Continuity in the time of the Great Resignation

What is the Cost of the Great Resignation?

A record 4.4 million employees quit their jobs in September 2021, a sign that The Great Resignation has no intention of slowing down. With so much employee turnover, is your organization prepared for continuity with automation and processes in place? Or are you now paying the cost of no decision?

So many organizations have decided not to make changes over the past year. Not to invest in new systems that help automate ongoing functions like invoicing, renewal, and onboarding for new members, and not to create automated drip campaigns that promote programs regardless of staff turnover.

Even many organizations who have the software haven’t taken advantage of automation.  “I know I need to do it, but I don’t have the time to sit down and figure it out,” is a phrase I’ve heard over and over when it comes to automation.

That might work to at least keep the status quo in times when things are smooth and you have staffing continuity, but what happens when there’s a pandemic, and a global shift in the attitude toward remote work, and suddenly your employees can find jobs all over the globe without leaving home?

If you didn’t have that continuity in place, then right now you may very well be feeling the cost of not deciding to invest in creating those automated processes.

How Can I Establish Continuity?

So, what now?

If you haven’t already moved toward automation, now is the time to dive in headfirst. Here’s a checklist to help you navigate:

1. Automate invoicing. Make sure you are running automated electronic invoices. You need to be sure that those are going out so that you have money coming in, and with so many people working from home, they need to be electronic. This is crucial.
2. Integrate systems. Integrate your database with your marketing automation software so lists automatically update as things change in your database. With rapid shifts across the job market, data can change frequently. Make sure that your database and your marketing software are in sync.
3. Automate renewal messages. Set up automated renewal campaigns. You shouldn’t need to worry about whether renewal notices are going out if someone from membership or marketing leaves.
4. Web tracking. Make sure you have web tracking set up, so you know where not only your prospects, but also your members, are going on your website. Not only does this provide you with data, but it helps you keep automated marketing going out with drip campaigns based on web visits to prospects, while tracking shifts in your members’ journeys.
5. Content marketing. As members move around, this will help you get updated information on them, as they download new content, to keep your database up-to-date. And as members move to other industries and leave your organization, this helps you bring in new members.
6. Automate drip campaigns. Set up drip campaigns based on landing pages and web tracking information. Start with your most critical products and services. This is often membership but could also be events/exhibits/sponsorship or other products or services. Make a list in order of importance and start with the first item, then move through your list.
7. Automate welcome campaigns. Set up automated onboarding to make sure your new members are getting properly and consistently onboarded with an automated campaign.

Nothing can completely protect your organization from the effects of The Great Resignation. However, putting these things into place can help keep promotion, onboarding and renewal running 24/7/365, freeing up your human resources to focus on other areas while providing continuity that outlives the tenure of any one specific employee.

Beth Arritt

Association Strategist

Beth’s marketing experience encompasses more than twenty-five years of marketing strategy and member/customer engagement in various industries, including puzzles and games, training, education and aviation.

In addition to marketing, Beth has worked in event management and web development, wearing a variety of hats in different positions. She has also been an adjunct professor of marketing at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Beth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Merchandising from James Madison University, a Certificate in Event Management from The George Washington University, and a Masters of Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Phoenix. She has earned numerous awards for her marketing, including two Top Digital Marketer of the Year awards.

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