Most people contacting us are already sold on the idea of using online registration software. They see the many benefits including saving time and money and eliminating labour intensive tasks.

From talking with these event planners, meeting managers and admin assistants, we often hear that they have to sell the idea of online registration to their clients, boards and bosses.

To help you sell online registration to your clients, boards and bosses, we have outlined seven helpful ideas for you to consider.

1. Compare Costs

Comparing all of the costs associated with different registration methods will be a big help when working with people focused on the bottom line. To do this you will have to make some assumptions and estimates, but you should be able to come up with a reasonably accurate list of costs.

One of the biggest costs is labour. Start by brainstorming a list of all of the tasks involving labour, then estimate how much time is spent on each task.

Next, consider how much your labour costs are per hour. This is a little more difficult as the real labour rate is always much higher than what an employee takes home. For some costs to consider, see the list below.

Now, with some multiplication you should have a reasonable estimate of your labour costs.

Next, consider material costs. Here is a partial list to get you started.

At the very least, the price comparison sheet you generate will help you realize that many of the costs associated with event registration are often just absorbed by an organization.

Also, don’t forget to factor in intangible costs such as errors in registration. These can be very difficult to estimate, but are very real costs to business. Here are some intangible costs and benefits to consider.

2. Do a pro/con comparison

Brainstorming the pros and cons of anything can be a useful decision making tool.

We have started a sample pro/con chart below to get you started. The pros and cons will be different for every event and organization, so adapt what we have started to your situation. Try to include examples from past events as well as anticipated pros and cons of continuing with manual registration.

 

Credit cards can be automatically processed

Staff can be more focused on other tasks

Accuracy is improvedMore convenient for everyone

Projects a modern image

 

Time needs to be spent researching different systems to find one that fits your needs

Some people in the organization may need to be reassigned to different duties (can also be a pro)

 

 

System is likely in place from previous years

Participants are familiar with the process

 

Can have high material and postage and phone costs

Staff have to be pulled off of their regular duties to handle registration tasks.

Can be prone to errors if not done carefully

 

3. Show examples of online forms.

Showing an example of an online form similar to the one your event requires can be all that it takes to convince someone that online registration is a good thing to do. Many people may not be able to visualize how it will look and work so an image really is worth a thousand words.

The ePly website has several examples of different online forms for different events on our sample forms page.

Besides visual examples, examples of how other organizations have successfully used online registration will help support your case. See our testimonial letters page or contact us for a list of clients you can speak with.

4. Get a formal proposal

Having something in writing detailing exactly what we will do, what you have to do and how much it will cost will help. With a good proposal, you will be able to confidently give prices and details and answer questions.  See our request a quote page to see how to request one.

5 Make online registration a part of a larger online strategy

Many organizations spend a lot of money developing a website. Even more is spent trying to get people to visit. Online registration is a perfect way to get people familiar with your site. While they are there to register, you will have the opportunity to show them what other information is available.

Another strategy is to use online registration to build a database of email addresses. This list can be used for future marketing efforts or other online initiatives.

6. Look at your competition

If someone isn’t convinced that online registration is the way to go, look at what competing organizations are doing. You are certain to find people using online registration in nearly all industries and this may be enough to convince skeptics to try it for their next event rather than be out done by a competitor.

7. Have us talk to the decision maker.

If you know that the people you are working with are going to have a lot of questions about online registration, it might be best that you involve someone from ePly. We know all of the intricacies of our system and will be able to offer extra advice and ideas.

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1. Calculations are performed correctly every time – attendees will not be over or under charged.
2. Credit card payment processing is automatic and correct every time.
3. Employees can focus on their core business
4. Ability to access ‘real-time’ information from anywhere at any time
5. Drive traffic to website.
6. Accuracy of registration is improved – spelling, selection etc are done by the event participants.
7. No data entry mistakes by event staff
8. Have professional image in the marketplace
9. Easier for event attendees to use

Real cost of labour
Labour	Related to having an employee
– Wages – Holiday pay – Insurance – Benefits – Pension – Sick pay	– Interviewing, hiring, training – Supervision/Management – Office Space – Equipment and software licenses

Material costs

– Long distance charges for phone and fax – Postage – Stationary – Printing promotional material – Paper for fax, printer and copier – Toner for fax, printer and copier

Typical tasks associated with event registration
Task	Manual Registration	Online Registration
Data entry	Lots	Almost None – only for people not registering online.
Receiving/placing phone calls	Yes	Much Less
Preparing mailings	Yes	Email can be used which doesn’t require preparing envelopes, letters, etc.
Opening Mail	Yes	Almost None
Following up on incomplete or illegible forms	Yes	Almost None
Checking addition and early bird deadlines	Yes	Automatic
Processing credit cards	Yes	Automatic
Following up on bad credit cards	Yes	None
Sending confirmation notices	Yes	Automatic
Creating database to manage registration data	Yes	Built into the system
Creating Reports	Yes	Automatic
Reporting to clients, boards, bosses and suppliers	Yes	They can monitor registration themselves
Backing up data	Yes	Automatic

Intangible costs/benefits

Online Registration
Pros	Cons
Data entry is dramatically reduced	Need to have a plan how to get people to use the online method

Manual Registration
Pros	Cons
Can be more personal if organizers have to speak with participants directly.	High labour costs

Dec 13th, 2010