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

IT Salary Survey

May 18, 2007

I received a complimentary copy of Global Knowledge's IT salary survey a couple of weeks ago. The survey covered over 1,600 IT […]

CRM is never done/It takes two years to get where you want to be

May 17, 2007

Gareth Herschel, research director at Gartner Inc, says: "There are two things to focus on to ensure CRM success. One […]

Upgrading to netFORUM 2.0

May 17, 2007

Avectra recently released version 2.0 of netFORUM and several of their existing clients are now working through the process of […]

"Single version of the truth."

May 16, 2007

While attending the TAUG meeting a few weeks back, I heard Tom Brantigan use this phrase (which I'd heard before […]

Another Data Management Position

May 16, 2007

Just saw a posting on the ASAE technology listserver advertising for a "Director position in the CRM and Decision Support […]

This is BASIC Stuff

May 15, 2007

We're approaching the end of the first decade of the 21st century and it seems some organizations still haven't grasped […]

New Features in IMPAK

May 15, 2007

I recently sat in a demo for ISSI's IMPAK software. I've been working with ISSI since 2002. I've always said […]

Top Five Reports

May 14, 2007

A vendor asked me the following: "What are the top 5 most useful or most valuable reports that you've seen […]

ARC Solutions' New Polaris Product

May 14, 2007

ARC Solutions is a small but growing AMS provider located in Washington, DC. One of my clients purchased their original […]

Scroll to Top