The CIPD membership renewals engagement strategy: an overview
The challenge: enhancing CIPD members’ user experience
In a series of consultation meetings with CIPD staff from several departments the particular challenges of streamlining the renewals process became clear.
The annual May to September membership renewal drive is the most important and resource-intensive period for CIPD. When CIPD and the CEU embarked on the engagement process, an online payment system was already in place and reminders for renewals were sent out through a series of posted mail-outs during the summer. Because the heavy administrative workload took time away from servicing members, CIPD was keen to completely re-think the renewals process – and cScape accepted the challenge to do it with them. The aim was to renew as many of the 127,000 members as quickly and as easily as possible.
The customer engagement strategy: a creative solution
cScape’s recommended engagement strategy was based on a series of tightly focused, targeted and creative HTML emails. We used digital communication – both emails and the CIPD website – to complement and enhance CIPD’s existing communication strategy to increase online renewals. The targeted emails differentiated the audience between members who had renewed, members who had not renewed, direct debit subscribers and lapsed members. The initial emails were incentivised; early completion was rewarded with an exclusive report on careers, worth £50 and created by CIPD’s Professional Knowledge and Information department.
Through careful planning and an in-depth understanding of the on-the-ground challenges, CIPD was able to implement an innovative and effective solution without burdening staff and members with complicated or inaccessible technologies.
Outcome: success beyond expectations
The engagement strategy for membership renewals had an impact on all payment channels, with online payments increasing by 277% by the 2006 renewal due date on 1 July and by 200% by the membership lapse date. The net effect also benefited the offline renewals. Members embraced the incentivised offer; 2006 saw an increase of 22,876 online membership renewals before the lapse date.
A key aspect of cScape’s engagement strategies is the multiple intangible benefits. For instance, CIPD employees noticed a great increase in customer satisfaction and a boost in staff morale. The benefits were felt across several departments: the Customer Services department freed up time due to the decrease in telephone enquiries and the Finance department processed less posted payments. The marketing team, which handles membership growth initiatives, saw great success rates and the Professional Knowledge and Information department raised their profile through the increased availability of the publication that was used as an incentive for early renewals.
cScape and CIPD: a longstanding partnership
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people. cScape has worked closely with CIPD since 1997 on projects encompassing strategy, design, technical and marketing expertise. In the spring of 2006, CIPD asked cScapes’ Customer Engagement Unit (CEU) for advice on making their membership renewals process smoother, so that they could enhance their members’ online experience. The outcomes were thrilling for both organisations and, most importantly, CIPD’s members have responded with great enthusiasm.