Membri 365 case study: Membership Management Software for Associations
Membri 365 is our membership management software developed with Power Apps and part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It is currently being used by more than 50 organizations, who greatly appreciate it for its convenience, simplicity — and results! That was the focus of our recent conversation with Marlène Gaudreault, Director of Operations and Member Services at the Saguenay-Le Fjord regional chamber of commerce. Read on this Membri 365 case study to find out why Membri 365 has been a game-changer for them
Where were you seeing inefficiencies in your day-to-day business practices?
When I was hired in 2018, one of the first things I noticed was that the CRM system was hopelessly out of date. A lot of our operational issues could be traced back to the fact that much of what we did was still being done manually:
Operational tasks to be improved:
Membership renewals
Invoicing
Outstanding amount reminders
Payments
In other words, we were wasting a lot of time on repetitive, easy-to-automate tasks. It was completely counterproductive.
And the thing is, we’re a very active chamber of commerce. We put on lots of activities throughout the year. The fact that our ticket sales and our CRM system weren’t connected was a huge drain on our productivity. We had to check every event registration one by one, by hand. You wouldn’t believe how much time it took!
Plus, we started noticing just how many double entries there were in our database, which meant our numbers were never accurate. And to top things off, our CRM software had been discontinued and there hadn’t been any updates for 10 years. As you can well imagine, the interface was anything but intuitive. That’s how behind the times we were!
So we decided to ask for bids to find a more efficient CRM system.
How did you go about addressing these problems?
Known issues:
Outdated system
Repetitive, time-consuming tasks
Nemrous tasks done manually
Ticket and CRM system didn't ''talk'' to each other
Counterproductive workflow
It wasn’t long before we put together a call for proposals. We were eager to find an intuitive system that would let us automate a bunch of tasks and relieve us of some of the things we had no choice but to do manually at that point. The end goal: improve our productivity. Our chamber of commerce needed a powerful CRM system with an integrated event ticketing solution.
Objectives:
Intuitive interface
Automate multiple tasks
Eliminate manual operations
Boost productivity
A better and more effective CRM experience
Integrated ticketing solution
'' We were won over by the fact that Vendere Group was prepared to tweak the product to suit our needs. That tipped us off that the after-sales support would be top-notch ''.
So how did Membri 365 measure up against the other solutions you looked at?
Membri 365 was already a popular choice among several of our sister chambers of commerce. We asked for some references, and the reviews we got were glowing. And when it came to pricing, Membri 365 was really quite competitive.
We were in contact with Anthony Gentilcore from day one. He was great at answering our questions, and he was so easy to talk to. When we brought up certain “wish list” features, he was very open to exploring our ideas. We were won over by the fact that Vendere Group was prepared to tweak the product to suit our needs. That tipped us off that the after-sales support would be top-notch.
What made us choose Membri 365:
Positive feedback from other chambers of commerce
Good references
Competitive pricing
Trust
Approachability
Dialogue
Ongoing development
Excellent technical support
What was your experience in switching over to Membri 365? What were the steps involved from the initial contact to rollout?
The transition was seamless. The support we received was wonderful, mostly because the Vendere Group team are no strangers to chambers of commerce and how we operate.
The forms they sent us were easy to fill out and they handled the rest of the integration process from there. We launched the new Membri 365 system on time without a hitch.
System implementation experience:
Effortless transition
Excellent support
In-depth understanding of business processes
Easy-to-use tools
Turnkey management
On-time delivery
How do you use Membri 365?
As I mentioned earlier, we hold a lot of events throughout the year, and we need to manage the ticket sales for each one. We’re using the Membri 365 ticketing feature, and it’s linked directly to our website and our accounting software. Plus, all the other things we were doing by hand are part of the Membri 365 system: membership renewals, payments, invoicing and more. Now that it’s all automated, our lives are so much easier!
Business processes:
Ticketing solution linked to the website
Membri 365 integrated into the account system
Automatic renewals
Email and online payments
Invoices sent directly by the system
We are committed to improving the services we offer to our members and being in more regular contact with them. So we use Membri 365 to send surveys and other messages, either pre-programmed or as needs arise. For example, every time a new member joins the organization, they automatically receive a friendly email to welcome them aboard.
Improved membership services:
Surveys
Automated messages
Membri 365’s reporting functions are also great at letting us see the big picture. We present these reports to our Board of Directors to give them a clearer idea of where things stand and where we are headed.
360º analysis:
Dashboards
Reports
Are you happy with Membri 365?
Membri 365 ticks all our boxes. The platform does exactly what we were looking for. The technical support is excellent. We get prompt answers to our questions, and the team is great about developing new functionalities as our needs grow.
The FAQ section in the software is a useful reference. A lot of the answers to our questions are right there. Membri 365 has made things so much easier for us. I’m always quick to recommend it when someone asks me. It is definitely a CRM solution that is made to meet the needs of chambers of commerce, non-profits and other organizations.
Who is the Saguenay-Le Fjord regional chamber of commerce (Chambre de commerce et d’industrie Saguenay-Le Fjord)?
With more than 1,050 active members, the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie Saguenay-Le Fjord was voted Quebec’s best chamber of commerce in May 2021. The team is proactive and dynamic, hosting a wide range of events, training sessions and other activities for its members all year round.
Wondering if we can do wonders for your organization, too?
We can. Contact us to find out how!