EMV stands for the three companies that created the technology ? EuroPay, Mastercard, and Visa. In a standard credit card transaction, the merchant types the amount, you swipe the magnetic strip on your credit card, then scrawl your signature on a receipt. The main problem? That magnetic strip contains static data that can easily be stolen and passed around, increasing the likelihood that your gym-goers will be vulnerable to fraud during a point of sale (POS) transaction in your gym.

With a chip-based credit card, this process changes. Rather than swiping a strip, you slide the chip into a terminal and type in your PIN code. Like the magnetic strip, the chip contains data. However, the chip’s data isn’t static ? it changes every time you use it. This makes it substantially more difficult for scammers to take advantage.

Why Do We Need EMV?

Despite being one of the most technologically advanced nations on the planet, the USA leads the world in credit card fraud. While other nations such as Canada and Australia have reduced credit card fraud by moving to EMV technology, the USA continues to see instances of credit card fraud rise. To put it bluntly: we’re moving in the wrong direction, and EMV can change that.

The Effect on Gym-Goers and Other Consumers

When people come to your gym, they want to be focused on their workout. When they’re doing squats, they need to be thinking about the mechanics of the movement ? not about whether or not they’re going to have to deal with their credit card company. Consumers expect businesses to take care of them, and by introducing EMV, another layer of protection will be added to the payment process. It’s estimated that roughly 70% of consumer credit cards will support EMV by the end of 2015 ? your gym can’t afford to be left behind.

The Effect on Your Business

Naturally, you want your consumers to be as safe as possible ? but switching to an EMV system has other benefits. First, you’re protecting yourself. With the change in how POS transactions operate, the liability of who’s responsible for credit card fraud will shift to the least compliant party. If you don’t have an EMV system, that’s going to be your business.

To be compliant, you’ll need to change the POS hardware in your business. As a gym owner, your goal is to keep your customers safe. You want them to perform exercises using the correct posture, and you want them to keep their bank accounts safe as well. EMV helps you do that.

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No matter what size the club, the delicate challenge of maintaining a positive connection with your members while trying to collect overdue payments is one that needs careful attention. It takes a blend of business and personal perspectives to manage potentially uncomfortable situations. It is also the reason why so many clubs turn to professional health club billing services for help.

Here are 3 ways the right health club billing services can help collect delinquent member dues, while maintaining smooth relations with your members:

1. Serving As The Objective Go-Between ? It?s never comfortable talking about overdue bills. Nearly any conversation related to unpaid dues will veer into emotional territory. This is especially true if you operate a smaller club that has built one-on-one relationships with many of its members. A fully trained health club billing services team allows you to remove yourself from the conversation in favor of a professional that will approach the situation objectively and fairly.
2. Fully Assessing The Situation ? One delinquency may simply be because a long-time member inadvertently neglected to provide you with new billing information. One delinquent member may be having difficulty paying their bills ? but would be happy to work with your club on a payment plan. And another member may simply be disgruntled and refusing to pay what they owe. Approaching each delinquency above with the same air of blunt authority may have the unintended result of alienating two valuable members ? while only producing a small chance of recovering dues from a truly delinquent member.In the first list item above, I stress fairly. The right health club billing team understands that all delinquencies are unique ? and approaching each situation with the same approach will do little to fully alleviate your situation.By taking the time to learn more about the reasons for late payments ? and treating your members like people, rather than just numbers contributing to a bottom-line ? a health club billing provider can help you learn more about your members, ensuring you are able to offer more customized membership options that can reduce delinquencies in the first place.
3. Freeing Your Time ? There are enough daily details to keep you busy. Removing the billing process from your plate gives you more time to improve both your club?s operations and overall member experiences.

Ensuring that your members have a positive encounter every time they interact with your health club ? even in the delicate situation of a delinquency ? is essential for both collecting dues and enjoying a consistent member retention rate.

To learn more about the health club billing services our team provides, request a demo from ABC Financial.

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And just like your Zumba classes will run far more smoothly with an experienced instructor, your billing processes will become far more streamlined if trusted to an experienced partner.

Here are just a few ways an experienced health club billing provider can help keep your steps in place:

1. By Leading You Through The Harder Steps ? Health club management is all about relationships. You work hard to create an atmosphere of professionalism and fun – but that can be difficult when dealing with outdated payment processes or with members that aren?t up-to-date with their bill paying. It can be even harder when you are forced into a situation of being the bad guy with a severely delinquent member. A health club billing team will help ease payment processing and manage agreement obligations, saving you time and helping your members stay on track. And in those rare cases where a bad guy is needed ? they are experienced and ready.

2. By Keeping The Rhythm & Stopping Interruptions ? Nothing takes away from profits like delinquent accounts. A billing service team can help your health club reduce delinquencies by setting-up alerts that automatically notify you of late payments ? and when needed ? by tracking down any members using expired or closed accounts.

3. By Adhering To Time ? The longer it takes for a member?s billing questions to be answered, the longer your club will have to wait to receive dues.?? An experienced billing team will take the time to learn about your club ? and combine that with their existing knowledge of industry billing processes ? so they can respond to your members quickly and accurately on your behalf.

4. By Keeping It Personal ? Even When It?s Automatic ? When you need to announce changes or contact members, an automated communication system is crucial. ??A billing team can ensure these communications remain personalized ? whether it?s by adding a signature to an outbound email or by overseeing the training of an outbound collections team ? even if the volume of your membership makes it impossible to connect one-on-one.

By trusting an experienced health club billing provider, you?ll ensure your members? decision to invest their time and money in your club will remain mutually beneficial. And just as importantly, with the time and money you save, you?ll have plenty left over to bring on that new Zumba instructor.

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