Membership Cancellations: What’s the Best Policy?

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to a membership site owner is when a member decides that they want to cancel their membership.

Ideally, if you have a solid membership business model and great value, this won’t happen often, but it’s a natural occurrence for a membership business owner.

Although membership cancellations are no fun, please remember that the way you handle them is crucial. Your actions during this time can directly impact the success of your online business in the long-run.

In this post, we are going to discuss some best practices, so you can make sure that you are handling your cancellations with style and grace!

Don’t Take It Personally

The first and probably the most important step to take when dealing with a cancellation request is not to take it to heart.

Your customer did not cancel their membership subscription just to hurt your feelings and no, and this does not mean that they don’t like you as a person. Every customer has their reasons for not wanting to continue their membership, so the last thing you need to do is stress yourself over every possible reason for them canceling.

Get Feedback

Rather than worrying yourself sick about why your member canceled, it’s a good idea to ask for feedback so you can better understand their departure.

Creating a brief, a simple survey can help you see where your membership site is thriving and where it could use some more work. Collecting feedback from customers who are leaving or who are headed in that direction can help you develop a strategy to either bring back lapsed members or keep members subscribed.

Don’t Make Canceling Difficult

Another major mistake some membership site owners make is making it hard for current members to cancel their membership. This practice is not only unfair to the customer, but it also makes your online business look untrustworthy.

As much as you may hate to do it, make the process to cancel straightforward. Ensure that your members can easily find the contact information for customer service and don’t force your customers to wait forever to hear back from someone.

Follow Up

Many membership site owners think that, once a member cancels, that’s it. This isn’t true! You still have a chance to reach out to that customer, even after they have withdrawn!

Use your email marketing software to retarget the customers who have canceled and reach out to them. Let them know that they were valued customers, that you would love to have them back, and to please contact your business for any questions or assistance about your product or service. Also, don’t be afraid to offer an incentive to come back. You could offer a renewal discount to their subscription or an online course, provide free content, or ask for more feedback, in case they didn’t leave any the first time.

Maintain Your Dignity

You want customers coming to your site every day, but there will be times when customers are not happy with what you have to offer and want to leave. Never allow this circumstance to make you or your employees come out of character or make bad decisions out of desperation.

Some customers will threaten to leave a bad review online or just be downright rude. However, it is always imperative that you take the high road and treat even the most unhappy customers with respect. This helps to keep the situation from escalating and maintains the professionalism that you want your business to have. Never push a customer to leave, but never beg them to stay either. Present the facts, let them make a decision, and respect it, no matter how unhappy the customer is or how unreasonable their logic is for leaving.

Final Thoughts

Let’s face it – membership cancelations are no fun. However, it’s an unavoidable part of the business and perfectly natural – it happens to the best of us! When you encounter this situation in your membership business, be sure to remember that it is always better to handle these situations professionally, promptly, and positively.

How do you handle cancellation requests in your membership site?

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Jessica Starks

Jessica is a creative entrepreneur and professional writer who strives to use her talents to both entertain and educate. In her spare time, she loves reading, writing, genealogy, and spending time with her family.

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