Henry Ford famously said ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’. For some this could be seen as good, consistent even, but the sentiment behind Ford’s message is that perpetuating the same behaviour leaves little room for improvement.
The value of a process is to map an activity to achieve consistent outcomes. For some organisations processes may have remained unchanged for years, decades even with an ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ attitude. But what if we are missing out on opportunities to do things more efficiently, or to a higher standard? What if the very purpose of that process has lost its relevance?
Sometimes taking something apart enables us to assess where things are getting stuck in the mechanisms or even bypassing our process. Often, it’s helpful to take a step back, ask somebody new into the organisation or even somebody external to ask the tricky questions about why we do things a certain way. Sometimes auditing our processes proves that they are appropriate and fit for purpose but sometimes it reveals opportunities for improvement.
Processes don’t just affect how our organisation functions and how our team operate, they permeate use of systems and our approach to using data too. When it comes to data driven processes there is often room for rationalisation and automation. Establishing solid business logic that digital systems can be programmed to achieve can reward organisations with significant efficiencies at a time where they are desperately needed.
With many membership organisations reporting that the cost of acquiring and retaining a member is greater than the membership fee there is clearly ground to be made up in achieving operational efficiencies. Common examples of this include the acquisition process itself. Where joining requires manual intervention it’s worth examining if there are significant reasons that can’t be overcome.
If it’s a case of verification, can this be automated by integration with a data source that can validate a qualification or other prerequisite. If it’s an approval process can applicants complete an online form with ‘if-then’ logic which can automate the process for the majority, only forwarding exceptional cases for human intervention. Where Boards or Committees have to approve applications, can everything required be submitted and batched in your system with periodic notifications distributed to the vetting team automatically enabling more efficient review?
For other organisations there is a resistance to online or automated renewal by direct debit. Do the objections still stand or could this be overcome and retention rates increased with less administrative overhead? Where the membership rate needs to be reviewed can logic be applied to filter out those within a range that can be automatically renewed? Where annual licences or declarations need to be updated can your system prompt your member to submit these things and enable administrators to more efficiently batch check and approve renewals?
When it comes to data driven processes these are made so much more efficient by use of a fit for purpose CRM system, even more so when integrated with interfaces such as the organisations website and email marketing platform. Understanding what your system can do and ensuring that everybody using it is following the appropriate processes is also key to success. This is something that really benefits from regular review and adjustment.
In summary, if you can identify an inefficiency and change a process to resolve it that will yield value for your organisation then what are you waiting for?
NetXtra are a team of strategic, creative and digital experts who partner with organisations in the not for profit sector. Call 01787 319393 or email [email protected] for more information.
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