How all-round personalization works in associations

PERSONALIZATION Establishing and maintaining personal relationships with members will have a decisive influence on the way interest groups, such as associations and federations, and other membership organizations think and work in the future. CRM Partners AG takes a look into the future and highlights five trends.What some companies are successfully implementing is still far from common practice among member organizations and associations. Yet all-round personalization has become a must for them too. The CRM Partners AG uses five trends in its white paper to show why personalization is an indispensable tool for success.

1. self-service

Members of an association want to have more opportunities to obtain information independently. Currently, 70 percent of consumers expect a company to offer self-service, while 40 percent decide against personal contact with the company altogether and prefer to use technical channels. Associations should therefore offer a special channel so that members can manage their own affairs - from reading up on contractual conditions to concluding or terminating membership.

2. multichannel

Nowadays, nobody limits themselves to one device. It is therefore important to pursue a multichannel strategy. The various devices, whether smartphone, tablet or desktop, should also be connected with each other, or the channel should be responsive. This is how associations ensure that a seamless and consistent experience is offered on all devices. In order to meet the preferences of the individual member, the website layout or certain offer descriptions, for example, can be automatically adapted to individual information requirements.

3. mobile

The smartphone has become a faithful companion and wearables are no longer a novelty. These technologies must not be ignored when it comes to all-round personalization. They allow associations to collect and analyze data about their members. To do this, however, they must provide accurate and relevant content.

4. social media

Communicating and sharing content is an integral part of society today, which is why Facebook, Twitter and co. should not be missing from any strategy. They network members, promote the internal transfer of knowledge and optimize the company. The first step is to listen carefully. However, this does not mean holding a general meeting once a year. A single meeting is not enough to find out what the individual members think and what moves them. Nowadays, opinions are formed and exchanged largely on social networks. Inquiries and complaints are made publicly here - and responses are expected promptly. Even more than customers expect from a company with limited opening hours, members expect their organization to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via social networks.

5. big data

Data is generated through mobile devices, information requests, social media and all contact moments. This data should be collected, analyzed and combined so that associations can feed the information back to members - in the form of personal search results, product suggestions, optimized traffic routes or health tips. Offering customized content leads to extended memberships or new forms of membership. In order to become an association of the future and achieve all-round personalization, it is important to combine the trends mentioned above. CRM Parnters AG recommends using a cloud-based system to bring together all networks, channels and data. More information and the complete whitepaper are available here.