How a CRM benefits Trade Unions
Today Trade Unions face unprecedented challenges. Learn how a CRM benefits Trade Unions.
Running a successful and relevant Trade Union in today’s work environment can be difficult. The role of the Union is not as clear to younger workers as it was to the previous generation and many workers question the need for a Union at all.
More than ever, a Trade Union needs to sell itself to workers and to expand what it does for workers to reach the next generation. This requires an efficient workflow and concrete marketing plan. You need to approach running a Trade Union the same way you’d approach running a for-profit industry.
Yet, with many Unions facing a shrinking workforce — and less dues because of that – you’ll need to do all that with less resources.
A CRM solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help you accomplish that.
The amount of money allocated to technology improvements in your Union might be limited and a fully customized implementation of Dynamics 365 might seem out of reach. That’s why CRM Dynamics an HSO Company has created an out-of-the-box CRM for Unions that fits a reduced budget.
Dynamics Association Blueprint (DAB) takes advantage of Microsoft’s powerful platform, but allows those with lower technology budgets to consider making the change from their less efficient legacy systems.
DAB will assist Unions in all aspects of their operation. From member management to data reporting to development planning, DAB can do it all!
Specifically, these are four ways DAB for Unions makes sense:
1. Improved work processes
Unions need to operate under the same principles as for-profit industries do. Yes, the end goals are slightly different, but ultimately both are trying to do the same thing – to find ways to grow and serve who they are targeting. The only difference is that rather than customers, a Union is serving its members. So, anything that helps your staff do more with less is an asset worth pursuing. DAB is that asset. It will help you organize the daily workflow in a way that makes more sense. Instead of wasting staff’s time doing tasks that can be automated, you can have them working on projects that are going to bring in funds – that’s staffing money saved that will directly benefit your cause.
2. Talk to the kids
As the workplace gets younger it is important that you find ways to connect with them on their terms. This is especially vital in a media and political environment that has not always been positive about Trade Unions. You need to get you message to young people so they understand how you benefit workers, regardless of age.
Social Media is one of the best ways to get your message to Millennials and Gen Zers. It truly influences everyone and everything. However, it can be very difficult for an association with limited resources to track Social Media and to figure out what to do with the information they find.
With a CRM you can let the software do the heavy lifting. You can learn what is being said about your association and your industry on Social Media and then evaluate that from the 360° view of the information that a CRM will provide.
And since we know that most people younger than 35 are on Social Media, the information you are gathering will be largely about those younger workers. That will allow you to craft a message that resonates with them.
3. Communicate important information
It is vital for a Trade Union to communicate with its members effectively. The information you are trying to get out can have direct impact on their working lives and it does no one any good if it doesn’t get to them.
However, today people are inundated with information. You need to make sure that you are delivering material that will be opened and you need to track whether the member has actually read the material you send.
With DAB you can identify what individual members have been receptive to in the past and then grouping them into distribution lists with like-minded members. If you do that effectively your material will get read more often. DAB can also be set-up to allow you to track whether your mailings have been opened. That way you can be assured that important material has been widely shared.
4. Help members stay up-to-date on their skill requirements
As a Trade Union professional you understand how challenging the job market is in 2019. This is especially the case in fields like manufacturing where disruptive technology is eliminating a great deal of good, well paying jobs.
One of the most important things a Union can do is to help its members improve their skills so they stay competitive in a tough job market.
DAB can assist you in doing that.
One way it can help is by keeping track of what each member has accomplished in training and upskilling already and what they need to moving forward. Let’s say a member must complete 10 hours of training course each year and then renew that skill every three years. DAB will track that and make sure that the member stays up to date.
In the unfortunate circumstance of a mass lay-off this type of tracking can be invaluable as you assist your members in finding new work.
These are just a few reasons why a CRM for Trade Unions makes sense. If you’d like to see a demo of how DAB might work for your trade union or organization, give us a shout!