CUSTOMERS
How sheepCRM resolved the Biochemical Society’s CRM challenges.
Biochemical Society
"We needed a system that worked. Our previous system had become unsustainable. Fields were populating incorrectly, direct debits weren't firing, credit card payments were malfunctioning, and the sign-up process was horrendous.
Since switching to sheepCRM, we've seen significant improvements. Payments are now processed smoothly, without any errors or unexpected charges. The registration process is much more user-friendly, and our staff can easily track payments. sheepCRM has provided us with the functionality we need while being simpler to use and more reliable than our previous system."
Lorraine Reese, Associate Director
Who are the Biochemical Society:
The Biochemical Society is a membership organisation and professional body dedicated to advancing molecular bioscience, promoting its importance as a discipline, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and expertise, and supporting molecular bioscientists across all career stages.
Leading the Society's charge into a new digital era is Lorraine Reese, Associate Director of Events and Marketing, who was instrumental in transitioning from their existing, complex CRM system to a more efficient and accessible solution.
The challenges:
The previous CRM system was proving to be more of a hindrance than a help. The system was difficult to maintain as it had been heavily customised over the years, making it very un-user-friendly, complex, and counterproductive.
Its inefficiencies impacted member services, creating a complex web of inaccuracies and complications that needed improvement for the Society's growth.
"I've worked for the Biochemical Society for over six years and have witnessed the importance of providing our members with a positive experience when they join or renew," mentioned Lorraine.
"Being a membership organisation, we encounter various membership scenarios, encompassing academic and industry members and individual and group student members. Each scenario presents its own complexities, from the joining process to payment methods. Our overly complicated and heavily customised CRM prevented us from delivering this positive experience, and we had reached a critical point."
"Fields were populating incorrectly which led to inaccurate data, direct debits weren't firing, credit card payments were malfunctioning, and the sign-up process was horrendous,", Lorraine said.
The Biochemical Society needed a solution to quickly fix the functionality issues they were facing, and also make the sign-up process for new members more straightforward.
"The wealth of knowledge we gained from sheepCRM has been tremendous, it's not every day you come across a CRM provider that brings the best practices from various industries to your doorstep."
Lorraine Reese, Associate Director
The solution:
Simplifying employee and member experiences
The Biochemical Society needed a solution to reduce the noise from their outdated Salesforce-based system, improve member experiences, and instil confidence in their data and financial reporting. After shortlisting a number of suppliers, the Society selected sheepCRM, a modern membership CRM.
"sheepCRM came into our lives as a temporary replacement, but its robust features and simplified processes mean it’s likely to stay for much longer," Lorraine said.
"Now, we can see everything we need to see when we need to see it. Our data is reliable, our processes are streamlined, and our members are happier. It's like a breath of fresh air."
Revamping processes with sheepCRM:
Transitioning to sheepCRM opened up opportunities for the Biochemical Society, allowing the team to re-evaluate and simplify their operations. Compared to Salesforce, sheepCRM’s simplified approach provided an incentive to streamline, a transformation that Lorraine and the membership and finance teams saw as an advantage rather than a hindrance.
What stood out for the Biochemical Society during the setup process was sheepCRM's support, particularly from Joe.
"Joe was a true expert on the system," Lorraine explained.
"He immediately recognised the reality of our existing situation and could advise on solutions, but could equally identify opportunities to adapt our processes in order to deliver more value.
Having a supplier who's also a critical friend is more than essential - it's a huge plus. They bring their experience of other organisations’ best practices to us."
The future:
sheepCRM has brought about significant transformations and the Biochemical Society sees this as the beginning of its journey towards complete digital transformation.
The move to sheepCRM has many benefits that streamlined the Biochemical Society's operations and member management.
"The simplification of our processes was like hitting a refresh button," Lorraine described.,
"Our member onboarding no longer requires manual input, easing the way for our members to join and saving our membership and finance teams so much time."
The intuitive and simple to use automation capabilities of sheepCRM revolutionised their communication approach, increasing the frequency and number of automatic emails.
"The wealth of knowledge we gained from sheepCRM has been tremendous,"
Lorraine said., "It's not every day you come across a CRM provider that brings the best practices from various industries to your doorstep."
As the Society moves forward, they're confident sheepCRM will scale with them as
they grow. As they see it, the future is promising.
"sheepCRM has provided us with the functionality we need while being simpler and more reliable than our previous system."
Summary:
The Biochemical Society significantly improved its membership management by transitioning from its old system to sheepCRM, resulting in enhanced data reliability, streamlined processes, and significant time savings.
The built-in integration with their payment gateways has been instrumental in achieving these improvements, eliminating the previous issues with automated renewals.
This integration has proven invaluable in saving considerable time for their finance team, particularly when reconciling payments. The finance team and the Society’s members have benefited from these enhancements, improving both team and member experiences.
“Having a supplier who's also a critical friend is more than essential - it's a huge plus. They bring their experience of other organisations’ best practices to us."
Lorraine Reese, Associate Director
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