Martin Götherström, a business consultant at Softronic, writes here about his experiences working with membership systems and CRM solutions. Drawing on his background in membership organizations and a strong user-centric approach, he shares his thoughts on how we can create real value for members through smart membership systems and CRM solutions.
I’ve worked with membership systems for much of my professional life—both on the operational side and as a consultant. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
Technology in and of itself is worthless. It is only when it makes everyday life easier that it becomes valuable.
When I worked at a labor union, I was in charge of the membership system. That’s when I truly understood how much a system affects people—not just numbers and workflows, but real members and real employees who are trying to do a good job.
- A case worker who has to answer a difficult question.
- A new member who wants to feel welcome.
- A member who is concerned about their job and needs quick, accurate advice.
In those situations, it actually matters whether something takes seven clicks or three.
My personal motto has become:
- The one with the fewest clicks wins!
It’s not about being a technician. I’m not one. It’s about respect for the organization and its members.
A good membership system should:
- guide the user in the right direction without requiring manuals
- gather all relevant information in one place
- reduce stress, not create it
- make it easy to do the right thing
When technology works at its best, you don’t even think about it. You just get to work.
And suddenly, what I usually call a CRM “hallelujah” moment happens.
Today, I work with Dynamics 365-based solutions for membership organizations. What I’m passionate about isn’t modules, licenses, or architecture. It’s the value—what the organization actually gets out of it. And even more importantly—what the member notices.
A modern membership system should not be an administrative necessary evil. It should serve to strengthen the relationship between the organization and its members.
In future posts, I’ll be writing more about, among other things:
- how the entire membership journey fits together,
- how business logic comes from the “front lines,”
- why payments are often underestimated,
- and why the future value for members begins with our operations—not with technology.
But it all starts here.
With the realization that technology is not the goal.
Member benefit is the goal.
Softronic Member Solution
The membership management solution of the future, offering a comprehensive and future-proof SaaS platform for membership organizations. The platform streamlines the member experience, fee management, service requests, and communication—and is continuously evolving to ensure innovation, security, and low operating costs.
Softronic Pay – we make payments easier!
Softronic PAY is a comprehensive payment solution for your members that makes it easy to set up automatic payments via Swish and Autogiro, and also offers manual payment methods such as eFaktura, Swish, and Kivra.