November 10, 2009
Proving resilient in a traditionally tough business sector, Ipswich-based Bushkidz Daycare will compete in the Commonwealth Bank National Small Business Champion Awards this weekend after taking out the State title.
Bushkidz’ success story gained momentum earlier this year after the Group adopted the services of electronic payment powerhouse Ezidebit, which aims to reduce administration time and costs.
The purchase of BushKidz Brassall in May prompted a new look at business operations, resulting in the technology being rolled-out across all Bushkidz Daycare centres and the system being adopted as ‘best practice’.
Company Director Brent Stokes explains by signing 100 percent of Bushkidz families onto a tailored customer payment plan from Ezidebit, the Group has benefitted in three key ways.
“Firstly, the Ezidebit system won back at least four hours per week per director of the group – allowing us the time and space to do what we do well, in focusing on staff training, quality management for the children, marketing and business development,” Stokes says.
“Secondly, by rolling out all of our families onto Ezidebit, it meant day care fees were directly debited from either bank accounts or credit cards and then seamlessly administered by Ezidebit. This translates into a remarkable cash flow increase, and an excellent predictive cashflow analysis,” he says.
“Thirdly, the training and support that Ezidebit provided from a management and technical side made the changeover seamless. A tailored solution was delivered, meaning that when we needed to change over to the new Child Care Management System of reporting and claiming Child Care Benefits in early 2009, it was all incorporated seamlessly into the process.”
The childcare sector is made up of businesses with historically poor cash flow and payment cultures, meaning a system like Ezidebit can prove invaluable.
Stokes admits before adopting the services of Ezidebit, busy parents were simply forgetting to pay their fees, causing major cash flow interruptions for his centres.
“These days, time spent perusing Customer Account Balances or chasing balances is almost non-existent, while at the same time we have created a positive client experience for our parents,” he says.
Further cementing Bushkidz outstanding success, the Group has won the Ipswich Business Achiever Awards for Tuition Training and Children's Services for the past two years running.
Meanwhile, the Australian Small Business Champion Awards is considered one of the highest acknowledgments small businesses can aspire to.
The national awards ceremony will be held at the Westin (Sydney) on Saturday, November 14.