Controlling the web site registration process, member administration, and the player experience

Note 1: whether you are a member based organization or not, in TennisConnect "Membership" always means Web Site member.

Note 2: "Registration" always refers to the one time process of joining your web site.  We use the term "enrollment" to sign-up for activities (camps, clinics, etc).  One of the benefits to Registration is that your web site members can simply log in using their username and password to enroll in programs time and time again without having to key in their name, address, city, state, zip, email address, phone number, etc..  A huge benefit for you is the accumulation customer level data in your database (player frequency, participation history) for marketing future events to prior participants.

Note 3: this article only applies to you if you are using online tennis court reservations, the Demo Racquet Center, TennisCollect, Member Administration, or wish to grow your contact manager database by offering interactive customer self service.  Remember that players expect a quid pro quo for taking a few minutes to register on your web site.  The more "member" services you elect to provide or promote through your web site, the more your customers will value your web site.

Web Site Registration
You control many of the factors that your players experience when registering on your web site.  You should become very familiar with this process and the combination of options that will allow you to affect the end result.

Listed below is a brief summary of controls and capabilities:

• Member Types: are used throughout the online tennis court scheduler to grant advance court reservation permissions

• Default Member Types: control the assignment of a member "type" upon initial web site registration

• Family Membership: a special member type that allows contacts to be grouped and their expiration dates synchronized or extended upon payment by the "financially responsible" member

• Financially Responsible: the person in a "family" unit who makes the membership payments thereby extending the expiration date of all the other family members.

• Managerial Approval: determines whether new registrations are effective in real-time or managerial approval is required prior to granting member privileges

• Registration CAPTCHA: controls whether new registrants are required to enter the CAPTCHA prior to submitting a registration (an anti-spam tool for you)

• Membership Expiration Dating: allows you to set a "cut off" date for web site membership privileges.  TennisCollect customers can also automate the renewal process.

• Members Only page access: sets a login requirement to view / access designated pages

• Membership Payment Forms: is for TennisCollect customers wishing to automate the expiration / renewal process and tie it to satisfactory payment and method (online via credit card, print & mail, etc)

And a brief summary of the places you can control the "content" of the registration pages:

• Registration Comments: allows you to control the registration page "messaging" to welcome players in your own words

• Registration Confirmation Email: allows you to control the content of the system generated  registration confirmation email (for pending, approved, declined, etc). 

• Terms of Use Preface: the terms of use were written by expensive lawyers to protect you, your organization, us (the TIA), and your players.  The terms of use cannot be changed, however you may insert your own "Preface" to welcome your players so they understand your relationship with the TIA and reason the terms of use are a necessity.

• Newly Registered Member Information Prompt: you control the messaging that encourages new web site members to "complete as much or as little of your tennis profile" as they wish.

• Newly Registered Member Landing Page: allows you to "welcome" new web site registrations on a designated "landing" page upon completion of the registration process.  This may be used for rewards, promotions, coupons, help tutorials, etc

• Logged in Member Landing Page: takes affect after the initial registration process.  Upon logging in, you may want to take a web site member to a special "summary & shortcuts" page or to a list of members-only links.  This is a good customer service practice and can help you call attention to upcoming events or promotions for your most important web site visitors (customers).

• Expired Member Landing Page: is displayed when you are using Member Expiration Tracking and an expired web site member logs in.  This page is usually linked to a membership payment form (TennisCollect, PayPal, or Print & Mail membership dues form) with messaging to contact you if they believe that this page was reached in error.