Reine Johansson works in business development and sales within membership and payment solutions. With extensive experience in membership organizations, he shares his perspectives here on one of the most important issues facing membership organizations today—who actually owns the member journey.
It’s a simple question—but the answer is rarely as simple.
In many organizations today, the member journey—just like the customer and representative journeys—is fragmented.
Not by design, but because of the structure.
The journey is rarely managed within a single membership system or CRM.
Instead, it spans a patchwork of systems—often as many as 10 different applications—that together make up the organization’s digital landscape.
And what about responsibility?
It’s divided.
- IT is responsible for operations
- The business unit is responsible for the applications
- The Finance Department is responsible for payment flows and revenue
Add to that several different suppliers, and the complexity becomes clear.
The result?
No one has overall responsibility.
And when no one owns the whole, no one fully optimizes it either.
The Real Problem
This is not primarily a systemic issue.
It is a matter of responsibility.
To succeed, a clear owner is needed—a role or function with the authority to:
- map the member journey from start to finish
- coordinate data flows between systems
- ensure a cohesive experience
- Drive business value: increased conversion, improved cash flow, and reduced churn
But here’s the real key
It’s not enough to just coordinate what already exists.
You need to change the very foundation.
- Move away from a fragmented system landscape
- Toward a Coherent Business System
There:
- Data is collected in one place
- processes are interconnected
- The entire journey for members, customers, and representatives can be managed and optimized
This isn’t just about improving efficiency.
It’s a prerequisite for working in a data-driven way and, in the next step, succeeding with AI.
The Hidden Risk
Many organizations continue to procure systems on a piecemeal basis.
A new CRM here.
A payment solution there.
A web project on the side.
The result?
You end up building on exactly the problem you’re trying to solve.
My recommendation
When organizations undergo major technological shifts, such as moving from on-premises to the cloud, they often establish a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE).
To use extensive experience and expertise to create structure, direction, and guidance.
You should do the same for the member store.
Establish a Member Center of Excellence
With the following responsibilities:
- conduct a preliminary study of your customer journeys
- identify existing and missing applications
- define the vision and architecture
- ensure a cohesive and future-proof journey
Finally
Do not optimize parts.
Build the whole picture.
Because it’s only when someone takes full ownership of the journey that you can really start to develop it.
