Join journey

The problem

As an organisation, the decision was made to move our CRM to SalesForce.  Unless we integrated our revenue generating journeys (Join, Renew, Donate) with SalesForce as well then the whole of this revenue – £36million – would disappear until a solution is found.

To do this, SalesForce require users to create an account to complete a transaction.  Even if you want to donate £5 to the National Trust, you have to create an account.

At the moment, we give users the choice and we know that 15% of users won’t create an account.  Logically, these can be split into 3 broad groups:

1. Those that already have an account
2. Those that can’t be bothered
3. Those who actively choose not to create an account

It’s that last group that we needed to quantify.

The data

I ran a couple of tests on this.  A survey asking users how they felt based on seeing a prototype.  They were given the following options:

• I’d feel so uncomfortable that I wouldn’t join online
• I’m not keen on an account but would join anyway
• I’d rather have the choice but it wouldn’t worry me
• I would expect to have an account

You can see the page that users were shown here.  We have a big banner at the top about having an account.  Then we have a title about creating an account with a sub heading saying that an account is needed.  Next we ask for their title and name (nothing to do with the account creation).  Lastly we have a form section that does the account creation bit.

On Join, 5% of users said they would be so uncomfortable that they wouldn’t join.  On Donate, it was 24%.

That’s £1.7 million on Join and £260k on Donate lost in a worst case scenario.

The solution

With the version that was proposed initially, creating an account looks like a “thing” that users have to do.  It’s also very prominent.  My proposal was to make it look like a much more discreet part of the process.

When we break this down, the only additional step in this process is the password.  We’re taking all the other data anyway.  So, by moving the block for account creation up so that it’s below the sub-heading that talks about it is the first thing that makes more sense.

After that, it’s prominence and language.  Changing “Create your National Trust account” to “Your National Trust account”.  Asking users to “Choose” a password rather than “Create” a password.

These are tiny changes in the scheme of things.  They have zero cost in terms of development.  BUT…

The result

I re-ran the study using the new prototype.  Not a single person said that they felt so uncomfortable that they wouldn’t join online.  Not one.

That’s a potential £2million hole plugged with very little effort, and a couple of days waiting for the studies to complete.  Scarily, this was something that nobody had even thought about measuring until I got involved.