Patron Edge will automatically create one for them when an email is entered into their account.
ISSUE: Most of the time members do not know this. When they go to either renew their membership or purchase member discounted tickets online they create a new account.
Consequence:
- This new online account is not linked to their membership
- they cannot renew their membership or receive their member discounted tickets.
- There are now duplicate accounts for them
- Creates confusion and frustration for our members when trying to use our online site
- Not good customer service
REMEDY:
Inform our members more often, especially when they are signing up, that they have an online account already created.
Going forward we need to be diligent and add to our language whenever we sign someone up for membership that the email they provided is their email login name. We also need to inform current members too whenever it is possible.
Example when signing up a new member:
After they have filled out the membership form, circle their email and write on the form "Online email login" and tell them that is their online login and to click the Forgot Password link to create their password.
This will do two things
#1 It will verbally inform them of the account, and they can ask questions if they want to
#2 by writing the instructions on the form they can refer to it later.
LOGISTICS OF AN ONLINE MEMBER ACCOUNT:
Whenever an email is entered into the email field in PE/RE a login is created for them
Nightly, the system will check any new emails entered and copy the email into the login name filed of their record.
The login email and record email are not attached, so if a member changes their email, we need to ask them if they also want their login changed and that would need to be updated as well.
When the email is added to the login field, a temporary password is created. We found that just having them use the Forgot Password link to reset their password online is easier to communicate than the temp password.
CHALLENGE:
Did you know, you are a Museum Member and therefore have an online account! the challenge is to try an log into your account online without looking at your information in PE.
This will show you how difficult is can be for Museum Members to log into their account online without knowing the email we have on file for them, and why we need to help educate them on the account.
Please comment that you took the challenge and how you did.
Can a record have multiple logins?
Yes and No
YES, an account can have multiple logins by each of the card holders having their individual email address listed on their name.
Example:
Amy and FrankE have an account. Amy is the primary account holder and has the email amy@gmail.com. Their membership was originally purchased under her name.
FrankE also has his email, franke@gmail.com on his account, so he can log into the account as well.
This is not ideal though because the membership is originally purchased under Amy's account. If FrankE logs into the account under his name and wants to renew the membership- the system looks at it that FrankE just purchased a new membership and it does not renew the membership that is on Amy's account and creates back office clean up in RE. Confusing, yes, but there you have it.
NO
As far as logins are concerned there can be no other record that can have the same login name.
Example:
Using Amy and FrankE again
Amy and FrankE had two logins for the same account because each email address on each account name was different. If instead on FrankE's record we added the same email of Amy's amy@gmail .com, FrankE would not have a login because that login name was already used for Amy. If you were to look at FrankE's login field in his record you would see the login name as blank.
Could an email that is on a record ever be different that the login name?
YES
The account email and the login email are two different entities and are NOT connected.
The only time they sync is when the system is doing it's nightly job of looking to fill in an empty login field with the account email.
You may see a different email than login name when a member called in to update their email address on the account and the login was not updated as well. This can also cause confusion because the member assumes both are the same and try to login online with the updated email.
IMPORTANT If you have a request to update an email be sure to ask and update the login too.
Does your brain hurt yet? If you would like more clarification on this information, please let me know!
Please comment on other ways we can inform members of this benefit at the desk.
