Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Improvement is never linear

By Wes Trochlil | June 10, 2026

Improvement is never linear One of the many lessons one learns over a lifetime is that improvement, regardless of what you’re trying to improve, is never linear. That is, you’ll always have days where you’re better, and days where you don’t improve, or maybe even fall back. And so it is with data management. Even if you […]

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture!

By Wes Trochlil | June 3, 2026

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture! Whenever I start on a big home clean up or renovation project, I like to take a “before” picture, so that I can see the progress that was made when the project is complete. (Ironically, even though I’m the son of an award-winning amateur photographer, I often forget […]

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?

By Wes Trochlil | May 27, 2026

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish? Two quick customer service stories to illustrate a point: First story: I’ve used the same email provider for more than 20 years. But for technical reasons, recently I needed to switch providers, so I canceled my service with them a few weeks in advance of my renewal. […]

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you

By Wes Trochlil | May 20, 2026

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you I’ve been working in and with AMS products for 36 years (27 years of consulting, nine years as an association staffer). And I can say with great confidence that the systems available today are much better than they were 36 years ago! (Shocking, I know.) But […]

Using AI beyond content generation

By Wes Trochlil | May 13, 2026

Using AI beyond content generation Recent surveys by ASAE and others suggest nearly 90% of associations are using AI for some type of content generation (e.g., creating blog posts, newsletter articles, “canned” responses to inquiries, etc.). That is great, but when it comes to data management, there are so many more opportunities for leveraging AI. Here are some ideas […]

Older Posts

What efforts are you making to maintain the relationship with your vendor?

June 21, 2017

As has been noted elsewhere, the AMS market has experienced significant changes over the past year. As one simple but […]

Technology improvements lead to higher customer expectations

June 19, 2017

The irony of improving technology to better serve customers is that the better technology leads to…greater expectations of customer service. […]

New Article Posted – The Data Friendly Association

May 23, 2017

For the past 18 years, I’ve been consulting with associations of all sizes on their data management issues. One thing […]

When it comes to data management, what makes your association different?

May 16, 2017

If you’re looking for a new AMS, that’s one of the most important questions you can ask. What makes your […]

Your members "get it" when you tell them there's a system change

May 12, 2017

When my clients are working on implementing a new association management system, they often worry about how the members and customers will […]

Where does implementation fail? User acceptance testing

May 10, 2017

I’m often asked by my clients, “What’s the single most important success factor during system implementation?” That answer is easy: user […]

Concerned about Community Brands? I recommend watchful waiting

April 26, 2017

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard that Community Brands recently acquired YourMembership, Abila, and Aptify. And as of 9am […]

Is Salesforce the new Access?

April 24, 2017

I’ve noticed in the past few years that more and more associations are using Salesforce as one of (if not […]

It won't be just the technology that changes…

March 27, 2017

When you make a significant technology change, like the implementation of a new AMS or LMS, not only will you […]

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