How Telemarketing Helped a Chamber of Commerce Reconnect with Disengaged Members

A regional Chamber of Commerce, supporting local businesses through membership, events, training and business support, had moved its entry-level membership tier to self-service to reduce the internal resource needed to manage it. Engagement subsequently fell.

Rather than assume these members no longer valued the Chamber, the organisation wanted to understand what was behind the silence. Blueberry Marketing Solutions was brought in to reconnect with members, identify whether there was still interest and understand what support they needed.

Results at a Glance

• 71 of 83 relevant decision-makers interested in re-engaging (86%)
• 11 specific follow-up actions passed to the Chamber team
• 356 CRM details confirmed or updated across 115 businesses
• Most positive responses came from members previously classed as disengaged or partially engaged

When Self-Service Led to Lower Engagement

The Chamber could see that some members were partially engaged while others had stopped engaging altogether, but the CRM could not explain why. Some may no longer have seen value in membership; others may have lost their main contact or simply been unaware of the support available. The Chamber needed direct feedback from members before deciding how best to respond.

Rebuilding Contact without Adding Internal Pressure

We ran a focused five-day campaign using targeted outbound conversations, supported by tailored email follow-up, to reconnect with members, understand what was behind lower engagement and identify where support was still wanted.

The approach was conversational rather than scripted. Callers spoke to members about their business, reminded them of relevant membership benefits and listened to what was driving – or preventing – engagement.

At the same time, the team updated decision-maker details, email addresses, employee numbers, sector and year established directly within the Chamber’s CRM. This gave the Chamber more accurate member data alongside a better understanding of individual interests and support needs.

What the Conversations Revealed

In just five days, 71 of the 83 relevant decision-makers spoken to said they were interested in re-engaging. The conversations showed that many members who appeared disengaged were still interested in using Chamber support. Their needs ranged from training and events to employment advice, export support and wider business guidance.

Seventy-one decision-makers were interested in re-engaging and received tailored follow-up information based on their conversations. Specific requests requiring further action were passed directly to the Chamber team.

In total, the campaign generated 11 follow-up actions and added or confirmed 356 CRM details across 115 businesses. The actions included requests for support such as QUEST, as well as membership queries and other issues requiring Chamber follow-up.

Crucially, most of the positive responses came from members previously classed as disengaged or partially engaged. This showed that inactivity did not necessarily mean the relationship had been lost.

Why Low Engagement Did Not Mean Low Interest

The campaign gave the Chamber something its CRM alone could not provide: a clearer understanding of why members had gone quiet, what support they still valued and where follow-up was needed. It also provided evidence that self-service did not have to mean no contact. Occasional proactive outreach offered a way to maintain member engagement without returning to regular calls for every member. For membership organisations, this highlights the value of proactive contact when re-engaging lapsed or disengaged members.

Are some of your members going quiet? We can help you re-engage lapsed or disengaged members and understand what is behind the drop-off. Call 0113 200 5200 or email info@blueberryms.co.uk