Your primary business website is a great place to let potential visitors learn more about your business. But what happens when that visitor becomes a customer, client, or member?
That new relationship carries new demands, and even though they may vary based on your industry and unique business needs, a member portal is an invaluable tool for keeping members satisfied, employees informed, and your business on track.
The benefits of a member portal are clear, but for many business owners, choosing between off-the-shelf software and custom software can be a challenge.
The best decision incorporates several factors, like the size and nature of your business, your budget, and the capabilities of existing off-the-shelf member portal software. However, many businesses, whether enterprise-level, SMB, or startup, find the benefits of a custom-built member portal far outweigh those of the alternatives.
Why Choose Custom Software for Your Membership Portal?
1
Tailor-made for your business needs.
2
Provides an easy path to user profile creation and management.
One of the most laborious aspects of user and membership acquisition and management is setting up the account, collecting, storing, and protecting user data, and then linking that data with internal databases or resources as required.
Off-the-shelf software can meet those needs, but the functionality rarely is aligned with the internal structure and resources your business relies on.
When you choose custom software to build a membership portal, you can streamline the entire membership process, creating personal logins for your users and immediately connecting them with the functionality and access they need while safely storing and controlling data as necessary.
And, because you’re developing your portal from the ground up, it can be designed to seamlessly integrate with internal systems already in place.
3
Simplifies legacy account management efforts.
Creating new member accounts is one thing, but what about existing members? If your business is established, you may have a robust collection of existing or legacy accounts. Migrating data, membership or otherwise, from one system to another can be a laborious activity, at best.
For example, many of our clients frequently express frustration when dealing with off-the-shelf software compatibility issues, finding that the new software simply doesn’t work well with existing CRMs or other databases and applications. That can lead to lost membership info, unnecessary lag times, poor customer experiences, and ultimately a significant amount of work for your employees.
Building your own membership portal makes it easier to identify any potential legacy account migration issues and address them before or during the development stage. As such, there are few, if any, membership account disruptions or data integrity issues.
4
Secure access to gated materials, billing, subscription, and account services.
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Superior support exactly where and when your members need it.
6
Creates an environment that is well upselling and marketing opportunities.
Your membership portal is more than a place to centralize services, communications, and engagement opportunities. It’s a value statement that shows customers why your organization is the right choice. Don’t let off-the-shelf software underserve your brand.
Schedule your complimentary Innovation Session today to learn how a custom-built membership portal can grow your business and increase membership retention.