At Senior Internet we’re looking to build a community; an environment where membership, charities and NFP organisations can access and contribute to products tailored to the membership sector.
Watch our latest video to find out more about RiverCRM
The problem
One of the biggest and most fundamental pieces of software to get right is your CRM (contact/customer relationship management) system. Every membership organisation we work with tells us that their biggest problem is spending far too much time on administration and wish the process could be simpler and less time-consuming. This is where a CRM comes in!
One organisation we spoke to had a whole membership body whose renewals came up just before Christmas, so, while everyone else was decking the halls and tucking into mince pies, they were buried under a pile of paperwork so they could ensure they’d still have members in the New Year.
Luckily, it really doesn’t have to be this way. Most organisations we speak to have a flawed but ‘ok’ system to house their member data; others use excel and a handful are still jotting them down in a ledger – don’t ask us how that works. Some organisations still think of a sophisticated, state-of-the-art CRM system as a massive expense; something they’d love to implement, but will never be able to afford. The truth is a good CRM, while certainly more expensive than excel or paper based systems, frees up so much precious time which could be spent on other important things.
The solution
RiverCRM, which is built on top of industry leading Microsoft Dynamics framework, ensures that almost every step of the renewal and application process is automated. Once a user has begun their application it can be saved and returned to, and the database is sophisticated enough that it will automatically alert the user if they’ve not come back to their application in a certain amount of time. Extensive application features can be added to the process according to your organisation’s needs. This streamlined process means members can have full access to all membership benefits potentially just minutes after they began their application. Already, the member feels satisfied with the organisation, simply due to the ease of the application process.
Membership organisations often find that keeping members engaged and happy is the hardest part of their job, and it’s often the part that gets the least attention. Easy ways of doing this require targeted marketing techniques which can be automatically sent out using a good CRM. Members simply add their preferences, and instead of getting spammed with useless information, they’ll receive communications relevant to them about events, conferences and updates they’ll really need. This can in turn improve event attendance, leading to happy members and a prosperous organisation.
In short, a CRM is not a difficult thing to come by, and its initial costs are heavily out-weighed by the benefits your organisation will gain. What’s really special is finding a creative, digital agency which can not only provide a state-of-the-art CRM, but an intuitive CMS and a team of designers, developers, marketers and support technicians who can ensure your organisation is futureproof. Does such an agency exist? Explore our website, benefits and services to find out!
Watch our latest video to find out more about RiverCRM