Make sure your system has broad support
An AMS vendor pointed out to me recently the danger of buying a new AMS (or any enterprise software, for that matter) based on the passion of one person. As he put it, "I have seen this more than a handful of times, but when that one person drives a system and they leave, it can fall apart quickly."
This raises a larger point that I always state to my clients: "When this project is done, I get to leave, but you're going to have to keep using this system." In other words, in order to be successful long-term, you're going to need buy-in from a majority, if not all, of your users.
So whether it's an AMS or any other software that has to be used by a number of staff, do everything you can to get as much consensus and buy-in as possible. The fewer number of staff that have buy-in, as staff turns over, the likelier you are to reach a point where no one likes the software (because they don't really know it).
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Pennywise and pound foolish
Pennywise and pound foolish One definition of the phrase “pennywise and pound foolish” is to […]
How you respond matters
How you respond matters Very recently I wrote that I measure customer service by how […]
Your one non-renewable resource
Your one non-renewable resource For any project, the three primary resources are time, money, and […]
No system is perfect
No system is perfect When working with my clients on the selection of a new […]
Ask your members to update their info
Ask your members to update their info One of the greatest data management challenges any association […]
Customer vs. staff
Customer vs. staff In a properly designed AMS, when the customer goes online to your […]
Measuring customer service
Measuring customer service When I work with clients on AMS selection, one question that often […]
Iterate or innovate?
Iterate or innovate? When moving to a new association management system, there is often an implicit […]
Who is in control?
Who is in control? Speaking with a client once about their database project, the client […]
Sometimes Staff Has to do the Work
Sometimes staff has to do the work… As a child, I was attracted to computers […]