When I work with clients on selecting a new AMS, it’s not uncommon for me to hear some variation of the following question: “Can’t you just tell us which AMS is the best one?” I’ll often hear something along these lines, too: “I think I could design the perfect AMS that every association would use. …
A client of mine wanted to send an RFP for redesign of their website to a design company I had not previously worked with. Because I had no contacts there, I used their online form, which included a category for “new business” and submitted my name and some details, in order to find out who …
This is NOT what business development looks like Read More »
In my experience, when associations make a database system change, staff will sometimes talk about how the old system used to work. They’ll say things like “In the old system, we could add a new individual record in two minutes; now it takes five.” Or “In the old system it was really easy to pull a list of …
I’ve written elsewhere that 80% is Good Enough when it comes to selecting a new AMS. That is, if you can get 80% of your functional needs met while still staying within your budget, you’re in very good shape. The same rule applies when matching data on exports during a data conversion. If you can …
Recently I was discussing with a client their rules for how they manage event registration. As my client described the different rules for how customers can register for their events, I complimented her on how clear the rules were. She responded: “We like to make the boundaries very clear. Just like children need boundaries, our …
Just like beauty, the idea of software being “user-friendly” is in the eye of the beholder. Very often when I talk with clients about what they need from a new AMS, they’ll say something to the effect of “It has to be user-friendly.” I agree. But what does user-friendly look like? Well, that depends on …
Long ago, I was a membership director in a couple of different trade associations. And as any membership professional knows, the most difficult members to retain are first-year members, those who have joined in just the past year. The reasons should be obvious. Unless you have several programs designed especially for first-year members, most first-year members …
Use your data to communicate with first-year members differently Read More »
When my clients implement a new AMS, the implementation plan always includes training for staff, so that they know how to use the new system. But I always advise my clients to budget for additional training after go-live. Why? Because the reality is, no matter how good the initial training is (and often it is not …
Be sure to schedule training for shortly AFTER go-live. Read More »
One of my greater pet peeves is company websites that don’t list any contact information. I see this a lot with software companies (and maybe it’s just because that’s where I’m often looking). When I click the “contact us” link on your website, part of what I want to know is WHO is behind the …
So very often in my meetings with clients, there will be discussions around the different data points the organization is collecting. For example, someone will ask “What about areas of interest? Shouldn’t we be collecting those?” My response to questions like this is always the same: “Yes, you should collect it, IF you are going to use it, …
The data is only good if you use it and manage it Read More »