How to Find the Best AMS Platform for Your Organization

Selecting and implementing a new AMS will require significant upfront investment in time, money and other resources, but, in most cases, the investment is worth it in the long run. Because of those costs and the potential disruption to their daily business operations, associations often struggle to squeeze more out of their current AMS platform—even at the expense of membership initiatives and staff efficiency.

To help your association make the decision to switch your AMS platform, there are three important questions you should ask yourself.

When it comes to troubleshooting their AMS, most associations lean heavily on their vendors to recommend solutions (ex. specific workflows) and configure the software to their specific needs. In such instances, the client-vendor relationship is as important as the capabilities of the AMS itself. 

If your vendor doesn’t provide the required level of support and professional services your association needs to be successful, it’s best to look for a new AMS provider, one who continually invests in resources and staff dedicated to helping your association achieve your objectives. 

Aside from providing robust functionalities, your legacy AMS system should integrate seamlessly with your association’s website and third-party vendors (ex. Marketing Automation, Community, Learning Management). If your members find it challenging to engage with your association via digital channels such as your website (ex. shopping cart or event registration forms), or your staff finds it difficult to share data between various platforms, your vendor isn’t delivering a functional solution that meets the needs and expectations of your members. That can potentially lead to the loss of revenue and possibly a decrease in membership.

The whole point of using an AMS system is to maximize the user experience, streamline processes and make it easier for you to manage your association’s activities. It should save you time and money by automating manual and mundane workflows and freeing up your team to focus on more strategic tasks. If your legacy system doesn’t help you achieve your operational, business and membership goals, you’re better off looking for a new provider.

For every AMS you purchase, you should get at least seven years of use out of it before the underlying technology becomes outdated. By that time, your business model or workflows will have changed to the point that the legacy AMS may be incompatible, or technology will have advanced to the point that your system is unable to deliver comparable levels of service expected from today’s modern AMS platforms.

Since newer generations of software often deliver more functionality than older systems for the same price, you should consider looking for a new AMS.

Modern AMS platforms consolidate and centralize multiple member database platforms into a single, highly accessible and secure location. This alone is enough to save significant time on behalf of analysts, database managers and those in other, data-driven roles.

Today’s AMS platforms are all about data. As such, most modern AMS solutions provide several methods for data analytics and reporting that help you interpret and translate complex data into simple, easily-understood terms and concepts.

The centralized nature of AMS platforms makes it easy to access important member data, including membership histories, overdue accounts and more.

Many of today’s AMS platforms boast extended online communities that can provide additional tech support, troubleshooting and advice on managing your membership base.

You want an AMS provider that offers ongoing support with implementation and maintenance.

You want a solution that offers easy integration. Likely you have multiple systems already in place, so finding an AMS with the flexibility to fit into those is ideal.

Most AMS solutions are regularly updated and upgraded with new features and functionality, ultimately giving members additional services as technology continues to improve and expand.

With so many members who are constantly on-the-go, many AMS platforms make it easy for mobile users to connect and use the services that are available to them.

AMS software should provide online member profiles to all members. This ensures each member has a portal to manage and keep track of their membership.

Ideally you should be able to create membership tiers within your organization. And your membership software should make this easy. This streamlines the member experience, making sure each member receives the info they are most interested in. It also creates an opportunity to maximize member dues revenue.

AMS platforms that offer self-service options, like giving members the ability to check on their dues and pay membership fees online, provide individuals with greater control while simultaneously lifting some of the burden from the association’s leadership.

The ability to automate how your organization operates takes a heavy workload off your shoulders, while your members get to enjoy a seamless experience that can’t be interrupted by human error.

An association driven by data is an association with happy members, and an association with happy members is one with high member retention. Robust data reporting AMS platforms enable you to make member management decisions guided by raw numbers rather than gut feelings.