Imagine a vibrant membership association where every member’s voice is heard and appreciated. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? However, that’s not quite the case. It’s a foundation for a thriving community of like-minded people. Member feedback is the lifeblood of growth and innovation. So you’d better make that count.
How can you transform these voices into something that keeps the ball rolling for your membership association? Creating a continuous improvement loop is the answer.
In this article, we’ll explore the art of harnessing member feedback to drive progress for your membership association. Keep reading to find out what a feedback loop is, their mechanisms, and what the best practices for success are.
What is a Feedback Loop?
A feedback loop is a system where every piece of feedback (whether positive or negative) has its place, moves along the funnel, and results in informed decisions.
This process generally involves harvesting feedback, analyzing it, and finding room for improvement based on what customers (or members of an association, in our case) have to say. In fact, the loop helps bridge the gap between what your members want and what you deliver for them.
What are the Most Common Feedback Loop Types?
Positive feedback loop: a positive feedback loop means that your members’ heartfelt reviews bring more improvement to your organization which, in turn, leads to more positive feedback.
For instance, a member suggested a new webinar idea, so you considered that and implemented it. Other members attended the webinar and received a positive experience, which resulted in more engagement with your association and positive feedback.
Negative feedback loop: as opposed to a positive feedback loop, a negative one springs from situations when a member comes up with straightforward yet rough ideas for improvements, changes, or reveals issues. Let me elaborate on the logic.
Take a member who attended an event. However, they expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of explanatory materials handed out during the event and an association failed to address that complaint (they didn’t email them back). The member kept pushing their frustration, which soon piled up (maybe the member even churned). Such dissatisfaction produces more negativity and shapes the cycle of discontent.
One important thing to remember is that you should pay more attention to negative feedback to omit possible member churn and restore satisfaction.
Useful Best Practises to Shape a Continuous Improvement Loop on Member Feedback
1. Start Big
While thinking little things is good, start with your global goals and objectives. Ask yourself a question: what do I want to achieve by collecting member feedback and constantly processing it?
The objectives vary from industry to industry, however, there is a common set of them, such as boosting member satisfaction, preventing churn, or optimising processes in an association.
2. Use Multiple Feedback Channels
Suppose, you have a live chat on your website. While this is one of the most obvious sources of receiving feedback, consider adding others. Try member surveys after they sign up with your association, use social media listening, reviews & testimonials from trusted platforms, or engage in direct communication with members.
For instance, the Royal Academy of Arts – a London-based organisation, involving “fellowship” and “sharing a commitment to civic innovation and social progress”– asks members through surveys and throws regular events where members can voice their opinions and ideas.
Another ideal option for gathering member feedback is internal surveys for staff, performance reviews, and daily/weekly/monthly meetings. Don’t shrug off some troubleshooting backlog (if there is any) – it’s also a vital resource for finding out what members might lack in your association.
3. Take Actions Based on Member Feedback
Harvesting feedback is only half the battle. Another half is to act on it. Here are the steps you can follow to actually leverage the feedback you receive:
- Make adjustments to your routines, such as more personalized member onboarding, intuitive registration for events, more paymement options, more membership tiers, stronger assistance for lapsed members, etc.
- Modify your services to better fulfill changing members’ needs;
- Provide extra training courses and sessions to your managers;
- Change your policies and rules to improve overall member satisfaction.
Besides, don’t forget to communicate these enhancements to your members and stakeholders. Send newsletters, post about them on socials, and organise revision calls.
4. Close the Loop
You did all of the above and called it a day? Think twice! Now, you have to close the loop by letting members know their input is valued, highlighting specific examples that led to those changes (case studies, webinars, workshops), and organising follow-up surveys. If members see their feedback is taken into account, trust and engagement will boost exponentially.
Bottom Line
Creating a continuous improvement loop based on your member feedback is energy-consuming. However, it can be a catalyst for your organisation’s success. Act on the member feedback systematically and you’ll shape a thriving community where the feedback is another resource for changing things for the better.
AC MemberSmart is a comprehensive Membership and Association focused CRM app built on Salesforce.com; the world’s leading Cloud CRM platform. Contact us.
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