News - Inscriptions Media

Ezypay wins Panasonic Best Medium Business at Telstra Business Awards 2010

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -1000

In what seems to be becoming something of a trend for Ezypay, the direct debit service provider was awarded the Panasonic Best Medium Business of the Year in the Telstra Business Awards, held at the Westin in Sydney on Friday 9th July.

This is the third recognition that the company has received in recent months, coming close on the heels of being included in the BRW 50 Best Places to Work and being awarded the winner of the MyBusiness Best Medium Business in 2009.

The company was founded by George Holman in 1996 as a solution to cash flow problems experienced by his fitness business and has grown to a staff of 32 at the same time as reaching many laudable milestones.

“As a team, we are very proud of the achievements of the company since inception,” says Trent Brown, CEO. “The commitment of the Ezypay staff to our goal of growth throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as into other countries, is a significant factor in our achievements within the company and those recognised externally.”

One of the key criteria for the choice of winners in the Telstra Business Awards this year is a commitment to growth, nationally and internationally, a factor that Ezypay have certainly addressed with their 2006 expansion into New Zealand, continued growth across Australia and plans to open an office in Malaysia before the end of 2010.

Trent Brown attributes Ezypay’s success, both in award recognition and general business growth and achievement, to the dedication of an engaged team who bring life to the visions and goals of the business created by founder George Holman. George has handed the company reins over to Trent, recognising that the company would grow and mature to fit his vision best under the steerage of a professional CEO.

“Direct debit services is not a very exciting product in itself,” says Brown. “We have placed high importance on creating a fun, inclusive and dynamic working environment for our staff that fosters creativity beyond their daily activities, cultivates team bonding and encourages them to strive for excellence and take pride in their achievements.”

“Without that dedication, particularly from key drivers within the organisation, many of whom have been with us for a number of years, the significant recognition and continued service development for our customers would not be a reality.”

What’s next on the horizon for Ezypay? An expansion to their existing team by 33% across Sydney and a new Malaysian office before the end of 2010, which will accommodate planned new services and improved offerings to existing services.

“Moving into Malaysia is a very exciting prospect for us,” says Brown. “Adapting our core company culture to fit with employees in a country with quite different perspectives will be an interesting challenge that we’re looking forward to.”

Ezypay now goes through to the national business awards to be announced on 20th August

About Ezypay

Ezypay is an outsourced direct debit service provider dedicated to offering a payment collection system that assists businesses in the regulation of their cash flow and revenue without the hassle of managing members' bills.

With close links to the fitness industry through, they offer small to medium growth business operators of all types an easy online payment collection options at www.ezypay.com.au.

Dedication to a great team and work environment pays off with a listing for Ezypay at No 23 in the top 50 BRW Best Places to Work

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Dedication to a great team and work environment pays off with a listing for Ezypay at No 23 in the top 50 BRW Best Places to Work

BRW has just released its list of the 50 Best Places to Work for 2010 and Ezypay, Direct Debit services specialist, has taken out the No 23 spot.

Being included with a number of high profile companies, such as Google Australia, Coca Cola and Austereo, is a huge honour for Ezypay, who have always made staff satisfaction high in their priority list.

“We are thrilled to have been included in this list,” says Trent Brown, CEO. “It is a great testament to the efforts of our management team to ensure that Ezypay is an inclusive, fun and nurturing environment for our staff.”

“We’ve gone to great lengths to establish a firm culture within the organisation by setting up four core values for the team,” Brown adds. “Each of these values has been given a personality and an avatar to personify the value and give our team something tangible to relate to.”

By giving the company values this much priority and visibility within the work environment, the avatars and their respective values are represented all over the Ezypay offices, it allows the team to feel that they belong, are valued and encouraged to contribute to the growth of the company.

“The products and services that we deal in are perceived to be generally quite boring,” says Brown. “So we felt that we needed to create a way to provide an environment that is stimulating and creative for our team. One that allows them to continue to grow and develop professionally, and personally, within the company.”

The biannual staff survey allows the management team to keep tabs on how the staff feel about a range of issues such as job satisfaction, workload, team commitment and a range of other concerns that can affect staff engagement.

The results are compared to previous years, analysed against current trends, previous reports and assessed for improvement.

“Most companies either survey their staff or conduct performance reviews,” says Brown. “At Ezypay we take the result s of our surveys seriously. Without a happy and satisfied team, we couldn’t have achieved the results that we have so far. It’s a very important part of our core values to maintain and improve on the standards where possible.”

During the recent staff survey 92% of staff said that they are satisfied or highly satisfied with their relationship with their peers.

“When we ask our staff what they like about Ezypay they always say, the people,” says Brown. “We’re lucky enough to have a great group of people and a great team to work with every day.”

Setting goals for the team is only part of the equation at Ezypay. Whenever a quarterly target is met, the company always celebrates with some sort of reward.

“Our team rewards have been many and varied,” says Brown. “They have included a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour, two scavenger hunts, dinner at a themed restaurant, go-carting, disco bowling, to new a few. We don’t reserve our team recognition just for the end of year Christmas Party.”

As a NSW Telstra Business of the Year finalist in the Medium Business category, the attitude of the team towards their work was an integral part of the submission and assessment. True to Ezypay form, the Ezypay staff are happy to share their views and feelings on their work and the achievements of the company: http://www.youtube.com/user/Ezypay.

“We are currently going through a massive recruitment drive due to our continued growth. We hope that our listing as 23 in the Great Place to Work list will make our business stand out from the crowd and attract candidates that align with our business and are seeking a great place to work,” comments Brown.

About Ezypay

With close links to the fitness industry through, they offer small to medium growth business operators of all types an easy online payment collection options at www.ezypay.com.au.

Fit n Fast Gyms’ industry first to have Facebook membership signup thanks to the robust Ezypay DDG technology

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Fit n Fast Gyms, who have just opened their first Sydney gym in Penrith, are powering ahead with their social media client engagement strategy. They have just released online membership signup to their gyms via Facebook.

This means that their Facebook fans, as well as being able to engage with other fitness members and the gym staff via the Fit n Fast Facebook page can now take advantage of a one-stop-application to take up membership and maintain their details.

“From a marketing perspective, this has been an absolute coup for us,” says Nic Monteforte, COO of Fit n Fast. “Facebook has really proved to be a great way to connect with our market and to be able to provide them with the most convenient way to manage their membership has just increased the value of the application for us.”

The team at ThinkTank Media in Melbourne has created the Facebook App specifically for Fit n Fast to work directly from Facebook.

“We’re very excited to be working with this enthusiastic brand on what is a world first for the fitness industry,” says Sam Mutimer, Director at ThinkTank Media.

The new application is made possible by incorporating the Ezypay Direct Debit Gateway (DDG) system into the application iFrame so that the Fit n Fast Facebook users can sign up directly from within Facebook.

“The DDG is incredibly simple to use,” says Mutimer, “and we’ve had very fast responses through our testing accounts.”

“We were already using the Direct Debit Gateway system from Ezypay to allow members to join online and manage their own membership,” says Monteforte. “Having the ability to just replicate this kind of member engagement within Facebook itself and allow our members to have more control makes them have more of a connection to and ownership of their membership.”

With the results from the Ezypay run 2010 Australian Fitness Industry Survey showing that most gym members used Facebook to communicate online, developing a Facebook application was a logical step in the promotion of a gym that allows its members to signup online.

“We’re very excited about this new application of our Direct Debit Gateway system,” says Celeste Kirby-Brown, Sales & Marketing Director at Ezypay. “It demonstrates how versatile the system is in allowing businesses to give their customers flexibility and control over their subscriptions and direct debit accounts.”

The Ezypay DDG allows businesses to have a seamless integration through their website, and now through Facebook, to their direct debit signup system and can be fully customised and branded.

“Fit n Fast is seeing some great results with the DDG,” says Kirby-Brown. “In the first day of launching their new gym in Penrith 30% of their sign-ups were directly through the DDG.”

Through a series of online opportunities such as connecting with people on Twitter, several Facebook competitions and pay per click Facebook advertising Fit n Fast hope to be able to drive engagement on their Facebook page and website so that they can build their brand awareness and community engagement.

About Ezypay

With close links to the fitness industry through, they offer small to medium growth business operators of all types an easy online payment collection options at www.ezypay.com.au

Ezypay releases 2010 Australian Fitness Industry Survey results showing owners and users are on the same page

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Following on from their successful involvement with the Australian Fitness Industry surveys in 2008 and 2009, Ezypay took on the responsibility again in 2010 of providing the fitness industry with accurate information on the big picture to help with planning for the coming year.

Over 420 owners and managers in the fitness industry responded to the survey this year and, for the second time, over 7000 members gave their opinions on the industry. This provided the body and business owners with a clear picture of how they should run their business to meet the needs of their customers.

“It is significant that this year again we can provide the fitness industry with a clear message on what areas are important for business owners,” says Trent Brown, Ezypay CEO. “Having the responses from customers as well as the owners and managers provides an insight as to what the fitness industry sees as being important and whether that is the same as what their customers actually want.”

The main issue to have emerged from the survey is that both fitness business owners and managers see that no-fixed contract memberships are an important aspect to attract and retain members, and the members agree. The biggest trend in the industry is the development and implementation of ‘no contract’ terms, with 46.9% of fitness owners and managers naming it so. This is reiterated by the member responses, with 47.4% of people who had expired memberships indicating that they would be motivated to renew if they were given the option of ‘no contract’ terms.

Many gyms are already implementing this kind of approach to membership, Fit n Fast is one such gym.

“We have decided to go down the route of no contracts with our members,” says Tony De Leede, Director at Fit n Fast. “Through a combination of easy payment facilities and no contract we are finding that people are more inclined to take up memberships.”

With the removal of a fixed contract, more member engagement is needed to keep people attending the gym and the AFIS results show the fitness industry how to do that.

The most preferred method of communication is still via email with 47% of members opting for direct personal emails in preference to an e-newsletter at 18%.

Interestingly, Facebook is the most used social media tool by members at 61%, with only 4% of members saying they used Twitter. And, the fitness owners report that Facebook Fan Pages and Group pages were the most useful and most used forms of social media connectivity with 40.5% and 44.9% respectively reporting use of them.

“The discussion panel that we brought together following the AFIS results, discusses the use of social media in the fitness industry,” says Trent. “Justin Tamsett, a self-confessed Twitterer and social media user, and an industry thought leader, suggests that it’s still a largely untapped area that owners and managers need to get to grips with so that they can maintain engagement with their members.”

The AFIS results also show that there are still some areas that the fitness industry opinions differ from their customers. For example, 54% of clubs rated referral campaigns as the most successful marketing method with 64% considering that one month of free membership to be the most effective way of gaining referrals. However, 60% of the member respondents suggest that a reduction in their ongoing fees, followed by one month free membership (55%) and a complementary PT session (38%) would be persuasive in getting them to refer people to club.

“Because we can show the industry perceptions alongside the preferences of the clients and ex club members, we really feel that the report gives even more valuable insights to the fitness industry this year,” says Trent.

About Ezypay

With close links to the fitness industry through, they offer small to medium growth business operators of all types an easy online payment collection options at www.ezypay.com.au.

VIVO Café creates the VIVOlicious for the Lunch on Lawsons campaign

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -1000

You've heard the phrase, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Lawsons bread is about to change all that with the launch of their latest campaign in the Rocks, Sydney last week.

The campaign brings together 20 of Australia's best chefs to create a signature sandwich using one of the four varieties of Lawson's bread, Original White, Settlers' Grain Homestead Seed & Grain and Stonemill Wholemeal.

Angela Vithoulkas from the VIVO Café Group in Sydney's CBD, is delighted that VIVO Cafes has been chosen as one of the venues involved in the campaign.

"I was thrilled to be invited to join this campaign," says Angela. "As creating sandwiches with a difference is something that we do on a daily basis, I was confident that we could create something special, substantial and memorable."

The resulting creation has been named the VIVOlicious and is a careful balance of protein, vegetables and complementary flavours. With a homemade sundried tomato relish as the base (no butter) on Lawson's Stonemill Wholemeal bread, Angela , together with her brother Con, co-founder of VIVO, combined chargrilled pesto chicken with roasted pumpkin, Australian brie and baby roquet.

"This isn't a middle of the road sandwich. It's big on flavor, without being over the top. We're not hinting at anything, it's a statement of great flavours, wholesome ingredients and a satisfying meal that leaves you feeling full - but in a yummy good way. You will enjoy every last Stonemill crumb!" says Angela.

The campaign, fronted by funny man Tim "Rosso" Ross, kicked off with the gathering of all 20 chefs yesterday in the Rocks and will tour around Australia to each venue. Lawsons are inviting people to register at the Lunch on Lawsons website to receive one of 2000 free sandwiched being given away on the venue's designated date.

"Our turn is June 1st at our 388 George St venue," says Angela. "We'll be starting pretty early in the morning, but I think we're up to the challenge. I've been making sandwiches in bulk for the better part of 25 years so I could do this with one hand tied behind my back," she jokes.

For more information about Lunch on Lawsons, visit http://www.lunchonlawsons.com.au/

About VIVO Cafés
VIVO Cafés are both located on George Street in Sydney's CBD. Owners Angela and Con Vithoulkas know, after 25 years in the café industry, that they have created their finest work ever with the winning VIVO formula of sensational coffee, fabulous food and exceptional service.

The winner of 6 awards, including City of Sydney Business Award for Outstanding Café of the Year and Outstanding Business of the Year, VIVO Cafés can attribute their success to the drive and business acumen of Con and Angela, herself the winner of the Telstra New South Wales 2007 Women's Business Owner and described by Madison Magazine as Australia's "food guru".

Their continued dedication to providing excellence in service, food and coffee sees them brewing more coffees for Sydneysiders, Monday to Friday, than any other CBD outlet. And they intend to continue conquering the world, one coffee at a time!

www.vivocafe.com.au

Trend Report - Helping the fitness industry move towards customer-centric operations for more profitable business

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Ezypay, Australia & New Zealand's leading outsourced direct debit service provider has just released the Top 10 Consumer Trends Impacting the Fitness Industry in 2010, with some interesting conclusions and predictions for better service in the fitness industry.

The report, which takes information gathered from the Australian Fitness Industry Survey 2010, consumer trend reports and a deep appreciation for the direction of fitness in Australia & New Zealand, has given over 9,000 recipients in the industry a guide to the attitudes and desires of the post-noughties fitness consumer.

"It was fascinating to look at the results of AFIS 2010 and combine it with other reports from within the industry to get a bigger picture of how fitness centres and health clubs will look in the future," says Celeste Kirby-Brown, Sales & Marketing Director at Ezypay, and co-author of the report.

"We found that the results really seem to reflect the general consumer trends of instant information, connection and personalisation," she adds.

With the focus on creating a healthier public, it's important that businesses within the fitness industry are in tune to what customers and potential customers expect in terms of service, options and connection.

"Just like consumers in many other industries, people who visit health clubs and fitness centres expect to be connected and engaged," says Simon Hall, Ezypay Marketing Manager and co-author of the report. "The latest connection technologies have not evaded the fitness industry and offer club owners many options to add another dimension to their customer service offerings."

Many of the findings in this illuminating report were taken from the AFIS 2010, conducted by Ezypay, offering a significant representation from the industry with 425 clubs and facilities responding to the survey and 7,650 health club members taking part. Their opinions have helped to shape the Trend Report into a document that fitness industry club owners can use to shape their marketing plan for 2010.

With topics such as the shift to the consumer-focussed model rather than a service-centric model, tapping into the ‘golden oldies' age groups, community and charity responsibility and being able to show what's happening in your club right now, ‘nowism' as the report calls it, fitness club owners get a clear picture of what they really need to be doing to retain their customers and offer them more value.

Bryan K O'Rourke, a strategic speaker, author and advisor will be presenting at the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Convention this month in San Diego on how technologies will affect the future of the fitness industry.

"[The] industry survey report is well done...I particularly enjoyed the term "Nowism" and will share the term during my presentation," he says. "A large part of the global fitness industry today is not nearly as consumer focused as other businesses. Delivering interaction, content and service 24/7 which is co-created to provide highly personalized experiences does not exist, although models are appearing which attempt to deliver on this promise," he adds.

Visit http://www.fitnesssurvey.com.au/TrendReport.html to view the findings in the Top 10 Consumer Trends Impacting the Fitness Industry in 2010.

About Ezypay
Ezypay is an outsourced direct debit service provider dedicated to offering a payment collection system that assists businesses in the regulation of their cash flow and revenue without the hassle of managing customers' bills.

With close links to the fitness industry through their large health club and fitness centre database, they offer small business operators of all types easy online payment collection options at www.ezypay.com.au

Latest range of Tempesta bags, wallets and clutches set to add style & colour to the cooler months

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -1000

The latest range of Tempesta handbags, clutches and wallets from Exclusive Bags to hit the Australian shores bring colour, vibrancy and practical quality for the coming autumn/winter season.

Their signature touches and commitment to colour is still a very big part of the range with each bag carefully designed to become part of the overall look rather than just a way of carrying around essentials.

Colours range from neutral tones of blacks, greys and browns, as well as amazing colours of stunning kelps that reflect moody oceans, earthy terracottas, deep emeralds, vibrant purples and fuscia pinks.

The range will complement business and casual looks alike, adding stylish touches through finishes and colour. And, with larger styles included in the range, corporate and business women can carry all of their work and life essentials, including the all-important laptop, and maintain a chic look that means business.

Fans of high-end designer looks will appreciate the extra little finishing touches such as padlocks, secret keys, bold flowers, metal faux tags and the signature Tempesta floral design motif.

The latest range is online. Prices range from $220 to $350 for handbags.

About Tempesta from Exclusive Bags
Tempesta is an emerging label of handbags, clutches and wallets designed by the manufacturers of some of the world's leading high-end designer label bags. Exclusive Bags holds the sole rights to supply the Tempesta label to the Australian and New Zealand market place, offering consumers access to European styling long before the latest looks hit the stores. The Tempesta label will be launched world-wide later in 2010.

Wakehurst Rugby puts on a show at season start

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -1000

In its goal of bringing as much quality rugby to the players and members of the club, Wakehurst Rugby is playing host to some exciting rugby matches pre-season.

On Tuesday 2nd March touring U16 Canadian school team from W.J. Mouat School in Abbotsford, B.C will play a combined Wakehurst/Manly U16's team to give the boys some serious action before the season starts.

"Touring Rugby is a great tradition of the game," says Wakehurst club president and Under 16's coach Mark Ronald. "The boys from Canada are here as part of a larger touring trip that is going to Sydney, Canberra, the Gold Coast and Brisbane."

"When kids go on tour they make friends for life," says Ronald. "And, because the boys from Mouat will be billeted with our families, this will only serve to cement the relationships."

"The boys will arrive in Sydney on the weekend and front up for training before some fierce competition on Tuesday night. If the last World Cup is any indication of the standard of rugby in Canada, these boys will be tough to play," he adds.

In the same week Wakehurst will host two very exciting 1st grade pre-season games involving visiting New Zealand sides. The first is on Thursday 4th March when Marist St. Pat's from Wellington will play Norths Rugby 1st grade and the second is on Saturday 6th March when Glenmark from Canterbury, Robbie Deans' old club, will play Manly 1st grade.

Wakehurst Rugby would like to invite Northern Beaches and Northern Suburbs rugby fans along to the games. There is no charge for spectators to any of the games and it gives people a great opportunity to bring the kids to see some fantastic players go around the park under lights and enjoy some great Wakehurst hospitality.

Wakehurst Junior Rugby Club, Cnr Forest Way & Waldon Road, Belrose.
Promoting safe, social rugby for all.