We are delighted to share with all our members that the new platform is going live and encourage everyone to read these key questions and answers.
British Ice Skating have been working with Sport:80 for over 18 months to create a platform for the benefit of all our members, meaning they can:
Instantly join / renew / relicense
Apply online for tests and qualifications
Upload certification into a central place
Control the data we hold on them
Link their profile to clubs and rinks
Access multiple profiles through one user account (e.g. parents)
Make online payments
See their purchase and transaction history (e.g. for VAT purposes)
And much, much more!
What is the new platform?
Put simply, it is a website controlled through login where members can quickly and easily manage their account.
Why is this happening?
To enable many of the things listed above, for a start. As you read on, please also bear in mind that any issues that crop up around access management or data accuracy are perfect examples of WHY we need a transparent and modern system - yes, there will be short-term challenges as we work to put new systems in place and flush out inaccuracies, but long-term this will put British Ice Skating and its members in a far stronger position.
What does this mean for me?
All active members will be sent e-mails inviting them to set a password (note: this means you already have an account, even though you have never previously logged in, as your data has been 'migrated' from our previous software).
The e-mail address is a key identifying feature, meaning whatever e-mail address was most recently used, will be the one linked to your account on the new platform.
Note the difference between a 'User' and a 'Member' - a user doesn't need to be a member, rather they could, for example, be a parent managing the account of their child, a member.
What data is being migrated?
All your contact data and test records are being transferred across. Where test awards have become obsolete, they are marked as 'historical'. They are not selectable in the new platform, but don't worry, we have not lost that data!
The current tests are just the same as on the system we have been using, meaning the latest Test Statement you received by e-mail will have the same tests on as the new system. There will be isolated cases of missing test segments - please use the Support function to advise us of these and we will do our best to investigate. Understand that priority will be given where this affects a skater's current skating level and ability to enter competitions at the right level.
We are also in the process of adding qualifications for Judges and Officials, as well as our licensed coaches.
When will this happen?
Coaches have been using the platform for almost a week to facilitate their relicensing process.
For the remaining active members, e-mails will start to be sent out on Wednesday 26th February. Remember, these will go to the last known e-mail address, so check your inbox(es) and potentially your junk folders!
Our office team can generate / re-send such invitation e-mails, but just as easily, you can go to www.britishiceskating.sport80.com and hit the 'Forgot Password' button. If the e-mail address you enter is the one linked to the account, it will send you a reset password e-mail. If it doesn't recognise your e-mail address, the account will be linked to a different address. Use the 'Support' function on the landing page to ask for this to be updated, stating the full name, membership number and postcode we should have against that account.
We strongly advise you wait until noon on Thursday 27th February, checking your inboxes and junk folders thoroughly first, before taking any of the action in the paragraph above!
What support do I have?
Firstly, it should be noted at the time of writing that within 3 full working days, nearly 400 coaches have been able to relicense, which is approximately 60% of all those licensed last year. Sport:80 deal with over 50 Sporting National Governing Bodies in the UK and the US, have over 1 million unique users, and are constantly improving the look, feel and functionality. The platform is intuitive, and we are sure you will love it.
And if you have a query or need pointing in the right direction:
The Support function is available both logged in and not logged in. This is the best way for our team to be able to answer you, again keeping the correspondence in a central and lineal place
The FAQs within the Support function is something we have already started building up, and the more experience and feedback we get, the more this will grow! (note: one of the most common FAQs from coaches was about web-browsers - the website works on all up-to-date supported web-browsers, if you are having difficulties, check your version is the latest version)
The office team is ready to answer your queries, please note of course that with such a significant launch we are likely to be inundated with correspondence, so please bear with us.
Our British Ice Skating YouTube channel has videos about accessing the platform and renewing your membership. These were initially created for coaches, but some are applicable to all members, and we aim to add to these as we go along
Your skating friends, coaches, officials may already have engaged with the platform so could help if you ask nicely!
What's next after this?
Thank you for asking!
Work on our new website is already well under way in the background, with features that will integrate data from the membership platform into tools such as a rink finder, coach finder and event finder.
And did we let the e-word slip? Yes, we are working on the events entry part of the platform, meaning applications to events will be possible online, reducing much of the duplication of information currently on entry forms, showing where spaces are available, automatically linking to your skating level, simplifying your PPC forms (and making the results teams' task much less arduous), generating accreditations, and more things than we can list in this article. Once established, this will be accessible to Club Organising Committees as well as BIS as the National Federation.
Our affiliated clubs will also be able to host websites, publicising their offering and contact details, and we will be continuing discussions around the possibility of them using the platform for their own memberships, meaning, again, reduction of duplication and better integration of different systems.
Phew, we are as tired as we are excited after sharing all of this with you. Please watch our communication channels and feel free to refer back to this article any time you need to check when to expect what.
Happy exploring!