Blog
How To Leverage Punch Cards: Mobile App Update
When it comes to utilizing punch cards, the options are nearly endless. Whether you are looking to launch a reward program, sell camp memberships, offer “drop-in” classes or allow users to have open gym/swim options – punch cards are a win-win for both your parents AND your business.
The best part?
Jackrabbit users now have the capability to setup punch cards so that your parents can purchase and reload the punch card, all within the app.
Benefits of Implementing Punch Cards in Your Business
Save Time for You & Your Parents
In the past, families would have to physically come up to the front desk to purchase a punch card. Your staff would then activate the punch card on their account, and it would automatically send them an activation code to utilize in their mobile app.
Now, Jackrabbit users can easily setup a punch card in the dashboard, automatically integrating with your Jackrabbit account. Your mobile app users can activate and pay all within the app.
Seamless Jackrabbit Integration
Worried about having to update the punch card data on your mobile app dashboard and your Jackrabbit software?
We’ve got good news for you – you don’t have to.
Our team recently finished the integration of our punch card capability with your Jackrabbit software – meaning less legwork from you and your staff and a better, seamless integration for your punch card efforts.
Give Your Customers What They Want
When it comes down to your business – it’s all about what makes the most sense for your customers. Mobile apps are the blood of many businesses, rightfully so, customers are accustomed to these experiences.
Parents are depositing checks at the local bank without ever leaving their homes and ordering pizza without making a phone call all because of mobile apps.
We are excited to be able to give you another way to serve your customers in a way that they crave.
New Features of our Punch Card Update
While we have given our mobile app clients the ability to utilize punch cards for quite some time, the new features of this integration give you even more capabilities.
Directly purchase punch cards in the mobile app
Your customers can now purchase directly from your mobile app. No need to update two different platforms or sell at your front desk. All charges are posted directly to parent portal accounts automatically.
Password protection capabilities
When your staff member “punches” a customer’s punch card, they can enter a password on the customer’s mobile device prior to punching. This will ensure that punches aren’t accidentally punched or misused in any way.
Customers can see all available punch cards in their mobile app
If you are offering several different punch card options, your parents will be able to view all punch cards available within the app and select each punch card for more information prior to purchasing.
How Does it Work?
We want to make this as easy as possible, that’s why we have outlined the exact steps on our virtual punch cards in our help documentation and included a quick overview below.
Setting Up a New Punch Card
Login to your app dashboard and click Punch Cards, input the information requested and click Save.
Allow Customers to Purchase a Punch Card in your Mobile App
For Jackrabbit users, you will setup a punch card and click Allow customers to purchase in your App to ensure any fees for the punch card will post directly to the family’s account and track within Jackrabbit.
Purchasing in the Mobile App
App users can simply open their mobile app and navigate to punch cards where they will find available cards to purchase. By clicking Activate, they can select if they have an activation code, need to purchase the punch card or cancel. Users will select No – I need to Purchase and can verify their punch card purchase prior to continuing.
Once the user clicks Continue with purchase, the applicable fee for the punch card will post to the family’s account. If the app user is not logged into the parent portal, they will be asked to do so prior to making a purchase.
Punching a User’s Card
When an app user wants to utilize their punch card, there are two different ways your staff can punch the card.
Option 1: Directly from the App
The app user will pull up their punch card in the app and hand it over to a staff member to PUNCH. The staff member will input the password and the punch will save to their account.
Option 2: From the App Dashboard
Your staff member can pull up the user and then click the Punch Selected Cards in order to punch the cards. The staff member will be offered the ability to send a push notification to the app user updating them that their card has been punched.
Leveraging this new feature not only saves you time, money and resources, it better serves your customers and creates an overall seamless experience for families.
If you are a Jackrabbit customer but haven’t tapped into the benefits of a branded app for your business, let’s talk.
Blog
Ahjalia Hall, one of the co-owners of Thrive Dance Center shares her delight with how the mobile app has enhanced their relationships with parents and students.
Thrive Dance Center was already using email blasts to parents when they created their app with Mobile Inventor. They didn’t realize how much the app would change their business-customer communications.
Keeping Parents and Students in the Know
It’s pretty standard practice for organizations like Thrive Dance Center to communicate with parents especially when the details involve students. Traditionally, they’ve been the ones with the technology to receive information, and the ones transporting and paying for classes. But times are changing. Students of all ages have smartphones and Ahjalia has found that they are ecstatic about being on the receiving end of communications with her Center. So Thrive Dance Center augmented their outreach strategy beyond emails and alerts to parents to include students through their mobile app.
Reaching out directly to the students shows them that they are important to you. Each time they see your icon on their home screen and receive a notice – they are reminded of you. Their happiness is important to their longevity as your student and a mobile app gives you the perfect way to reach them.
“We’ve had great success with reminders that are sent to our students. It works like a charm. They’re the ones who want to attend the classes and events so they are quick to deliver the information to their moms and dads.”
Satisfying the Need to Know ASAP
Today’s world has also created creatures that thirst for immediate knowledge. The app satisfies this thirst for both parents and students by pushing notifications to them about critical changes to classes. You can only do this via your mobile app. It’s more direct than email or texting and cannot be done from a simple website.
“You really help them out by saving them unnecessary trips to your studio.”
Keeping Your Info Up-to-Date
It’s quite simple. Your app will get more use if your information answers all of the questions your center’s parents and students have. Information must be complete and it must be up-to-date.
“How you use your app and the visibility benefits you gain from it has a lot to do with how current you keep your app and website information. If your App and Website are both always up to date customers get used to receiving a blast through their app, clicking directly on it, and having the appropriate screen open up, allowing them to immediately gain access to the information needed to enroll, register or sign up for upcoming events.”
Paying It Forward
Develop a future competitive edge through your students. It’s important to grow enrollment today but it’s also important to lay the groundwork for future customers by adding students to your communication strategy through your mobile app.
“The kids that we send notifications to are the customers of the future and they will undoubtedly prefer their smartphones to handle ALL of their tasks by the time they reach adulthood.”
Willis, TX 77318
(281) 378-2122
