Membership Software: Enhancing the Customer Experience
Companies traditionally operated under the assumption that building the best product possible was the key to gaining market leadership. However, with the increase in product customisation and the rising demand on associations’ time, more and more companies are realising that it’s not just about what they sell but also the service provided and who they market to be crucial.
Meeting the Needs of Members
Key steps must be taken in order to meet the rising needs of members while delivering customer satisfaction to association members. We found that the main two areas that mattered most to associations include:
- providing members with self-service options
- seamless experience across all channels
Providing members with self-service options allows them the freedom and ability to look up what’s important to them on demand. A member portal should offer these capabilities allowing members to view and change a vast range of information directly linked to that individual. Members should have the ability to check the status of a support request, be able to be notified when someone has answered a pressing question, and see what events they are attending. Another aspect includes members being able to see their CDP points in real time and many other important features that are important to the day to day activities of members.
Delivering this type of service will increase member retention and satisfaction, along with lowering the amount of support costs. If your current system does not provide these capabilities it may be time for a membership software upgrade.
Providing a Seamless Experience
Members need to experience a seamless journey from first landing on an association’s website to signing up to become a member, registering for events or any other activities. An effective customer journey leads to customer satisfaction. If a member is having difficulty navigating around a site they will most likely become frustrated, leave the site, call or email the association for help. This in turn costs an association time and money where they could be focusing their time, money and efforts on other important aspects of the business.
An association not only needs to provide self-service options but also needs to provide a customer-centric organisation. This means having the capability to assist the member or sponsor throughout their user journey. For instance, if a member is trying to place an order online and encounters difficulty, the member should be able to call the association, where staff will be able to see exactly what is happening within the back end of the customer relationship management (CRM) system. This provides a seamless customer experience across all channels, creating satisfied members and increased engagement.
If you would like to know more about our association and membership management software, contact our friendly team for a demo of the membership system.
