A parent does not need to spend hours with EOS – in most cases it is enough that they find everything important in one place and receive the information they need. The simpler and clearer the rollout, the smoother the adoption.
Parents approach a new application differently and it pays to count on that:
Enthusiastic users appreciate the clarity and are happy to use the app. They can serve as natural ambassadors who help the others.
Rather passive parents use EOS minimally but are not against it. With them it pays to minimize what the application requires from them.
More reserved parents – often short on time – will appreciate a patient explanation and a clear reason why to use the app.
Some parents reject technology on principle. They are a minority and it is fine to accept that – what matters is not to make exceptions about where the official information is.
The vast majority of parents are satisfied with the service. But there is always someone who resists technology – and there is nothing to be done about that.
The most common barrier is the two-stage registration (parent + member). Parents sometimes do not understand the difference between their own account and the child’s account, especially with younger children.
What helps:
Read how best to invite parents to the platform.
How to start with EOS – instructions for members/representatives
This article contains templates you can share with your members and/or their representatives. These are instructions on how to start working with the EOS Platform. Adjust the template as needed. An effective approach is to post it as an article on your website or share it in another way that suits you.
Prepare a simple step-by-step guide (ideally with images) specifically for registering the parent and the child. Share it right during recruitment. Or use our articles:
Creating platform access and first login
You received an invitation in your email to create user access to the platform. How to use it to create a user account and how to manage access for yourself vs. for your child?
Troubleshooting: your representative must help you complete your registration
Is a member or their representative reporting that they can't complete the registration? That they can't log in?
Send a welcome e-mail with clear instructions and print a poster with a QR code for the application.
Count on the fact that every new season part of the explaining is repeated with newcomers – a prepared welcome pack makes this significantly easier.
With every new season and new members you explain everything again. We solve it with a welcome e-mail and a poster.
As with coaches, the most common challenge is habitual. If parents receive official information via WhatsApp, they have no reason to open EOS.
What helps:
Move all official communication into EOS.
If WhatsApp groups for official information run alongside, adoption slows down – parents “do not get a chance to learn” the application.
Refer consistently to the fact that important information is in EOS.
We recommend moving all communication into EOS. If you let WhatsApp groups run in parallel, members will never learn it.
Adoption is fastest where the parent sees a specific benefit:
An overview of payments – they know what to pay and when.
An event calendar – they know what is happening and when.
The child’s attendance – they have an overview of their child’s activity.
Parents definitely appreciate the overview of payments and the event calendar.
A useful finding from practice: the less a parent has to do actively in the application, the better they accept it. For many parents it is ideal when EOS serves mainly as a place where they receive messages and can confirm attendance at events – not as a tool they have to actively manage every day.
The less we force parents into something, the less we have to rely on them. Ideally they have EOS mainly for receiving messages and signing up for activities.
Younger parents used to applications adapt faster. Older parents or those used to e-mail and Excel need more time and personal help – for example brief assistance at the end of training.
Younger parents are used to applications. It is more demanding with older parents and those who were used to a system of e-mails and spreadsheets.
A specific situation: as children grow, they sometimes log in through the parent’s (representative’s) account. With older children (roughly 12+) it pays to encourage them to take responsibility for their own account – it relieves the parents and suits the children as well.
It works well for us when older players take responsibility for their own account and do not rely on their parents.
Unclear parent/member registration → a simple guide with images, help at the end of training sessions.
Too many e-mails from EOS → explain that confirming attendance in advance means fewer notifications.
Reluctance towards another application → EOS as the only source of official information.
Older parents less confident with technology → personal help and patience.
Every season all over again → a welcome e-mail and poster for new members.
Before recruitment / a new season:
Prepare a simple registration guide (parent + child step by step)
Prepare a welcome e-mail with instructions
Print a poster with a QR code for the application
Make sure coaches can help parents with EOS
During rollout:
Move official information from WhatsApp into EOS
Offer help at the end of training sessions (installation, registration)
Hold a short meeting with parents (ideally after recruitment)
Explain the benefits: overview of payments, calendar, child’s attendance
In the long term:
Keep consistency, do not make exceptions
With older children (12+) encourage taking responsibility for their own account
A new season = a new welcome pack for new members
Point parents to instructional videos and guides
Monitor who is not using EOS and proactively offer help
