Data Management

Just a few weeks ago, after more than 20 years as a PC user, I switched to Mac. I'd like to say the transition has been smooth and painless, but that would be, well, a big fat lie. I've got a lot of PC-ingrained habits (like Alt-Tab to switch windows) that simply don't work on […]

Those who know me know I'm a huge advocate of centralized data management systems. By that I mean a database that houses essentially all of your data (e.g., membership, events registration, all financial information, product sales, etc.). One of the many reasons I like centralized data systems is that when the question "Where is that

Clients will sometimes say to me: "Can't you just tell me what the best association management system is so that I can buy it?" Frankly, that's like saying "tell me the best car to buy." There are hundreds of software packages for membership management. There are dozens of software packages for association management (which typically

When converting to a new data management system, you are faced with many decisions regarding priorities. There is so much going on at once that you'll have to decide where you'll focus your time first and what can be held for later. (I call these issues "phase two  issues" because they can wait for phase two,

When working with associations on implementation of their databases, there are points throughout the process where we will have to make a decision, whether it's about how to set up a particular part of the database, whether or not to convert or collect certain data, or deciding which processes to keep and which to change.

FAQs are "frequently asked questions." My question for you is: Do you have FAQs on your website for your members and customers? And do you have FAQs available internally for your staff (on an intranet or even just a network-accessible file)? A recent article in Customer Relationship Management magazine (sorry, it's not online yet) explained how Carfax

I was having some crackers and cheese spread (Wispride Port Wine) the other day, and noticed something on the side of the cheese spread container: serving suggestions. That's right, suggestions on how to use my cheese spread. Now why do you suppose the manufacturer would waste space on suggestions for servings? I mean, c'mon, it's

If you do training, whether one-on-one, or in a classroom setting, here's a tip that will increase the learning retention of your students. When you are walking them through a new process (e.g., selling a product in the database) follow these three steps: Demonstrate the entire process without interruption, simply stating each step as you

"CRM Continues to Disappoint" says the headline of this article on SearchCRM.com. In a nutshell, the companies that were surveyed are still not pleased with their CRM implementations, for a variety of reasons. But the reason why these implementations are disappointing is not stated until the very last paragraph: The survey's dismal results usually reflect

My friend and colleague Rob Pitzer at the Smithsonian Institution asked me a great question: "How do you deal with the temptation to keep upgrading your website, when "good enough" would suggest you stop and focus elsewhere?" This is an issue that we all deal with: How do we know what we've got is good enough