We have released a set of enhancements to our Voucher System. Vouchers are a powerful alternative to coupons, and helpful for customers transitioning to our platform that need to give monetary credit to participants to use on future events. This release adds features around being able to use the full credit across multiple events, and to receive credit back on a voucher if the participant can not attend the event.
These changes were driven by feedback from one of our large customers, Vacation Races, who has a very liberal deferral policy. A participant can self-defer and get credit for race on a voucher. Then the voucher can be used for other races. Vacation Races also has the ability to decrease the value of the voucher over time.
Managing Deferrals
Managing deferred registrations is an important part of getting things ready for the new race year. There are many ways to handle participants who previously deferred. The Defer via Voucher Credit gives races the option to set up vouchers based on a certain value and easily distribute them to their deferred participants. We also have a Defer via Race Transfer feature along with a Crash Course video guide as another option.
The Defer via Voucher Credit option allows more flexibility because anyone can use the voucher code at checkout whereas with the Defer via Race Transfer method the participant must manage their exact original account since it’s tied directly to their original registration. Keep in mind vouchers will not be created for free registrations.
SETUP
From the Race Dashboard navigate to Participants >> Participant Management >> Deferrals. From here the options for Defer via Race Transfer or Defer via Voucher Credit can be enabled.
(NOTE: The Allow Deferrals Yes/No option is for participants to self manage their current year’s registration and self defer to a future year and is mutually exclusive from the Defer via Race Transfer or Defer via Voucher Credit options which handle self management of previous year deferrals. But they are often used together depending on the self-serve features a race offers.)
Click on the gray button for Defer via Voucher Credit Setup to expand the options and select a previous race year to manage how deferred participants from that year can self manage their registration.
Next select Yes to enable the option and note that the race year being used is in bold.
If the Defer via Race Transfer option was used previously then a message will appear that the Defer via Voucher Credit cannot be used. This is to prevent participants from getting double credit.
If you are a partner or organization with multiple races and you want to allow your deferred participants to redeem their voucher in the race of their choice, you will need to set up Defer Via Voucher Credits in each race and share the voucher pool across those races.
Voucher Settings
Select the Voucher Pool that should be used for the deferrals. It is recommended to use a separate pool and name it something specific that can be easily identified later. Check out this blog for more info on creating vouchers or view this Crash Course video.
Set the number of days after deferral that the voucher will expire and then decide on if the voucher will include any add-on amount from the original registration or if the value is only the event fee.
(Note: Vouchers are created at the time that participants defer their registration. The settings in effect at deferral time (e.g. voucher pool, expiration, credit amount) are locked in at that point and will not be affected by future setting changes. The Defer via Voucher Credit settings are race specific. While participants of this race will be able to transfer into any other race that uses this voucher pool, that does not enable deferrals in the other races. They must be set up in each race that participants can defer from. If you are a partner or organization with multiple races and you want to allow your deferred participants to redeem their voucher in the race of their choice, you will need to set up Defer Via Voucher Credits in each race and share the voucher pool across those races.)
There is also an option to add a message to help participants complete the deferral. This message shows up after deferring a registration, but only when their voucher is still valid.
Participant View
When a participant manages their own registration and defers for the current year, they will get a prompt along with their voucher. The voucher is also associated with their profile so if they use their account it will automatically apply at checkout the following year.
Deferral vouchers are tied to and credited towards the primary user, which is the person that originally completed and paid for the registrations. If a customer registered/paid for multiple people and then deferred all registrations, the deferral amounts will be combined into ONE deferral voucher for the original payer to use and redeem how they choose.
If the existing voucher pool is associated with other races, deferred registrants will be able to use their voucher credit immediately and redeem the voucher on another race. Deferred registrants can also use their voucher credit at a later time by managing their deferrals in their RunSignup profile.
Redeeming a Voucher:
After a customer has deferred their registration and has been assigned a voucher credit, they can easily redeem it for another race that is sharing the voucher pool. The voucher credit will automatically be applied for them at checkout. However, they can choose to remove the voucher if they would prefer to pay for the registration and save the voucher for later.
Please Note
- If the cost of the race exceeds the amount of the voucher, the customer will be prompted to pay the difference.
- If the cost of the race is less than the amount of the voucher, the remaining balance will REMAIN on the voucher for the customer to use in the future on another registration.
Deferred Registrants can also view their voucher credits from their RunSignup profile by navigating to the Deferrals Tab. Clicking the View Deferral Credit link will allow them to view their voucher, voucher amount, and begin the registration process for another event to claim their deferral voucher credit.
Managing Vouchers
Race Directors can manage and search for vouchers by navigating to Financial >> Vouchers. Then can click MANAGE next to the Voucher pool. Here they will be able to view all vouchers that have been created for that voucher pool across all shared races.
You can find more information about a voucher, make manual adjustments to a voucher amount, or update the voucher expiration date by clicking into a specific voucher:
You will be able to see which race the deferral voucher was assigned in, the date it was created, and if any adjustments or redemptions have been made:
You can also view any assigned deferral vouchers in a deferred participant’s registration record and in the deferral reports.
In Summary, the Defer Via Voucher Credit feature was designed for races who want to offer their deferred participants a voucher in the original amount paid for a registration. The full amount of the voucher credit can be used however the user sees fit as long as the voucher has not expired. This means, the user can use the voucher to register for one race, multiple races, to register themselves, or someone else.
If you do NOT want your deferred participants to have a creditable amount that can be used in various ways, do not use this feature. For that scenario, our recommendation is for you to use the Defer Via Race Transfer feature, which would only allow the deferred registration to be credited toward one new registration for the same user.
