Invoices vs. Automated Recurring Payments For RV Parks & Campgrounds
This is a business of relationships. As we often discuss in this blog, your campground can often feel like a community. And like any community, you, your team, and your campers often have your own way of doing things: habits that have been a part of your daily life for, in some cases, years and years.
And we’ll never tell you you’re doing it wrong.
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: We’re here to complement your campground and, above all else, provide options. Our hope, ultimately, is that these blogs help your decision-making process as you manage your community. These recommendations may become even more helpful as our beloved business adapts to the evolving needs of our campers.
Camping is becoming more popular, and an influx of new campers and families is ushering in an exciting new era for our industry. For instance, many campground managers are starting to mirror a tried-and-true practice of hotel management and charge reservation fees. At the same time, many campground managers are hesitant to ask their campers to keep a credit card on file, because they worry about adopting any methods that may make them appear like landlords. This is why the topic of billing systems, while seemingly mundane, is both crucial and deceptively difficult for both campground and marina managers. In fact, as you read this, there are probably a few marina managers going back and forth about the best way to invoice their boaters and the best features or platform to get the job done. The debate is ongoing in multiple industries, which is all the more reason to ask some tough questions and delve into the details of different invoicing methods.
Consider this: A first-time camper visits your campground for a weekend. They have a terrific experience, and they decide to make regular trips to your community: say, three or four times a year. What type of bill do you use for this camper: an invoice, or recurring automated payment? What about the frequent camper who decides to become an even more frequent camper and spend the whole summer on your campground? What’s the best billing option for them?
Let us help you answer those questions.
When should you use invoices vs. automated recurring payments?
Invoices have an understandable reputation as the go-to ad-hoc bill. And indeed, when you have one-off expenses you do not expect to repeat, an invoice is more than likely your best bet.
But invoices can be used for recurring guests, too.
In the example above, invoices likely make the most sense for that repeat camper – the one who decides to spend a couple of weeks here and there on your property.
Further, when appropriate, you can pair invoices and automated recurring payments to optimize the billing process for you and your campers. This might make the most sense when, for example, electricity charges arrive after the invoice for your camper’s rent is due. In that case, you might want to use an invoice for rent and an automated recurring payment for utility charges. As you see, it’s not always an either-or proposition. That said, automated recurring payments still make the most sense as the default in some scenarios.
For instance, if you have a stable crop of campers who spend extended periods of time on your campground, some even to the point that it’s essentially a home or second home, automated recurring payments will likely be your best billing option.
But even though we’ve gotten that out of the way, you likely still have some questions. After all, setting up these systems isn’t always as easy as it sounds, particularly if you’re adopting a new system, changing software, or using a platform like Bonfire for the first time in your career as a campground manager. If any of these are the case for you and your crew, or if you’re just looking for some “inside baseball” tips on maximizing both bills and automated recurring payments, you’re in luck:
We’ve created a video that walks through the billing setup and execution process on Bonfire. Like this blog, our goal is to show you exciting and novel ways to optimize your campground management. Take a look.
As you can see in the video above, one of the greatest powers of management platforms like Bonfire is that you have options. Just as importantly, you can still give your campers the high-touch experience they’ve come to expect and appreciate.
These billing features are attuned to both the changing demographics of campers and the demands of your day-to-day. As more and more campers get used to spending money with a tap of their phone or a few clicks on an app, you can meet campers where they’re at. And few things are more important than that.
If you want to know more about Bonfire's easy-to-use, all-in-one campground management, and reservation software, please reach out to us at howdy@letsbonfire.com. To learn even more about perfecting payment features for different kinds of campers, read our blog on that very topic.
