Discover How Parkinson's UK Securely Manages Direct Debit Payments with A Cloud-Based Solution

Automating and Streamlining the Donations Process

Parkinson’s UK wanted a more robust and efficient method of managing Direct Debits. It has implemented Bottomline’s solution to modernise Direct Debit submissions. The cloud-based solution has saved time, improved efficiency and enhanced visibility over the collection process. The Charity previously used installed and outdated software for collecting donations.

“It was time-consuming to manage our Direct Debit processes and the solution offered limited visibility and reporting. Error management was another area that we wanted to improve,” says Mark Wootton, Senior Supporter Services Officer for Income Processing.

As a membership organisation, Parkinson’s UK’s donors are encouraged to use Direct Debit. It aids long-term support whilst remaining efficient to administer. It is also more cost effective than processing one-off donations.

Choosing a Proven, Intuitive Solution

Parkinson’s UK has been a long-term customer of Bottomline. “We see Bottomline as a trusted technology partner,” adds Mark. As soon as the charity could see what Bottomline’s payments suite offered, it became a straightforward decision. A critical factor for Parkinson’s UK was that Bottomline’s platform offered minimal disruption to the Supporter Services team during the implementation and go-live. Donna Riyani, Senior Supporter Services Officer for Inbound Contact says, “The transition process was very smooth.

Training was straightforward as the platform is intuitive and easy-to-use. This also means we spend less time bringing any new users up to speed.” On a weekly basis Parkinson’s UK downloads details of any new instructions or cancellations from its fundraising and CRM system. This is uploaded to Bottomline’s platform where the Direct Debit data is verified and validated. If there is an error, the system makes it easy for the user to see exactly where the problem lies so the instruction can be updated before the file is submitted to Bacs thus avoiding costly rejection fees. It ensures that managing the Direct Debit lifecycle is as seamless as possible.

“The dashboard gives us an immediate visual confirmation that the Bacs submission was successful. It eliminates any guesswork as we can see very clearly which donor we have claimed from and when. We now have far greater visibility over our Direct Debits than ever before,” says Donna.”

Customer Overview

Parkinson’s UK, the support and research charity, is aiming to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson’s. The charity’s work is totally dependent on donations. It is also the largest charity funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe. Since 1969, it has invested more than £75 million in groundbreaking research.

A Powerful Cloud-Based System

“As a secure cloud-based solution, Bottomline’s platform is very cost effective. We don’t have the overheads of maintaining or upgrading software or hardware. The platform ensures we are fully compliant with all Bacs and Direct Debit scheme regulations. We know that we will never have to backtrack on any collections and it effectively reduces the risk of compliance fines,” adds Donna. Bottomline’s payments platform meets Parkinson’s UK’s high standards for disaster recovery. Bottomline takes care of the resilience and contingency which means the service is always available. The charity is fully protected and backed up at all times so it can continue to claim Direct Debits even in the event of a disaster. With anytime, anywhere access, Bottomline also gives Parkinson’s UK the ability to request indirect submissions to Bacs if required. It is a very robust offering that supports the charity’s need for a multi-user system.

Saving Time And Improving Service

“We are really pleased with Bottomline. A major benefit that we get from the automation capabilities is that it saves us a significant amount of time which is now spent focusing on core frontline supporter care. In turn, this means we can offer a more responsive service to our donors,” explains Mark. Bottomline’s payments platform gives Parkinson’s UK greater predictability and visibility over their cash flow. “In terms of the submission process, we have complete visibility over collections and files submitted. If there are any queries, we can quickly locate the right file to investigate any particular instruction. “The support that we receive from Bottomline is first class. They are friendly and helpful which means we don’t hesitate to contact them. They always resolve any queries efficiently. “We regularly look for new ways of streamlining our processes. Bottomline’s solution has helped us to improve efficiency and reduce the time required to manage our Direct Debit collections,” concludes Donna.

“Bottomline plays a key role in helping to move donors on to Direct Debits. This is vital for our long-term fundraising growth, as it gives the charity a more stable source of income,” says Mark.