The Member Journey Paradox

Let’s talk about the Elephant in your member portal. You’ve spent a small fortune on fancy digital tools that were supposed to create amazing member experiences. But instead, they’re actively frustrating your members and driving them away.

Harsh? Maybe. Accurate? Absolutely.

Your website, member portal, event system, and email platform were all purchased with the best intentions. Yet collectively, they’re creating such a disjointed experience that members are questioning whether you know them at all.

Welcome to the Member Journey Paradox. The place where more tech often leads to worse experiences. Let’s break down this digital disaster and fix it before your renewal rates tank even further.

Why It’s Broken

Your membership team isn’t trying to create this fragmented experience. They’re victims of a technical nightmare that’s evolved over time:

1. The “Collection of Shiny Objects“ Problem

Most membership organisations have accumulated a digital yard sale of tools:

• A membership database from 2015
• An email platform chosen by a marketing director who left three years ago
• An event system selected because it was “good enough“
• A learning platform that nobody fully understands

Each system does its one job decently, but collectively? Digital chaos.

2. The “Human API“ Syndrome

To compensate, your team has become human middleware:

• Downloading and uploading CSV files between systems (thrilling work!)
• Manually updating member records after events (definitely what they dreamed of doing with their careers)
• Creating elaborate spreadsheets to track things that should be automated (spreadsheet gymnastics as a job requirement)

These manual processes aren’t just soul-crushing for your team, they guarantee inconsistent member experiences.

3. The “Eventually Consistent“ Fantasy

Even when data does move between systems, it’s rarely timely:

• A new member joins but can’t access member benefits for 48 hours
• Someone updates their email address but still gets communications to their old one
• A member registers for three events but your team has no idea they’re suddenly highly engaged

In an age where Amazon can deliver packages in hours, these delays make your organisation feel stuck in the digital dark ages.

Meet John... Your Frustrated Member

Let’s follow a typical member journey to see where it all goes wrong:

John joins your professional association:

1. Joins: Completes an application and payment through your website
   • Reality Check: His details sit in payment limbo for days before hitting your CRM
2. Onboarding: Gets a generic welcome email with login instructions
   • Reality Check: The portal has zero awareness of his interests or why he joined
3. First Event: Registers for a webinar
   • Reality Check: Has to create a separate account and re-enter information you already have
4. Professional Development: Completes several online courses
   • Reality Check: Your membership team has no clue about his achievements
5. Renewal Time: Receives a generic “time to renew“ email
   • Reality Check: The communication makes no mention of his engagement or value received

Each disconnect is a moment where John thinks: “Do they even know who I am?“

What a Connected Member Journey Actually Looks Like

When your systems communicate properly, the member experience transforms:

John’s journey could be completely different:

1. Joins: Application automatically creates his profile across all systems, triggering a personalised welcome sequence
2. Onboarding: Receives recommendations based on his specific interests and goals
3. First Event: Logs in to find his details pre-populated and suggestions for other relevant events
4. Professional Development: Accomplishments automatically update his profile and inform future communications
5. Renewal: Gets a personalised renewal notice showing exactly how he’s benefited: events attended, resources used, connections made

This isn’t fantasy, it’s what proper integrated CRM technology delivers.

How to Fix Your Fragmented Member Experience

1. Use a CRM such as HubSpot

HubSpot isn’t just another platform in your tech collection. Use it as the central nervous system of your digital ecosystem - the hub that connects everything.

With its extensive API capabilities and pre-built integrations, HubSpot can serve as the integration engine that ties your disparate systems together.

2. Map Your Ideal Data Flow (Finally)

Figure out what information needs to go where:

• Which system should “own“ different types of member data?
• What needs to be updated in real-time vs. periodically?
• Which member actions should trigger cross-system workflows?

Without this map, you’re just connecting wires randomly and hoping for the best.

3. Build Two-Way Connections

Real integration means data flows in both directions. When a member updates their profile in your portal, it should automatically update in your marketing platform, event system, and everywhere else.

This isn’t technical luxury, it’s the bare minimum for a decent member experience in 2025.

4. Create Cross-Platform Member Journeys

With connected systems, you can design experiences that span your entire tech ecosystem:

• A new member registration can trigger coordinated actions across all platforms
• Event participation can inform content recommendations
• Resource engagement can trigger personalised follow-up based on topic interest

Fix Your Member Journey

The solution to the Member Journey Paradox isn’t buying more tools; it’s connecting the ones you already have.

With HubSpot as your integration hub and a proper technical strategy, you can transform your digital touchpoints from frustration points into a seamless experience that actually makes members feel valued.

At Burrows Consultancy, we specialise in solving exactly this problem for membership organisations. Our 25+ years of technical expertise means we’ve seen every integration nightmare imaginable, and fixed many of them!