Elevate Your Member Journey with CRM + Data + AI + Trust

Associations consistently face growing pressure to meet their members’ evolving expectations. With the challenges of a new economy come higher expectations for more personalized, meaningful interactions across every channel. To succeed, associations must adapt by becoming more member-centric, data-driven, and technologically equipped. 

Being “AI-first” is no longer a luxury in this landscape—it’s a necessity. Associations must consider every platform they use to deliver superior value and foster deeper member relationships. However, many organizations aren’t set up to do this efficiently. This is where Salesforce comes in, providing associations with the tools to bridge the gap between high member expectations and current operational capabilities.

Introducing Salesforce Foundations

Salesforce introduced Salesforce Foundations at Dreamforce, giving associations free access to a range of powerful tools integrated into their existing Salesforce implementation. This makes starting with a connected Customer 360 approach more accessible, which is vital for delivering a seamless member experience. 

With Salesforce Foundations, your association can now tap into cross-departmental features such as:

• Member Journey Management: Track and nurture every stage of a member’s journey.
• Service Case Resolution Tools: Efficiently manage member inquiries and provide quick support.
• Marketing Email Campaigns: Reach members through personalized campaigns across multiple channels.
• Commerce Storefront: Streamline your event registrations and product sales.

The Foundation for Success: A 360-Degree Member View

While these new technologies are exciting, the real foundation for elevating your member journey is creating a 360-degree view of each member. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is more than just a repository for member information; it’s the key to transforming how you interact with and serve your members. When used effectively, it can profoundly change your members’ experiences.

Imagine if anyone in your organization could instantly see what’s happening with a particular member—whether they registered for an event, responded to an email campaign, or submitted a support request. This unified view would allow your team to be more responsive, offer personalized support, and create a legacy of member-focused engagement. 

However, many associations face challenges in achieving this unified view due to data silos. Different systems collect data for various objectives, such as member management, events, or marketing, leading to fragmented member profiles. The result? Staff is left playing “connect the dots” across different platforms, leading to inefficiencies and mistrust in the data.

Breaking Down Data Silos

Salesforce Foundations tackles this issue head-on by unifying data through Data Cloud. Data Cloud connects to your data sources at hyperscale, using out-of-the-box connectors and the MuleSoft Anypoint Platform to collect data in real-time or batch processes. Regardless of its original format, Data Cloud harmonizes your information into a standard data model, creating a single source of truth for every member.

This unified profile becomes your CRM’s backbone and is activated across all Salesforce applications. With the unified data, associations can now access calculated insights, perform real-time segmentation, analyze results using Tableau, automate triggers, and, crucially, leverage AI to provide a truly connected member experience.

Leveraging AI to Enhance Member Engagement

AI is the linchpin of today’s member-centric strategy. Salesforce’s Einstein AI integrates with Data Cloud, allowing your association to tap into the power of predictive and generative AI to enhance member experiences. Einstein acts as a context engine, utilizing your unified data to predict behaviors, recommend the next best actions, and generate accurate content tailored to each member.

For example, AI can suggest personalized communications based on members’ past interactions or help guide them to relevant programs and events. This level of engagement not only enhances the member experience but also helps build lasting loyalty within your association. 

The AI Revolution is Here—Are You Ready?

We are in the midst of an AI revolution, reshaping how associations engage with their members. Salesforce has been at the forefront of this transformation since the early days of Salesforce Einstein, focusing on predictive AI to change member relationships. Earlier this year, Salesforce entered the next phase with generative AI, launching GPT products that provide productivity boosts for organizations. 

The launch of Agentforce heralds  the third wave of AI: autonomous agents. These agents can communicate with members and perform tasks for you, blending predictive and generative AI capabilities. Think of them as the next generation of bots—not just responding with scripted text but also “thinking” and generating new content to handle interactions autonomously. 

For example, if a member wants to reschedule their volunteer shift, an agent can manage the entire interaction, freeing up your staff for more strategic work. This shift to AI-driven automation will allow your team to focus on delivering superior value to your members while minimizing manual processes.

Trust and Security in the AI Journey

With AI’s growing role in member engagement, data security and privacy are top priorities. Salesforce’s Einstein Trust Layer addresses these concerns by enabling associations to benefit from generative AI without compromising data security. This layer uses dynamic grounding to securely enrich prompts sent to large language models (LLMs), providing relevant outputs while maintaining control over sensitive information.

Most importantly, your data is always stored in Salesforce. As soon as a model processes a prompt, the input and output are forgotten, ensuring your data remains secure and private. This commitment to data security allows associations to harness the power of AI confidently.

Enhancing the Member Journey with Unified Data and AI

Salesforce Foundations equips associations with the tools to create a cohesive member journey that moves individuals from awareness to advocacy. By leveraging Data Cloud, Salesforce Einstein, and Agentforce, your team can activate AI-driven insights to provide personalized, timely member interactions across every touchpoint. 

Change is accelerating, and associations must keep up to remain relevant. Embracing an AI-first, data-driven approach will help you meet current member expectations and position your association for future success.