Green Light has an exciting new way for groups to pay for their trips. Introducing: the Individual Billing System!
The Individual Billing System is an online platform that allows parents and travelers to pay for trips with maximum ease and efficiency. Best of all, the platform features the ability to pay by credit card (cue the choir of angels!).
However, because the Individual Billing System is new, it’s natural for folks to have some questions. This article will explain a little more about how the platform works, what it does, and why we think it will blow your mind.
Save Time – Let Us Collect the Money:
We created the Individual Billing System to make everyone’s lives easier. For that reason, we believe one of the greatest things about it is that it eliminates the need for group leaders to collect money from their travelers. As you can imagine, our group leaders have been pretty thrilled about this and the amount of time it saves them.
“We get to teach our kids!” Dr. Lyndsay Eiben of the Permian High School band exclaimed.
Dr. Eiben used to collect trip payments during rehearsal, but now that her travelers are paying online, she has more time for actual instruction in the classroom.
“The time savings is absolutely huge for us,” JC Moretta, a social studies teacher of Murray Middle School, agreed.
Now that he doesn’t have to collect money from his students, Mr. Moretta estimated that he and his bookkeeper save about 72 hours combined every time Murray Middle School does their annual trip to Washington D.C.
“That’s two weeks of somebody’s salary!” he laughed.
Reduce Responsibilities, Remain in Control:
Though the Individual Billing System has been proven to save group leaders time, we understand why some may be skeptical about jumping right into it. For some, collecting payments is their way of keeping track of what’s going on.
That’s why we designed the Individual Billing System so group leaders can remain in complete control of trip finances.
“I can go in and see if (my travelers) have paid by credit card, if they used their account, and what day they made payments,” Amy VanEeuwen, a social studies teacher of West Middle School, explained. “I was not able to do that before!”
As a group leader, the Individual Billing System doesn’t hinder your ability to know what’s going on- it enhances it.
Group leaders have the ability to monitor payments with extreme precision, without ever having to write a receipt or draft a spreadsheet. They can track who paid, when, how, and in what amount easier than ever before.
Plus, there are automated features that will make life easier too. For instance, if travelers miss a payment deadline, the Individual Billing System can email them a reminder. If they overpay, it can issue a refund.
“I almost feel lazy… the system does it for us!” Trey Burns of the Permian High School band said.
Tons Of Additional Features:
The Individual Billing System was intended to make paying for trips a breeze, but we figured why stop there? So we made it a one-stop-shop for group leaders, parents, and students to do everything you need to do before a trip.
“Not only is it an Individual Billing System, but I also can do all of my rooming lists and chaperone groups,” Mr. Burns explained.
Group leaders are now able to create and sort bus lists, flight lists, rooming lists, and chaperone lists.
Travelers can stay more informed on the trip’s itinerary too. If changes occur, group leaders have the option to have automatic emails sent to out to inform travelers of the updates.
The platform also helps with safety. Group leaders can use it to archive critical medical and emergency information. Allergy information can be easily submitted and accessed, and in the unlikely event of an emergency, medical information can be digitally transferred wherever it’s needed.
However, perhaps the most convenient of all the additional features is the ability to submit forms directly to the Individual Billing System.
“Turning in forms has been taken out of our hands,” Larry Doran of the Midlothian High School band said. “Now parents can do that at their leisure from home and not have to come to that additional meeting where all we were trying to do was collect that information from them.”
Non-Stop Improvements:
We’re happy the Individual Billing System is making group travel easier for everyone. However, we’re also aware that no two trips are alike. Therefore, each trip presents an opportunity for the Individual Billing System to grow.
Though we’re proud of the system as it currently is, we’re even more proud to announce that we will always listen to our travelers’ experiences and input on ways to make it better. The cycle of feedback and implementation is exactly what’s helped us get the Individual Billing System to be what it is today.
The Individual Billing System- A Group Leader’s Best Friend:
If you’re a group leader, we have a hunch that once you use the Individual Billing System, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Seriously, it sounds strange, but prepare for it to become your new best friend forever.
“It literally makes everything so much easier. The difference is tremendous…I’ll never go back,” Mr. Moretta confessed.
We think the Individual Billing System is great because it can eliminate our group leaders’ need to collect money, helps them remain more in control with less work, includes a ton of additional features, and will continue to get better thanks to the implementation of feedback. Oh, and did we mention it accepts credit card!?
But don’t just take our word for it. This is what Permian High School band director, Jeff Whittaker, had to say:
“I would use the Individual Billing System every time, without question.”
When you travel with Green Light and use the Individual Billing System, we’re confident you’ll feel the same way.