Imagine that you are running an association, and are looking for a place to grow and evolve. When your organization starts to expand, association management software will be the best tool for engaging your members. Firstly, we will talk about what association software is, then AMS software best features and its overall benefits. Afterward, we will move on to why you should use one.
What is an Association Management Software (AMS)?
An AMS (Association Management System) is a software suite that provides associations with the tools they need to run their businesses. It is a digital library that you may use to keep track of your organization’s members and their activities. In other words, it allows you to work more efficiently on administrative tasks.
If you are running an organization, there is a lot on your shoulders. You will need to take care of event management, membership ties, financial reporting, and much more. It can be a burden to manage all of these different tasks from different platforms. However, there is a simple way to handle all of these listed responsibilities. An AMS software can help you do all of them by offering you an all-in-one solution.
We know that effective management systems may help you maximize your sales, maintain constant communication with your members, and eliminate time-consuming manual duties. If you want to keep your members interested and raise your revenue, you need to choose an AMS software that will meet your needs.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AMS SOFTWARE:
It’s critical to know what your organization requires from an AMS before making a decision. When assessing a new association management software, consider the following five elements as you determine your specific needs:
- Membership experience
- User-friendly customer service
- One-click automation
- System integration
- Data analytics
Let’s take a closer look at these features that association management software can offer:
1. MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Nowadays, members are looking to create their membership online, quickly, and seamlessly. A time-consuming registration process could drive off any potential members. If you provide an excellent experience for your members, their chance of renewal will increase.
Also, a member should be able to conduct routine actions like updating their profile, paying fees, registering for events, and contributing to discussion forums. Above all, social networking features are important to keep members in touch. This way, you can create an environment for your members to interact with one another.
2. USER-FRIENDLY CUSTOMER SERVICE
When a problem arises and you have no idea what to do, you don’t want to worry about how you spent all your support time. Some association management software systems offer limited time for customer service. On the other hand, if you are using customer-friendly AMS software, your members are always encouraged to let the team know if they would like to dive into the issue further.
Additionally, people are complaining that getting in touch with automated messages is difficult since it serves no benefit. As you can imagine, the approach of an automated message is not the same as a customer support representative. This means that you cannot compare person-to-person communication with a robotic-automated system.
3. ONE-CLICK AUTOMATION
The process of automation inside an AMS helps to free up precious limited resources by reducing repetitive work for employees. You may focus on developing innovative strategies for your company by assigning mundane duties to an AMS. When you choose competent software, you won’t have to worry about anything.
At the very least, your association management system should be capable of doing routine but crucial financial operations like reviewing accounts receivable and issuing invoices. You’ll be able to observe each transaction procedure in real time because the association’s bank accounts are linked to your program.
4. SYSTEM INTEGRATION
Having different systems all over the place can be complicated since you can lose information such as crucial member details. System integration such as Zapier is the simplest method to prevent this bad predicament. In this way, different systems can communicate with each other.
Other key systems, such as your recurring newsletters and customer relationship management system, should be compatible with the AMS software. Make sure that your choice can handle these system connections. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a workplace with data scattered across several locations. As a result, it will lead to difficulties in translating it into business insight.
5. DATA ANALYTICS
Advanced reporting is significant when it comes to associations such as non-profits and societies. Data is an association’s heart, and you must be able to manage and analyze the data to engage and grow your members.
Being able to access trustworthy data assists association leaders and helps you decide which action you should take. The AMS should be used by all personnel so that they can make wise decisions.
Make sure to look out for a system where you can build custom reports and do simple searches across your data. The AMS database must be reliable and assist employees in analyzing data patterns. It is important that your data is in good hands, check how the system is dealing with the database before buying it.
HOW MUCH DOES AMS SOFTWARE COST?
Depending on the features offered, the size of the organization, the number of users, and many other factors, the cost of AMS software differ by a wide range. The price ranges from $150K/year and $75 operational costs/user/month, and the sky’s the limit! However, we can analyze some of the main factors that affect the AMS software cost:
- Implement or customize: You can readily implement an already-existing and created AMS software, which is a cheaper option. On the other hand, you can choose to have the AMS software customized to your organization’s needs at an increased price.
- Transparent pricing: While searching for the right AMS software, make sure that the software has its pricing plans transparently listed and publicly shared. Trust is a key factor, and an unknown pricing plan may lead to unwanted surprises in the future.
- The number of users: Most AMS software pricing plans change according to the number of users that will be using the software. In order to budget for your AMS software cost, you can thoroughly think about and optimize the necessary number of users from your organization, and avoid paying more if it will not be useful to have a lot of users.
WHAT IS THE BEST AMS?
There are many different association management software options, and “the best AMS” for your organization depends on your needs and goals. If you would like to check out the top 5 AMS of 2022, you can check out Association Management Software: 5 Best AMS in 2022 as well. Moreover, we present to you one of the best AMS: Raklet!
Raklet is an all-in-one association management software that comes with over 4000 integrations and diverse features to support your needs. We offer several features from creating custom membership profiles and sending notifications to generating reports and analytics tools, which will all come in handy with your association management. You can customize all the features, and add different integrations such as Stripe.
You can book a free demo to learn more about our features in one-to-one calls!
CONCLUSION
We’ve listed and explained which features are essential and which will be beneficial. Now, you have everything in one place so that you can make an informed decision. Think of each one of them according to your specific needs!
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