Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

“As good or better than me.”

By Wes Trochlil | September 2, 2026

“As good or better than me.” I was recently speaking with a software developer working on AI and we were discussing using natural language querying in an AMS. I told him, “The biggest challenge you face is that the first time the AI is wrong, staff will never use it again.” He agreed but then added: “The […]

Documentation is insurance

By Wes Trochlil | August 26, 2026

Documentation is insurance In a conversation with a client about their data management needs, the client pointed out that if they lost one or two key staff members, so much institutional knowledge would go with them that the association would have real difficulty managing their AMS. I recommended that they should document all of their key processes so […]

It all comes down to fundamentals

By Wes Trochlil | August 12, 2026

It all comes down to fundamentals I’m preparing for a webinar that I’m presenting in a couple of weeks, on using data to improve marketing and communications. This is a presentation (in one form or another) that I’ve made for nearly 20 years, and it includes an excellent case study of one association that dramatically improved their […]

Older Posts

Are you *really* listening?

December 13, 2007

Part of my job is to conduct interviews of database users. Another part of my job is to sit in […]

Testing your Training

December 11, 2007

Associations spend a lot of time and money on training (or at least they should). But I wonder if any […]

Don't let IT drive your business decisions

December 6, 2007

Let me start by saying I love the guys (and women) in IT. I really do. They are important to […]

No software implementation is perfect

December 4, 2007

I’ve written in the past about seeking success, and not perfection, in your data management systems. The same can be […]

When was the last time you audited your users?

November 30, 2007

I was cleaning up my internet favorites the other day. One of the folders I have within my favorites is […]

Do you know how many sources of data you *really* have?

November 28, 2007

I’ve been working with a client recently on consolidating all of their data into a single data management system. They […]

Backing Up, Part 37 in an infinite series…

November 13, 2007

One of my (many) soapboxes is tryi to get people to back up their data and make sure it’s backed […]

A Great Example of a Users Group

November 8, 2007

All of my clients know that I'm a huge proponent of users groups. I like 'em so much, I actually […]

Quoted on monster.com

November 5, 2007

I’ve written about training in the past (see here). I was also recently quoted on monster.com about how to get […]

Scroll to Top