Customer Stories

How MagicBooking Boosted Go 2 Play’s Parent Engagement by 80% (Cardiff)

The amount of time I save to focus on other things makes choosing MagicBooking an easy decision. I have more time to spend on my work AND also my family. - Matthew Straiton, Director, Go 2 Play Limited

Meet Go 2 Play Limited

Go 2 Play Limited is a long-established wraparound care provider based in Radyr, Cardiff, Wales, delivering before and after-school childcare for local families.

For around 26 years, the organisation has supported the Radyr community by providing clubs that give children a safe, engaging place to play and socialise outside the school day.

Go 2 Play focuses on creating an environment where children feel secure, respected, and supported by friendly, knowledgeable staff. Their approach aims to give parents peace of mind by ensuring their children are cared for in a safe and structured setting while they balance work and family life.

Go 2 Play has now been using MagicBooking for over three years, supporting their wraparound care operations.

Challenges

Before implementing MagicBooking, Go 2 Play relied heavily on manual processes and spreadsheets to manage bookings, registers, payments, and communication.

These systems required constant oversight and created significant administrative workload each half term.

“I was spending a long time creating registers every half term, sending out bills every half term, chasing bills every half term, tackling accounts on spreadsheets, using mail merge/text messaging to communicate with parents. It was costing me 10+ hours of my time each week to stay on top of things and avoid working through my holidays.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

The organisation previously relied on a complex Excel spreadsheet created internally, which proved unreliable and difficult to maintain.

“My brother had created a mega excel spreadsheet with lots of formulas that I didn’t know how to use and would often break down and need fixing. It was temperamental and I couldn’t fix it myself.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Matthew needed a system that would reduce the time spent on administration while making processes easier for both staff and parents.

Key Issues

• Over 10 hours per week spent on manual admin tasks
• Manual creation of registers every half term
• Billing and payment chasing handled manually
• Spreadsheets used for financial tracking
• Time-consuming parent communication using mail merge and messaging
• Risk of errors and system breakdowns with spreadsheet-based processes

“MagicBooking integrates all of these things in one platform, automates a lot of the tasks and gives parents the opportunity to run their own admin, booking etc.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Solution: MagicBooking’s Class Booking System

Go 2 Play implemented MagicBooking to centralise their booking management, automate payments, and give parents self-service control over bookings.

The platform replaced manual spreadsheets and fragmented communication tools with one integrated system.

MagicBooking automated key processes such as:

• Parent self-service bookings
• Automated billing
• Payment reminders
• Digital registers
• Centralised child information profiles

Find out more by visiting register features, booking features or payment features.

This allowed Go 2 Play to significantly reduce manual administration and operate more efficiently.

Seamless Onboarding & Helpful Support

• Go-live achieved in 2 weeks
• Implementation rated 8/10 for ease

MagicBooking enabled a fast and smooth transition from manual systems to a fully automated booking platform.

Matthew highlighted the support provided during the early stages as particularly valuable.

“I had someone to help me on a live chat for the first year or so which was incredibly helpful. Support is still very good now.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

While onboarding requires time to bring all parents onto the system, the long-term benefits quickly become clear.

“It starts to pay for itself quite quickly.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Impact

MagicBooking transformed how Go 2 Play manages bookings, communication, and payments - saving significant time while improving efficiency for both staff and parents.

“The amount of time I save to focus on other things makes choosing MagicBooking an easy decision.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Admin Time Saved & Happier Staff

Since implementing MagicBooking, Go 2 Play has reduced its administrative workload by more than 75%.

Processes that previously required manual work every half term are now automated.

Key improvements include:

• Automated billing and payment reminders
• Online parent bookings and account management
• Digital registers replacing manual creation
• Centralised reporting and financial tracking

“The system is very useable and intuitive to both parents and staff and the team at MagicBooking are always looking at ways to improve.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

MagicBooking also significantly improved operational efficiency, earning a 10/10 rating for overall efficiency from Go 2 Play.

Go 2 Play also rated MagicBooking 8/10 for staff workload reduction.

“Staff love it because it is streamlined and useable.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Improved Financial Control & Reduced Bad Debt

MagicBooking simplified financial management and reduced reliance on spreadsheets and manual follow-ups.

Go 2 Play reports strong improvements in:

• Reduction in bad debts (8/10)

• Ease of managing bookings (8/10)

When asked about the impact of MagicBooking on Go 2 Play, Matthew said: “Reduced bad debt, fewer systems needed as they are all integrated, time savings to increase efficiency.”

Automated billing and payment reminders ensure parents receive invoices on time and reduce the need for manual chasing.

Better Safeguarding & Organised Records

MagicBooking also improved how Go 2 Play manages child information and regulatory requirements.

Digital profiles and registers make it easy for staff to access important information instantly.

“The Inspector likes that the children’s files are well organised and easy to find.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Staff also benefit from clear register indicators that highlight key child information.

“Staff like the visual representations on the registers to flag for children’s Allergies, Medical needs, etc.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Enhanced Parent Engagement & Flexibility

MagicBooking gives parents greater flexibility to manage their bookings and childcare arrangements independently.

This has led to a major improvement in engagement.

Go 2 Play estimates an 80% increase in parent participation since implementing the platform.

Parents now benefit from:

• Self-service bookings
• Flexible payment plans
• Ability to book ad-hoc sessions
• Instant account access

“Every time there is a new customer, they onboard themselves now, they can complete their own bookings, create their own payments plans, make their own payments. It’s great.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

Parents particularly value the flexibility offered by ad-hoc bookings. Hence, Go 2 Play rated parent/carer satisfaction as an 8/10

“Many parents love the facility to book ad hoc sessions at short notice if they are running late, have something important come up in work.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

“As a parent that sends his child to other childcare providers, I find some of the things that MagicBooking can offer to Parents to be extremely beneficial and can give clubs a competitive advantage.” - Matthew Straiton, Director

A Trusted Operational Partner

For Go 2 Play, MagicBooking has become an essential operational system that supports both staff and parents.

The platform simplifies administration, improves efficiency, and allows leadership to focus on running and growing the organisation rather than managing spreadsheets.

“Your customers and new customers can engage with you and create more bookings easier. I no longer need to answer calls and texts about ad hoc bookings on the weekends/evenings!” - Matthew Straiton, Director

The Final Word

MagicBooking has replaced manual processes with automation for Go 2 Play Limited.

By reducing administrative workload by more than 75%, improving financial control, increasing parent participation by 80%, and giving staff instant access to child information, the platform now plays a key role in the organisation’s daily operations.

“I would have a think about how much time you could save each half term using MagicBooking. Then consider how much that time is worth.”

“The system is very useable and intuitive to both parents and staff and the team at MagicBooking are always looking at ways to improve.”

Book your free MagicBooking demo today.