New to online school payments?
Where have you been if you’re still dealing with cash and you haven’t switched to contactless payments yet? It’s high time to think about updating the way you take payments from parents for lunches, books, PE kits, trips, etc.
UK Finance's 2021 Payment Markets Report analysed payment methods in the UK for that year. You’d expect an upsurge in contactless payments due to Coronavirus. But, aside from the Covid factor, the report clearly demonstrated the rise of contactless payments long before 2020:
“During 2020 the number of contactless payments made in the UK increased by 12% to 9.6 billion payments. Overall, contactless payments accounted for more than a quarter (27%) of all UK payments. In the last four years contactless payments have jumped from being just 7% of all payments to 27% per cent.
83% of people in the UK now use contactless, with no age group or region falling below 75% usage.”
So why have contactless payments become so popular?
Cashless is easy
Parents are used tapping apps to make online payments in every other aspect of their lives. They will thank you for saving them additional time and effort by bringing your payment method up to speed.
And confidential!
Online payments don’t single out students who aren’t bringing cash in to school to make payments, such as students who qualify for free school meals.
Clear audit trails
Online payments replace the manual admin and audit trail generated by taking and recording cash payments. Additionally, online payments reduce the margin for manual errors around payments that have been received or not received.
Multi-site reporting for Trusts
A good cashless system will allow you to easily view cashless payments across your school sites.
Reduce risk for school office staff
It’s much safer for staff not to have cash stored on school premises and then have to take it to the bank. It’s also safer for students if they aren’t expected to carry money around with them. Online payments reduces the chances of them losing their dinner money or school trip payments inside or outside school.
Schools can be hotbeds for germs to flourish in. Health and hygiene in schools have always been massively important, long before Covid entered our vocabulary. Less cash exchanging hands reduces the risk of infections spreading between students and teachers.
Easy chasing of late payments
Most online payment services have automation that enables schools to chase late payments with targeted reminders - straight from the system, so no more writing letters and adjusting the manual payment ledgers.
And you're helping the environment too!
Without hardcopy payment receipts, you can make a difference to your school's carbon footprint.
Want cashless catering too?
A good online payments system will be able to link to your meal management system - or even have its own one for you to use.
A smart solution...
At Weduc, we can help you introduce online school payments via your school app linked with SIMS or another MIS.
Don’t have a school app or have a school app and a separate payments provider? In either case, we’d love to talk to you - you'd be surprised at the different solutions on offer.
Call us now on 01509 221 349 or contact our team to find out more.
