Delivering an exceptional member experience is the key to attracting and retaining members; it's the foundation stone of a strong and positive brand, and the reason why members will support Rotary’s Foundation.

Article by RI Director Jessie Harman

Member experience is Rotary’s equivalent of ‘customer experience’ – something that has long been recognised as the key to driving organisational profitability and growth. Marketing texts are filled with research-based insights designed to help organisations deliver exceptional customer experience - here are 10 insights that you can use in your club.

1. Understand member expectations - take time to understand individual member needs and expectations and then deliver a service which meets those needs.
2. Ensure members are actively engaged - ensure members have the knowledge, resources, encouragement and support to get engaged with club activities.
3. Ensure the engagement is meaningful - members expect the experience to be personally rewarding; enabling members to contribute their unique skills and experience is key to this.
4. Design member-focused processes - design your member-facing processes, like membership applications and dues payment, so that they are simple and straightforward for members.
5. Ensure physical elements reinforce service quality – make sure the physical elements of your service (e.g. brochures, websites, uniforms, meals) reinforce the service quality you seek to deliver to members. Don’t underestimate the importance of these elements to members’ perceptions of quality and value.
6. Address problems early and quickly – where people are concerned, problems are inevitable. Ensure members know how to communicate complaints and address them early and quickly. The upside? Complaints resolved well frequently lead to greater customer loyalty!
7. Match price with perceived value – when it comes to services (rather than goods) members consider the non-financial costs (time and effort) as well as the financial costs in their perceptions of value. Ensure the total costs of membership represent good value, through members’ eyes.
8. Measure satisfaction regularly – it’s important to measure members’ satisfaction levels on a regular basis. Use formal and informal methods; don’t just ‘trust your gut’.
9. Co-ordinate your communications - Make sure your internal and external communications deliver a consistent and co-ordinated message, look and feel. Branding is all about creating a positive perception; make sure everything does that.
10. Keep your communications real - In the end, you need to match members’ perceptions (of their actual member experience) with their expectations. Ensure your communications deliver a realistic impression of your club. Don’t overpromise and then under-deliver; keep your communications real.

Incorporating one or more of these research-based insights into your club operations will help clubs grow membership, build a stronger brand and increase support for Rotary’s Foundation. Make it a priority for the new Rotary year.

For 10 years, Jessie lectured in Marketing at the University of Ballarat, helping undergraduate and postgraduate students understand the power of marketing to drive growth and profitability. Her speciality was marketing for services organisations, like Rotary, that sell experiences, rather than goods.