Full Time Office Announced
After 6 years, we’re finally there. From September 2018 the BMABA will have a full time office, and this will mean a substantial improvement to what we can offer…
Since our formation in 2012 we’ve been resolute on running the association as a community led organisation, to ensure our growth isn’t marred by the costs of staff or offices. Over the past few years, and since 2016/17 in particular, our popularity has exploded.
In 2013 a busy day might have seen 25 e-mails hit our inbox. Now, on a quiet day, it’s closer to 100. Our intake of instructors has more quadrupled, as has our student registrations. We’re growing so fast we just can’t keep up with the ever increasing workloads, despite huge investments in a new system and instructor’s portal. As our recent blog post pointed out, the committee are up from 6.30AM on their e-mails, and this carries through until midnight, around 9-5’s and family life.
Something needs to change to ensure we can continue welcoming new members, whilst treating our current members properly – and it is changing. Without effecting how much money is reinvested into the association, as of September 2018 the association will enjoy atleast one full time member of staff in the office at any one point.
For you, this’ll mean;
- Somebody on the end of the phone all week should you have questions, or just want to talk
- A rapid turnaround on students and instructor registrations
- A much faster response rate for e-mails and enquiries
How Much Faster?
- At present a typical e-mail response takes around 3-4 working days. This will likely be cut to a same day response, or a response the next working day.
- At present a student registration completes online within 4-10 working days, and printed documentation follows in the post around 8 days later. Going forwards, registrations should complete within 1-3 working days with printed documentation dispatched within 24 hours of the completion – so a full turnaround of 4 days, rather than 16 days.
- At present instructor renewals or registrations typically complete in around 10-14 working days. Going forwards, this should be reduced to 3-5 working days for new applicants, and 1-3 working days for renewals.
- Other requests (such as free club websites, grade progressions submissions, digital services and so on) will be processed within 1-3 days, rather than the current 5-7 days.
- Goods from our shop, which currently take around 6-8 working days to dispatch will be dispatched the same day, or the next working day if past 3PM.
- We will also have a full time phone line which will link directly to one member of the senior team – with atleast one person always being available throughout the week to take your call.
- Member’s will have access to a direct duty mobile for the same purpose, but to avoid the general switchboard
- We will be introducing support via Text and WhatsApp for members too, to ensure the BMABA can meet your needs wherever and on whatever device needed
This will further what the association can offer it’s members, by greatly speeding up response rates to queries and orders. In addition to the above improvements, we’ll have significantly more resources available to help develop our member’s area, introduce new features and improve our overall association membership.
As a final kicker, we’ve reduced our membership and insurance prices for 2018-19, to ensure it costs less than previously to remain a member of the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association.
We expect to have the office fully staffed by mid to late August, with the above time frames being adopted as targets from September 1st, in time for you busy period with the new school year.
If you have any questions as a BMABA member, please contact us via the usual channels.
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