
Contacting vendors and asking the right questions is a great way to do that.
Neglecting to Research the Vendor Before Buying
Clearly, choosing the right camp registration software requires quite a bit of research.
But don’t focus your research only on the software itself.
Do your due diligence and look into software vendors as well, because choosing the right software provider is just as important as choosing the right software.
A good place to start your research is the About Us page. This is where you’ll get insight into who’s behind a software company and its operations.
A brief history of the company will probably also be included on this page, along with information about team members and the company’s values.
Source: Regpack
By analyzing the About Us page, you can somewhat determine if the company’s values and goals match your own and if they would be a good partner that will enable your growth.
Moreover, social media is a great way to get a bit more familiar with a company because it enables a more personal connection between the provider and potential clients by creating a space where companies can actually engage with their audience.
Source: Facebook
Of course, you don’t want to take only the company’s word for it.
Ask around and look for reviews from users that have used the software you’re interested in and analyze what they have to say.
Source: GetApp
There’s no better way of finding exactly what you need to know than going through different user reviews.
You could also consider contacting directly the people behind the review in order to get even more information.
To sum up, researching software vendors should not be disregarded in favor of a comprehensive feature list or great-looking software.
You want to make sure that the vendor you choose will also be your partner that will help you through your camp’s growth.
In short, take the time to find out what you can about software providers by exploring their websites and social media, but also look into what their clients, especially the ones in your industry, have to say about them.
Purchasing a Solution Without Getting Buy-in First
After you’ve done all that thorough research, you will probably find the software you consider perfect: it will have all the features you need, it’s going to be affordable and it won’t seem complicated to use.
Still, all of that won’t mean anything if your team disagrees.
If the software doesn’t meet their needs or skill level, it will probably not be used. And if the software is not utilized—what is the point of buying it?
Therefore, you need to make sure your team is on board with the new technology from the get-go. The efficiency of your camp registration software depends on it.
Here’s some advice on how to get buy-in from your team.
Data: Choose People/Illustration: Regpack
Firstly, make sure your employees are aware of why this new technology needs to be implemented.
Impress upon them that the new solution is not there to replace them or to make their lives harder, but quite the opposite—to make the workflow smoother.
After they realize the software is there to help, find out from them what they think about the current system and consider making a list of the features the new software should have.
Moreover, keep your employees in the loop during the whole software selection process. To get them fully on board they need to believe in the software as well as its vendor.
Furthermore, find out what you can about the training process.
If it turns out your employees have to sit through hours upon hours of tedious PowerPoint presentations, they will be more likely to not take the software seriously and refrain from using it later on.
Should it prove impossible to train everybody on the team, set up proximity mentor relationships, i.e., provide an opportunity for employees to learn from people that are physically close to them.
It will make learning about new software much easier.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to express to the team the importance of their role in the new software implementation and to ask for feedback.
Without buy-in from your whole team, you risk buying software that will not be used or won’t be used properly.
Therefore, talk to your employees and take their needs and opinions into consideration. It will pay off in the long run.
Conclusion
Finding the right camp registration software might seem like a daunting task. There are so many options out there. How can you be sure you’re making the right decision?
The bottom line is, you need a solution that satisfies both your and your team’s needs. Simply opting for the cheapest or most complex system will not necessarily be the right choice for you.
Instead, have a sit-down with your team, and try to figure out what exactly you’re looking for in your camp registration software as well as your camp registration software vendor.
Taking the time to do your research will help you avoid the mistakes highlighted in this article and, as a result, take your camp registration process to a whole new level.
