Partnership Set To Revolutionise Direct Debit Payments For Membership Organisations

GUILDFORD, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / April 26, 2019 / Silverbear, the UK’s membership CRM specialist, and Clear Direct Debit, a BACS approved bureau and training provider, have joined forces in a move that is expected to radically transform the way Direct Debits are collected by membership, not-for-profit and fundraising-led organisations.

Currently, organisations that collect payments from members using manual or semi-manual methods may be exposed to human error, data security issues and overly dependent on only a handful of individuals to process payments.

Legacy Direct Debit systems require manual files to be stored locally and are often held on laptops or emailed internally, which can lead to bank details being taken offsite and exposed to risk.

The partnership will enable customers of Silverbear’s flagship product, ‘Silverbear Membership’, which include Royal College of Nurses, Royal Academy of Dance and Royal Horticultural Society, to collect payments from members using a fully automated and secure cloud-based platform without manual intervention.

The strategic venture follows the recent acquisition of both companies by ClearCourse Partnership LLP, a business formed of innovative technology companies that provide membership software to groups, organisations and small businesses.

Gavin Lawrence, Managing Director of Clear Direct Debit, comments: “Payment processing in many organisations is still largely based on the manual movement of local data, such as exporting and importing files containing sensitive information, the consequences of which can be significant. We’ve seen one non-profit organisation collect a hundred times the subscription fee of thousands of its members by mistake simply because of a file formatting issue. Whilst errors of this magnitude aren’t common, other smaller mistakes are. Our partnership with Silverbear will help make organisations become more resilient and help them address data security issues in a more robust and meaningful way.”

General Data Protection Regulation, PSD2 (the revised Payment Service Directive) and ever-changing Direct Debit rules pose challenges for all organisations that process payments. Those failing to address them risk breaking the law and leaving their customers open to data breaches.

Carl Grieves, Chief Executive at Silverbear, adds: “Whether it’s unsecured data, file formatting issues or human error, Direct Debit mistakes can prove costly at an economic and reputational level. Through our partnership with Clear Direct Debit, and as a direct result of the synergies presented following both companies’ acquisition by ClearCourse Partnership, we’ve created a secure Direct Debit automation service that can be managed through a fully integrated approach with the click of a button. This is a huge step forward for Silverbear’s growing customer base and we’re proud to be pioneering this new approach.”

Silverbear and Clear Direct Debit will officially unveil the latest addition to the Silverbear Membership platform at Membership
Excellence 2019, the UK’s largest membership-focused national conference for membership organisations and associations, which takes place at Novotel London West on Thursday 2 May.

For more information on Silverbear and Clear Direct Debit visit www.silverbear.com and www.cleardirectdebit.co.uk respectively. For more information on ClearCourse Partnership LLP visit www.clearcoursellp.com.

Notes to editors

Media caption 1: Silverbear’s CEO, Carl Grieves, says the partnership will transform the way Direct Debits are collected by membership-based organisations

Media caption 1: Gavin Lawrence, Managing Director at Clear Direct Debit, which has joined forces with Silverbear

Media enquiries

For more information please contact Stuart Pearson at The PR Farm on 01483 343636 / 07812 086211 or at stuart@theprfarm.com.

About Silverbear

Silverbear’s expertise lies in integrating the channels and technology, such as Microsoft Dynamics Social Engagement and Microsoft Dynamics Flow, which enable membership organisations to effectively communicate with their members.

Built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, Silverbear’s solutions enable its clients to enjoy an open, secure, familiar and scalable IT platform that can integrate into pretty much all areas of a business operation; now and in the future. They also facilitate greater membership interaction, which leads to greater membership insight.

Silverbear is now a thriving, award-winning solution provider, which is 100% focused on meeting the challenges of the membership and trade association industries.

About Clear Direct Debit

Clear Direct Debit is a Bacs accredited training provider, Bacs approved bureau and an independent Bacs consultancy. It is the only Direct Debit collection solution in the UK to start as a Bacs accredited training provider and has helped thousands of individuals and organisations – from charities and associations to SMEs and multinational corporates – to save money, avoid Direct Debit payment related issues and become compliant with the Bacs Direct Debit Scheme Rules.

About Clear Course Partnership

Clear Course Partnership is a partnership of innovative technology companies providing membership software to groups, organisations and small businesses. Its companies help their customers to manage their members and clients, administer their business workflow and to automate their payment processes seamlessly.

Backed by Aquiline Capital Partners, a New York and London-based private equity firm, its experienced team is focused on creating an environment for talented entrepreneurs and their businesses to thrive with: access to capital funding, accelerating growth through sales, marketing and other expansion initiatives; considerable expertise in software and payments; retention of existing leadership teams; best practice collaboration across its partner platform.

SOURCE: Silverbear

ReleaseID: 543106