Don’t Chase Members Away with Bad Service
By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP
The trend continues across the world: don’t actually offer support when members or customers need it. Don’t actually talk to anyone or solve the problem for them or at least figure out why there is a problem. Put up walls, don’t offer support, and make the member or customer do it all themselves. After all, isn’t that why we have all this online technology?
While online technology is great and can empower members and customers, it is being used as a way to build walls between the people we serve and those who supposedly serve them. Try calling Comcast – their A.I. chatbot voicemail tree consistently hangs up on customers seeking assistance. I recently had to call three times just to find out the status of the internet outage in our area.
Like many of you, I have my own list of stories of times I’ve tried to get help with some issue that I cannot solve myself. Many of these stories end badly with people feeling angry and frustrated when all it would take is a bit of the human touch and some positive support.
I have been a member of a national organization for association executives since the 1990s. Over the years, this organization has constantly “updated” its online systems and services. This usually means that things stop working or don’t work well or don’t talk to each other any longer. When this happens, I just tell myself to be patient and hope it works out.
During my tenure as a member, there have been times that I could not sign in to my online member account. Usually, it is because the staff is doing work on the back end that interrupts service. I get it; we’ve all had to go through system updates. The first thing I do is ask other members if they are having trouble signing in to their accounts. If they are too, then I know it’s a system issue. If not, then I know to start contacting the staff and see what is going on. Even with my individual account, it is usually something on the back end interfering with my access. In the past, the staff fixed it and we all moved forward.
Monday of this week, I tried to access my account and it didn’t work. It told me that my account was “invalid” – despite it working consistently all year long. It even worked the Friday before with no problems. I asked people in a Monday networking group I belong to if they were having trouble signing in to their accounts and they said no.
I tried closing my browser and relaunching it. I even took the time to restart my computer. Still didn’t work. I sent emails to several staff at the organization because I wanted to get a faster response. The support I received was “fix it yourself”. Despite my explaining the situation and that it did work before and I haven’t changed anything, instead of finding out what the problem was, they just told me to try resetting my password.
Paying over $400 per year for a membership, and being a member consistently for decades, I would like to think I would get basic support for the few times a year I do ask for help. Instead, I was told to solve the problem myself -- which I did because I got no help when I asked for it. I had to change my password, and I didn’t get any explanations as to why my account didn’t work but other people’s did.
Back in 2021, I wrote a blog article called “5 Basic Rules for Member Service.” The following intro and list is from that article:
As a refresher for all of us in the profession of 501c organization management, here are what I consider the basics for member service whether you are a professional society, trade association, charity, or foundation:
Don’t give a scripted response to a specific question. It creates annoyance and bad feeling. Really read the email or understand the phone conversation before replying. Scripted answers do not always cut it and suggest you are not paying attention.
Don’t talk to your members like they are stupid (they’re not). I have found often that long-time members know more than staff about certain programs or policies, so respect that when dealing with people.
Don’t act annoyed when members ask for help or information. Association management is a service industry. If you don’t want to help people, you need a new calling.
Especially don’t act annoyed when a member must contact staff multiple times because they are not getting the specific answer they need. Make it a goal to resolve every member inquiry on the first try.
Leave the member feeling that they were listened to and helped. Even if you can’t find the answer immediately, let them know you will get it for them.
As membership organizations continue to struggle with an evolutionary era in human history, the thing that will set them apart is “white glove” member service for everyone – no matter how stupid the staff thinks the question is. And don’t make members fix it themselves or tell them they have to wait two days for a response. If a member does need to adjust something, at least give them some insight as to why there is a problem. We are not all inept at technology since we’ve been using it most of our lives. Creating frustration that doesn’t need to exist isn’t helpful to anyone and just damages the reputation of the organization and its staff.
In an increasingly competitive association marketplace, continuing to provide the bare minimum service to members rather than making them feel appreciated will only drive them away. There are many other groups that are seeking their time, dollars, and attention.
