Responsive Communication Keeps your Membership Happy
Updated: Nov. 18, 2013 | Categories: Responsive Communication
We’ve become a very immediate society.
If someone asks you something you don’t know the answer to, you probably grab your phone and “google it.”
Your members and prospective members do the same. When they want information about an event or dues, or have an issue, they expect the answer at their fingertips.
Here are some tips for responding to inquiries in a timely fashion.
Often, organizations have a general “info@” email inbox that can end up being a black hole. To avoid frustrating people who are trying to reach you, list staff roles and email addresses on your Contact Us page.
For example, provide separate contact emails for membership inquiries, volunteer opportunities, and other areas.
If you must use a generic email address on your website, have it automatically forwarded to a specific person who can route the question correctly.
Social Media
On social media, people expect speedy replies.
Rather than keeping your social media accounts open all day, which can end up being a major distraction, set your social media sites to notify you when your account is mentioned or someone posts on your page.
For most social media sites, check your account settings to specify how and when you are alerted to activity related to your user name.
Be sure to respond as soon as you see the alert. A simple “Please send more details to our email address” or “We will look into your issue” is appropriate when you don’t have an immediate answer. Providing timely responses to inquiries will save you future frustration and headaches.
Update Your FAQ Section Frequently
Sometimes the best offensive is a great defense.
By regularly keeping up with the Frequently Asked Questions page on your website, you may fend off some inquiries.
If you find your organization consistently answers the same questions over and over again via email or phone, perhaps that specific piece of information isn’t easy to find on your website.
Put yourself in the shoes of your members and prospective members, and add a link to your Frequently Asked Questions page wherever they are most likely to find it when they need it. In addition, update the page with answers whenever prevalent new questions arise.
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