When you’re in the market for a new association management software (AMS) system, you need all of the information you can get. That’s why AMS Fest 2021 is the perfect place for you to be next week.
AMS Fest is a virtual event focused on AMS systems, so you’ll have multiple ways to learn about today’s AMS marketplace. While you’re there, you can see AMS product demos and ask questions directly to the product vendors.
Here are three questions to ask vendors at AMS Fest 2021 to help you find the right AMS for your association.
Three questions to ask during AMS demos
What do product upgrades look like for this solution?
Software needs to be upgraded regularly to ensure you are using the latest features and functionality. But upgrades aren’t always easy and cheap with every AMS vendor.
Some do not have regularly scheduled upgrades. Some ask that customers complete the upgrade themselves or pay an additional fee to have the upgrades completed. Some vendors’ upgrades might cause customizations in your system to “break,” resulting in system downtown and requiring new, costly software customizations.
To avoid these challenges, look for an AMS vendor that includes regular, automatic upgrades in the price of the software. This approach ensures your organization is keeping up with the latest technological advances without budget-busting fees and broken customizations.
What’s the answer for Nimble AMS?
Nimble AMS by Community Brands is built on the Salesforce platform. The product mirrors the Salesforce approach to upgrades, which includes three product releases per year to ensure you can quickly take advantage of new functionality. Upgrades are automatic, at no additional charge.
How many versions of the software is your company currently supporting?
At first, this might not seem like an important question to ask, but it is. Modern AMS systems are in the cloud, with every user on the latest version.
What’s the answer for Nimble AMS?
Nimble AMS is a true cloud-based platform. We release three upgrades per year to stay aligned with Salesforce. These upgrades are done for your organization at no additional cost.
Why is that important?
- Innovation requires it. To continuously deliver the latest technological capabilities, a software company must focus on innovation versus supporting multiple software versions.
- Support is better and fixes come faster. If a software company has only one version to support, it can focus on one system. It will be able to quickly diagnose any issues and deliver fixes.
- You won’t be left behind. Most associations looking for a new system are doing so because their old-school software has fallen behind. If your association is going to deliver a modern member experience, it needs to be running the latest and greatest software.
How can this solution prepare us for whatever the future brings?
Last year, associations scrambled to move to an all-remote workforce and virtual interactions with members. Today, offices are re-opening, supporting a combination of onsite and remote workers and in-person/online member engagement. The takeaway: It’s important to be prepared for any paradigm.
What’s the answer for Nimble AMS?
Nimble AMS is a modern AMS that:
- Is cloud-based – Giving your staff the ability to access key systems and data when they’re in or out of the office is important for working efficiently. A cloud-based AMS system that provides mobile access gives you the ability to adapt to any work situation, allowing your staff to collaborate and access the information they need no matter where they are.
- Helps your organization work more efficiently – A modern AMS should provide an easy-to-use interface and the ability to set up automated processes so your staff can stay focused on day-to-day tasks and unexpected challenges without being distracted by cumbersome manual tasks.
- Helps you engage with members – Making sure members can connect with each other and your organization year-round will keep engagement up even if members can’t attend meetings and events in person. One of the best ways to do this is to create a digital space for members to engage. Look for an AMS that offers online member community functionality so you can inspire and enable members to connect with each other and gain access to relevant content anytime from the convenience of their home, office, or wherever they are.
- Offers a high degree of flexibility – As your association evolves to meet members’ changing needs, your AMS system should make it easy to configure many aspects of the product yourself. This makes it easy and cost-effective to ensure the system meets your needs without the added cost of custom coding.
Nimble AMS is a configurable, cloud-based system that includes point-and-click process automation as well as other modern features, including online member community functionality.
Seeing an AMS in action is one of the best ways to understand its capabilities, how user-friendly it is, and how the overall system works. The Nimble AMS team will be at AMS Fest, and we’ll be presenting a 30-minute demo at each of the following days/times:
- Wednesday, June 16 from 3:10 – 3:40 p.m. ET
- Thursday, June 17 from 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. ET
Stop by to learn more about why Nimble AMS is the most trusted AMS on Salesforce. You can also learn more about Nimble AMS by chatting with our team in the AMS Fest virtual world.
