Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

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

You CAN compete with the big guys…

April 2, 2025

You CAN compete with the big guys… In my experience, associations often undersell their actual ability to provide high level […]

Join (or start) your users group!

March 26, 2025

Join (or start) your users group! Today’s message is simple: If the AMS you’re using has a users group, you […]

They don’t care, until they care.

March 19, 2025

They don’t care, until they care. One of the more common questions I get from my clients is “How can […]

Longfellow and data management

March 12, 2025

Longfellow and data management “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while others judge us by what […]

Do you really need all that historical data?

March 5, 2025

Do you really need all that historical data? A question I’ll often get from my clients as they’re making the […]

AI actually requires thinking

February 26, 2025

AI actually requires thinking “I don’t think AI introduces a new kind of thinking. It reveals what actually requires thinking.” […]

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond

February 19, 2025

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond Recently a client was complaining about a bug that had been introduced in the […]

The hidden costs of bad data

February 12, 2025

The hidden costs of bad data Nobody likes bad data, and presumably we’re all working tirelessly to minimize it. After […]

Don’t let your customers edit their names online!

February 5, 2025

Don’t let your customers edit their names online! This issue came up recently and I was surprised because I thought […]

Scroll to Top