12 Tips to Understand and Reduce Member Churn
Member churn, or member attrition, can be defined as the percentage rate with which members leave your organization or program within a specific period. Understanding and curbing member churn is vital for any business, but for a travel program, it is vital for an organized, stable, and growing customer base. Let’s look at some strategies that will help you understand, address, and reduce member churn.
1. Analyze Churn Data
The initial step in reducing member churning is to understand why this occurs. It is important to analyze data regarding member exits. Plan and implement exit interviews or member surveys to understand why members are leaving the platform.
At the same time, track patterns of usage, which would eventually reveal early signs of disengagement.
Tools like Google Analytics or a CRM may be handy in gathering and illustrating this type of data so that it becomes more readily apparent to spot trends and problems that might be causing churn.
If you use a privately labeled platform like Custom Travel Solutions, you can analyze this data in the back office provided by this partner.
2. Simplify Onboarding Processes
First impressions with your organization determine how the rest of their time with you goes - positively shaping an entire experience. Although a seamless, engaging onboarding process would help new members feel welcome and enjoy their membership, here are some considerations: send personalized welcoming messages, offer tutorials or guides on using your services, and check in frequently with them in the first weeks following membership.
At Custom Travel Solutions, we offer our clients a comprehensive onboarding kit that allows them to highlight the benefits of their program and provide tips and tricks to maximize usage. This includes emails, videos, and webinars to help members feel at ease with your program.
3. Increase Member Engagement
Engaging your members in your brand's activities tends to decrease their chances of churning. There is always room for interaction between the brand and other members through online forums, webinars, or events. Services, content, and communications should also be up-to-date.
Change your offerings frequently to keep the interest of the members and them engaged in their membership. Social media and email newsletters are excellent avenues for frequently engaging members.
Custom Travel Solutions’ membership engagement program is designed to offer tailored campaigns to your members, ensuring they are consistently engaged and keep returning for more.
4. Present Tailored Experiences
Each individual has different requirements and preferences. Data analytics can help you design custom recommendations and experiences for each member, or integration with travel solutions that offer such data analytics could also help.
This not only enhances their satisfaction but also increases their loyalty to your organization. Through services such as Segment or Google Optimize, you can collect data and deliver custom content to members based on their previous behavior, preferences, and activity within your platform.
5. Deliver exceptional customer service
Good customer care is one of the reasons your customers leave or stay. Ensure your customers' support team is responsive, helpful, and well-trained in handling the most common issues.
Reach members through different communication channels, such as the phone, email, and live chat, and ensure to give them prompt responses to their questions. Tools such as Zendesk or Intercom help simplify communication to provide efficient and timely support to members.
At Custom Travel Solutions, we ensure your members are supported through all possible channels; our customer support team is available to members 24/7 via chat, email, WhatsApp, and call. We use the power of AI analytics to improve our team with each interaction.
6. Engage Feedback Loops
Your members are your best source of information on improving your services. Try to get feedback from them regularly by sending surveys, using suggestion boxes, or reaching out to the members themselves.
This will form a basis for helping you improve the services. The fact that you care and take action on what the member says is actually making them feel appreciated, as well as enhancing your services. You can use tools such as SurveyMonkey or Typeform to collect feedback quickly and easily and track responses over time.
7. Offer Flexible Membership Options
One size does not fit all. Offering flexible membership options tailored to different needs and budgets can help retain members even when their circumstances change. Whether it’s monthly vs. annual subscriptions or varying tiers of benefits, giving members flexibility can make it easier for them to stay. CTS’ travel benefits and services are entirely customizable, allowing you to choose from different line items to create tiered plans based on your member’s needs.
8. Monitor and Address Early Warning Signs
Keeping an eye on early signs of disengagement, such as missed payments or reduced activity, can help you intervene before a member decides to leave. Reach out proactively to these members to understand their concerns and offer solutions, such as downgrading their membership or providing incentives to stay. This kind of proactive customer retention can make a big difference.
9. Create a Strong Community
Building a sense of community among your members can foster loyalty. Whether through an online forum, social media groups, or exclusive in-person events, creating spaces where members can interact with each other will increase their connection to your organization. Members who feel like they’re part of a community are much more likely to stay. Platforms like Slack or Facebook Groups can be great tools to create these communities.
10. Reward Loyalty
Implementing loyalty rewards can be an effective way to encourage long-term membership. Reward members who stay with exclusive perks, discounts, or recognition. Not only does this incentivize members to stick around, but it also makes them feel appreciated. Our platform allows you to use your own loyalty currency to reward members for desired behavior or you can choose from off-the-self currencies we have available.
11. Regularly Update Your Offerings
Keep your services relevant by regularly updating your offerings based on member feedback and industry trends. Whether it's new content, improved services, or added benefits, making sure your offerings are always fresh will keep members engaged and excited about staying with you. Review your options for travel benefits and add a new one now and then to keep things fresh and exciting.
12. Communicate Value Consistently
Ensure your members are always reminded of the value they receive from their membership. Regularly communicate updates, share success stories, and highlight new benefits. This will reinforce why they joined in the first place and why they should continue their membership. Newsletters, personalized emails, and in-app notifications can be great ways to communicate value consistently.
By implementing these strategies, you can gain valuable insights into why members leave and take proactive steps to reduce member churn. It’s important to remember that reducing churn is an ongoing effort that requires constant monitoring, feedback, and adaptation to keep your members happy and loyal.