If you want an online membership service you need to make your members your first priority.

Does that sound a bit obvious?

That’s because there is a common misconception that the main area of focus is in getting members (aka ‘sales and marketing’). The fact is, however, that the cost (in time, effort and advertising) of finding a new member is much higher than keeping a member who you already have.

So, give the people who have already joined your time, attention and effort to be sure they stay with you. And, in remaining a member and getting a great experience, they’ll start sharing your service with their friends too.

A few weeks ago my blog spoke about the member’s journey. For ongoing customer service this is really important. So when you are planning your service, don’t just think about what you want members to be doing at each point but also consider their experience and how you might help them.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you plan:

• How do I make sure my members make a strong start?
• How easy is it for new members to find all my great content?
• What do I do if a member hits problems when they sign up?
• How do I support members who are accessing my services via a range of devices?
• How do I tell who might be struggling to engage with my content?
• How do help a member who can’t get the results they want from the service?
• How can a member get in touch with me if they have a problem?
• How long should it take for a member to get a reply if they send an e-mail?
• If a member wants to leave what is my next move to encourage them to stay?
• How do I learn from my members’ experiences to improve my customer service?

It seems a lot to take in, I know, but thinking it though in the planning stage means that you have to do less reacting when members need to reach out to you.

Then you’ll have happy, engaged members who receive a great service and will stick around for years. Which is what it is all about, isn’t it?