Sitting down with Jane Nettleton the Marketing, Membership & Engagement Manager & Annie Corless the Membership Coordinator at ADAQ we discuss the digital transformation they have undertaken with Causeis and the success they have experienced moving from paper based association, to digital, utilizing the power of iMIS.
The Australian Dental Association (Queensland Branch) (ADAQ) is the professional association for Dentists in Queensland. They represent more than 4000 members across the State.
ADAQ advocate for its members, and work with government and other bodies to develop oral health policy and resources which will provide for improved oral health of all Queenslanders.
ADAQ supports the practise and development of dentistry in Queensland through the design, support and delivery of education and professional services to member dentists and dental students.
ADAQ’s Year in Review
ADAQ has gone through a huge change over the last 12 months. Annie and Jane joined the organisation at a pivotal time as it has undergone a massive transformation over the past 12 months. Starting from a 100% paper-based organisation to completely reshaping the membership experience by transiting to digital platforms and introducing online payments.
As an association, the key change we have made is, in the way we think. The core focus of the project was about the Member experience; we wanted to ensure all users had a positive experience when engaging with the website, whether it was to purchase membership, or professional indemnity insurance, sign up to an event, or access resources.
Another key aspect of the ADAQ transformation has been automation. Previously, acknowledging Membership payments or event registrations was a manual process, however, since working with Causeis we have been able to automate several processes and communications which has resulted in a more efficient workforce.
A First for ADAQ
In 2019, ADAQ Members were offered the opportunity to renew their membership online for the first time. Prior to this it was all paper based and membership invoices were posted out and returned via mail or fax.
The digital transformation allowed Members to login to their personalised member portal and renew their membership by paying online via EFTPOS or BPAY. In the first year of going digital, ADAQ had huge success with 60% of Members choosing to renew online, in our second year, this increased to over 70%.
Communication is Key
Communication to Members is key to the organisation. We have recently started utilising Higher Logic’s Informz Email Marketing platform, which allows us to send bulk emails, segment, and categorise our members to provide them with personalized communications.
Having the ability to personalise communications has enhanced the member experience and increased sentiment. Members feel more connected to the organisation and the President, they feel ‘supported’ as a result of our communications, in-turn ADAQ are continuing to see an incline in membership numbers.
This year we introduced an SMS Marketing Tool which was part of our membership renewals communication plan. Within an hour of sending the first SMS, the call rate was significantly increased, this communication tool alone had a huge impact upon the renewal rates.
More Time for Improvements
Introducing a personalised member portal where Members can directly update their own details, access information, and download their certificates for membership, insurance and CPD along with tax invoices has resulted in significant efficiencies for ADAQ staff. These resources can now focus on other business projects.
Utilising iMIS for all our reporting needs has become much simpler and easier. We are now able to view Membership data, renewals tracking and event registrations at the click of a button.
iMIS is a Key Player
For ADAQ iMIS has been a godsend. We have had a huge organisational shift and have managed to significantly change the way Members engage with us in a short period of time.
Surviving COVID-19
Our 2020-21 renewals period came about during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Like most industries, the pandemic took a toll on Dentistry. Therefore, we wanted Members to feel supported as best as possible and introduced several new payment options.
Members were able to choose the payment option that best suited their circumstance, they could choose from:
- Deferring payments
- Quarterly payments via direct debit, or
- Paying in full.
Without introducing these flexible options our membership renewals may not have been as successful.
What does the future hold?
We have been working with Causeis for two years and are continuing to undergo transformations in every area of the business.
The next key project providing online registrations for our RTO, with this we are also looking at a number of software bridges that will assist in linking platforms, which again will continue to create efficiencies for the team.
Michelle and the Causeis team have brought more than just the implementation of iMIS to our organisation. We have worked with them very closely on our association strategy, best practices and how to best move forward as an organisation and they have been able to provide us with plenty of valuable advice.
Their experience working with a number of membership associations is really invaluable; they’ve brought more than just technical support to our organisation and they’ve provided us with a wealth of recommendations that we have been able to take on board to be able to continue on forward year on year.
Any Last Thoughts
Technology is the way of the future, adopting change is always hard but the results for organisations can be significant. ADAQ has become more agile but as an organisation we continue to grow and strengthen.