Ugh... I've now learned (the hard way) that people will be locked out of the helpful pages we've set up if they are "pending renewal" or "lapsed" -- so, be careful about how you set up renewals... again, though, this is why we need a dedicated renewal link.

This is a good point, I will move this to our wishlist for consideration in product enhancements.

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Dmitry Buterin, Chief Apricot

We are hearing you and are analyzing our options to improve this.

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Dmitry Buterin, Chief Apricot

Thank you!

gypse:

... I believe it has to do with members just not being able to figure out how to renew.  The renewal process doesn't seem to be intuitive.  I've added all sorts of note/links that tell people to use "view profile" to renew (one prominately at the top of the members areas page) and it has helped to reduce the problem. ...

We just started and are already having problems with the logon and renewal process. It needs to be EASY for the member. I don't want to put a bunch of instructions that most people don't read anyway.  Here's what I'd like... In the renewal email, there should be an automated url which takes them to a logon screen.  Then, when they login, they are automatically taken to a renewal page. No instructions to find the login form, or click view profile, or click renew button.

Having said that, I am very happy with our experience with WA so far.  And the customer service has been great. Thanks.

BTW, to those who have posted instructions which helped the process, would you mind posting them or just giving us an idea of where they exist in the flow? Thanks.

Here's what we'd like... Provide a link just to the renewal page (skip the profile page where they have to click on a renewal button as an extra step). In addition, give us the ability to add this same dynamic link as a macro in the renewal email.  After clicking this link, if they are not already logged in, they will be prompted to login and then automatically redirected to the renewal page once again.  No need for instructions to find the login form, or click view profile, or click renew button.

BTW: Is this in the pipeline by any chance? Thanks.

Sorry about the duplicate post. I just saw this thread and realize this is a better place for our comments.

I merged two threads which seemed to be on the same topic.

It's not in the development pipeline yet as we have not determined the best way to handle this - but this thread provides very good ideas which we will try to use.

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Dmitry Buterin, Chief Apricot

Another workaround you can use to make renewal / view profile easier for your members is to add a new page (call it Renew Here, View Profile etc) that automatically redirects to that member's profile. If not logged in you will automatically be asked to login first. See http://support.wildapricot.com/KB/a61/add-a-renew-here-go-to-profile-page.aspx

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Jim Sympathy, Fluid Apricot

What a very clever thing!  I just did it.

(I don't know if this is how it appears on your actual site, but the s is missing from always.)

 Thank you for this idea. 

 

 

 

How did you move the login box to the header?  We wanted to do that with the Classic Blue, move it from the bottom left to the upper right in the header.  We asked WA Support, but they could not seem to get it to work.  With the code they supplied, the box ended up in the middle of the screen, not in the header at all.

Very Clever!

We now have a page called Renew Here.  (We didn't put View Profile because that phrase is already in the login box). And it worked!

Thanks.

GEM 

 

 

I agree.  Since switching to WA we've lost several members who have said that the renewal process is too confusing and they give up.

We are having some of the same issues that people don't understand how to renew and it's not intuitive that view profile will lead you to "renew".

We changed the automatic email to have a CLEAR description of how to renew... BUT as usual people don't read them.  So, I spend a lot of time making outgoing calls to people to ask why they didn't renew. Lots of people say they didn't understand how and are now frustrated. We've started sending many of these folks hard copy invoices and letting these people pay by check... So  the renewal process  has doubled our work in two ways:

1. it's not intuitive and people want me to send an invoice because they are frustrated

2. there is no way to generate an invoice for renewals

We'd love for these two items to be considered together....

Meagan

We have the same problem: members need a clearly marked renew button next to view profile in the login field. 

I agree with everyone.  Many of my members have trouble figuring out how to renew.  My renewal notification email is very specific about how to renew (e.g., Step 1, Step 2, etc.) and still people get lost and end up creating a new membership instead which I then have to delete (if I happen notice it as a duplicate).

Someone said about having Wild Apricot flag records with duplicate names for the admin to review.  Good idea.  I'd extend it to duplicate addresses too.  Of course, these should be admin-specified options whether to flag for potential duplicates or not.  Maybe the admin can choose which field or fields should be checked for duplication.

Last, I agree with the idea that any changes should not affect the height of the header due to custom images that have been sized for the current header height.

I've posted in this thread before, but with a lot of my member renewals dated Feb 1, I am reminded -- yes, this is still very much a problem.  I have to handhold everyone individually who can't figure out how to renew, even with the instructions and the link that I've given them.  There needs to be a renew button. 

 And perhaps this should be on a separate thread -- but it's on the theme of people having trouble renewing.  If they enter in the wrong password, instead of popping up a window telling them to try again, how about presenting a page with the option to try again or click "forget password."?  Yes, I know, it's there on the front page, right next to the login button.  But they're not seeing it, or don't understand it.  And yes, I could give them instructions -- and I do, with a link.  But I've just handled a bunch of requests for people who didn't know what to do because they'd forgotten their password (or they were a secretary trying to pay for their bosses' account and didn't have the password and wanted me to give it to them).

"This is a good idea. I think a way to do it is for lapsed members to prominently display some messaging and redirect to renewal after they log in. What do you think?

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Dmitry Buterin, Chief Apricot"

 

This is a great idea.... and it would be nice if it showed up for ALL bundled members as well!

We lapsed in our payment of Wild Apricot and when we did there was a GREAT BIG RED BAR at the top stating that our membership account had not been paid on time... THIS would be PERFECT if you could integrate a similar functionality in to WA for our members!!!

 

Thanks