By Nathan Teahon, Vice President
Procrastination is a funny thing, but not something that is typically described as being “ha ha” funny. It’s definitely not funny for associations that deal with members that procrastinate renewing their memberships. The biggest question for associations is why is there an issue with procrastination for their membership renewals, and why using telemarketing services for membership renewals is the best way to combat this issue. Below are some of the top reasons that members procrastinate with their membership renewals.
Membership Renewals Timing
Sometimes bad timing just works against you. Every company has their own budget cycle and time of the year that they get accustomed to paying certain dues. Also, the timing can be an issue when a person leaves a company and is replaced. Things fall through the cracks and this is often one of those things. What makes this scenario more frustrating is that reminder emails and potentially invoices continue to go to someone that is no longer with the company. Eventually in these scenarios they might end up getting to the appropriate person, but often this can become a black hole scenario.
The most effective way to combat this issue really is with a phone call. An email or an invoice can’t identify that the person you are trying to get to take care of the renewal is no longer there. The best way to do that is with a live person that can talk to an admin at the company and dig in to find out who the most appropriate person is to handle the renewal.
Approval Process for Membership Renewals
Oftentimes the person that is responsible for renewing a membership doesn’t actually have the physical ability to make the payment. Either they don’t have access to a company card or there is an internal approval process they need to go through before they can physically pay. Certainly, you see this becoming more of an issue when you only accept credit cards, and this might be one of the times where an invoice isn’t looked at with such incredulity. Regardless, this is another time that a phone call can improve upon the speed it takes for a membership renewal. Whenever someone has to secure a credit card from a boss, or something has to go through an approval process, there is a much higher probability that it gets lost in the shuffle of a busy workday.
Email Numbness Hurts Membership Renewals
One thing that is a reality that is harder to admit is that members do at times become numb to the sheer amount of emails they receive from associations. People tend to be very busy and it’s not uncommon for folks to live out of their inbox. That is why email marketing can succeed but it’s also easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. Or, rather, overlooked. Sometimes people become so in tune with their inbox that the brain instantly recognizes what is urgent and what can be discarded. A lot times that discard pile includes things that really shouldn’t be in there.
Again, a phone call is usually the best remedy for this situation. It has the benefit of being more difficult to procrastinate on and when the membership renewal team is high quality, it makes the experience much more convenient for the member in the long run.
At Quality Contact Solutions we have a ton of experience securing membership renewals for associations. There is no better way to secure membership renewals especially for members that are coming up due and also for those whose membership has recently lapsed. If you have questions or want to learn more, we’d love to speak with you.
Other Articles You Might Find Interesting:
Why Outsourced Telemarketing with Owner Operators is Best/
Association Membership Retention Programs
Nathan Teahon is the Vice President at Quality Contact Solutions, a leading outsourced telemarketing services organization. As a highly competitive person, Nathan brings his ‘A’ game to work every day, ensuring that each of his clients wins on a daily basis. Nathan carefully balances the operations resources and client goals to ensure his clients receive the highest possible results at the lowest cost. Nathan is a true, born and bred telemarketer. He grew up in the business and intimately knows (and has played) every position on the field, including supervisor, quality assurance, call center manager, program management, account management, and call center psychologist. Nathan can be reached at Nathan.teahon@qualitycontactsolutions.com or 516-656-5133.
