When choosing a membership software for associations, it’s essential to look at the key features of the software and decide how they could fit into the model of your company. Though you might currently be running your own management system, specialized membership management software has several perks and benefits to make your life easier.
Here we’re going to look at some ways that associations can benefit from membership management software, whether you’re a small organization, a huge conglomerate, or somewhere in the middle.
Let’s get to it!
You can keep your members’ private data secure
Most membership management software comes with secure databases to help you store the private information of your members for easy access. If the details change for any reason, it’s also easy to go back and update everything in real time so there are no mistakes in your system.
Good membership management software is well-encrypted and difficult to hack, making your members’ data much more secure than if you were storing the data yourself on disparate programs.
Everything is in one place for easier workflows
Whether you’re looking for invoices, membership information, contact information, or anything else, all of your membership data is stored in one centralized location, making workflows easier and more logical.
Too many associations run their memberships through a bunch of separate systems that make workflows confusing and introduce bottlenecks into the equation – membership management software gets rid of that problem.
Invoicing is easier (so getting paid is easier)
Most decent membership management software come integrated with Xero and Quickbooks to make online payments easier to facilitate when your members are buying things from your online store or simply paying their regular membership fees.
Online payments are hence much easier to track and trace, with specialized invoicing software sending members auto-reminders for late or missed payments. In a nutshell, you’ll be chasing invoices much less, freeing up your work hours for value-adding essential work.
Event calendars allow you to plan things easily
Most of these programs come integrated with events calendars which allow you to plan events and schedule things in a way that’s easy for your members to keep up with.
Members can easily access all your future planned events and figure out a way to work them into their schedule.
Manage exclusive members-only content
Membership management software makes it easy to distinguish between public content and exclusive members-only content. It’s easy to choose whether your content is public or members-only, helping you to carve out an exclusive area for your paying members.
Lots of systems also have measures in place to prevent people freebooting your members-only content and putting it elsewhere for free.
Analytics and insights
Many membership management software systems have analytics features that allow you to track your numbers, showing the rate at which people join/leave your service, what they engage with, and much more.
Having these insights into the behavior of your members and the performance of your website allows you to make better-informed business decisions about the future of your association.
You basically get a CRM system
A CRM system, or “Customer Relationship Management” system, is a tool that companies use to track the behavior of their customers, engaging with them when it seems like they’re losing interest in your association.
With a CRM, you can have a general overview of the state of your membership base, taking action to retain and engage members when necessary.