The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is a professional body for pharmacists in the United Kingdom. It is a membership organisation with over 50,000 members worldwide, which adds emphasis to the role that RPS plays in supporting and representing their member pharmacists.

The RPS is very familiar with the importance of providing “value” to their members by looking for ways to make meaningful engagements. However, doing that at scale across the globe is challenging. 

If you’ve worked for a membership organisation you will know that members will only retain their memberships if they feel they derive value out of the engagement. 

Like many membership organisations the RPS faced the challenge of how to engage with its global membership base in a meaningful way to ensure retention. At the same time, it sought solutions to free up time-consuming membership administration tasks to create more personable connections with its members. And with members spread across different countries and time zones, it can be difficult to maintain personal relationships.

 

Technology has some answers.

Technology like Salesforce has helped the RPS to overcome this challenge. By leveraging its existing technology to automate processes, the RPS has freed up time for its staff to engage more closely with its members regardless of their location, providing them with a personalised touch.

One example of how the RPS has used technology to automate processes is in its membership renewal process. In the past, membership renewal was a manual process that required the RPS staff to send out individual renewal notices to each member. It was a time-consuming labour-intensive process, and yet still it was difficult to track which members had renewed their memberships.

RPS implemented a new marketing automation system within its Salesforce suite that has automated most of the membership renewal process. It sends out personalised renewal emails to members, and tracks which members remain in good standing and which require a bit more nurturing. 

 

The second challenge lay in maintaining relationships with members in an increasingly remote environment post-COVID.  

 

Automating the processes

Events whether in person or increasingly online nowadays is one of the tools that the RPS uses to successfully engage with its members. 

In the past, the event management process was a manual one requiring that staff manually create and distribute event invitations, track RSVPs, and manage event registration, creating several of its own practical challenges.  

Technology has assisted in automating the event management process, freeing up time, once again, so that RPS staff can focus on other tasks, such as engaging with members at events.

These small enhancements using Salesforce technology have led to a more engaged and satisfied membership base.

Here are some specific examples of how the RPS has used technology to engage with its members:

  • Personalised email campaigns: The RPS uses marketing automation to send personalised email campaigns to its members. These campaigns are tailored to the interests of each member, and they provide members with valuable information and resources.
  • Online communities: The RPS hosts a number of online communities where members can connect with each other and share information. These communities provide members with a platform to ask questions, share their expertise, and network with other pharmacists.
  • Webinars and live events: The RPS offers a variety of webinars and live events throughout the year. These events provide members with the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in pharmacy and to connect with other pharmacists from around the world.

 

Modern marketing automation tools are very effective.  They amplify that sense of personalisation without it becoming a significant time cost for the organisation.  

 

We cannot tell you how your community will react but we can offer advice and provide you with the technical tools that allow you to take over the reins of engaging with members and not getting bogged down in the admin of managing a growing membership base. It has helped the RPS a great deal; there’s a high probability that it will help you, too.