SimplySwim: A stroke of genius

How a management platform for swim schools is making a splash with Worldpay for Platforms as its payments partner

SimplySwim is a leading cloud-based management platform designed specifically for swim schools. It was built by a team with 20+ years of experience in the swim school industry, led by Kylie McGrath, Founder and Managing Director.

After years of managing swim schools, Kylie was talking with a friend that owned a swim school about the business admin issues they were facing. By combining the knowledge of the business, experience in the industry and expertise of her software developer husband, it was clear to Kylie that the right solution would alleviate some of the day-to-day stress this swim school was dealing with. Initially, the idea was to create a custom software for that one swim school to solve issues that no other software out there had been able to tackle.

SimplySwim went live in 2010 and word spread quickly within the industry — a swim school was running a program that was meeting their very specific needs. Before long, SimplySwim officially entered the market with a highly configurable cloud-based solution.

“We built custom software for one swim school at first, then we realised the demand and began growing our client base and users predominantly by recommendation. Now we have a few hundred swim centres of all sizes across the country using SimplySwim” Kylie shared.

Challenge 

Perfecting their stroke with payments

Right out of the gate, the SimplySwim platform included a Direct Debit module so its swim schools could accept recurring or instalment payments. However, it didn’t take long to realise their provider was barely treading water in the eyes of clients.

Kylie explained, “The fees were too high and the customer service was not at the level our clients were used to getting from us. So based on that feedback, we decided to start exploring some different options.”

SimplySwim also offered an Australian Banking Association (ABA) payments solution, but it wasn’t enough. It lacked the flexibility they wanted to give their clients.

At that point, Kylie and her team realised that if SimplySwim was going to revamp their Direct Debit solution, they were going to do it the right way where they could offer clients the very best.

Solution 

They wanted to implement a secure, API solution that provided clients with more flexibility and control. Modern features like electronic DDR forms would save clients time and money previously spent on completing paper forms that require manual entry and proper disposal.

Kylie and the team realised reinventing SimplySwim payments would not only require the right solution but also the right partner. They did their homework and ended up with a great Australian-based team in Worldpay for Platforms. The ability to call anytime and actually get a local team member to pick up the phone was really reassuring.

How Worldpay for Platforms offered a lifeline

It was important to SimplySwim to choose a payments integration partner that shared the same ethos and had the same sort of relationship with its clients as they did. Worldpay for Platforms proved the right fit on that level and many others.

The customer service from Worldpay for Platforms has always been amazing. When onboarding new clients, any trouble on either end of the portal is quickly sorted out within minutes or even seconds. When an issue arises on an integration call with clients, problems are resolved quickly, bringing a level of professionalism clients have grown to expect.

Between the dedicated, expert guidance and comprehensive API documentation provided, SimplySwim was able to coast through the implementation process. The support for end users has been fantastic. The team has taken the time to get to know how the Direct Debit module works so when swim school clients call for support, they get someone who understands the product and how to help.

In addition, Worldpay for Platforms worked with SimplySwim to create a special offer for clients to switch to the new payments solution. Being able to reward clients for making the move helped overcome the hesitancy of switching providers or trialling Direct Debit in their business for the first time.

Partnership results 

• Increased revenue growth:
  The partnership helped SimplySwim increase revenue, enabling the business to hire additional staff sooner than originally projected.
• Improved payment confidence:
  With reliable Direct Debit and strong support from Worldpay for Platforms, SimplySwim gained the confidence to stand behind its payments offering and reassure clients that payments would continue to get easier.
• Greater operational focus:
  Reduced payment friction has freed up time for SimplySwim to focus on sales, new leads and working with existing clients to improve their processes.
• Stronger client adoption:
  Special incentives for switching to the new payments solution helped overcome client hesitancy around changing providers or trialling Direct Debit for the first time.
• Enhanced customer experience:
  Through integrated technology, diligent support and expert guidance, SimplySwim delivers a more seamless payment experience aligned with world-class user experience and customer service.