Associations are constantly seeking ways to improve member engagement, streamline operations and achieve their missions. That’s where AMS comes in! These are powerful tools that centralize data, automate tasks and ensure efficient management of resources.
However, the initial excitement of choosing an AMS can be dampened by the reality of bundled services. That is why a focused approach of unbundling, by separating an implementation partner search from an AMS product search is essential for your association success.
Let us look at some of the challenges of bundled services:
Limitations and Choice of Customizations
- Vendor Lock-in: Bundled solutions will restrict an implementation partner choice. You may be forced to work with a team that might not understand your association’s specific interests.
- Limited Customizations: Bundled solutions have standard workflows over customized ones. This can be a drawback, especially if your association has specific requirements.
Difficulty in Finding the Right Partner
- Restricted Partner Options: Bundled solutions provide a limited option for choosing an implementation partner. This restricts your choice of selecting from a wider pool of partners who have the experience and expertise of working with associations like yours.
- Focuses on the Product: AMS product vendors often emphasize the products providing less importance to the implementation team. This makes it difficult to assess whether the implementation team can understand your association’s mission and deliver success.
What is Implementation Partner Search?
An implementation partner search is the process of finding a company to help you set up and integrate the AMS technology into your business. These partners act as specialists who can guide you through the entire process, from understanding your needs to customizing the solution and training your staff.
An implementation partner can offer a wide range of benefits like:
- Expertise- They have in-depth knowledge of the application and its functioning.
- Experience- They have supported associations like yours overcoming common implementation pitfalls.
- Customization- They can tailor the AMS based on your association’s specific needs.
- Training- They will provide training to your staff on how to use the software efficiently and get the maximum benefits.
You can search for an implementation partner by looking into AMS vendor directories, online marketplaces, association networks or get word-of-mouth recommendations.
What is an AMS Product Search?
An AMS product search is the process of finding the right company to provide the association management software and support for the software to run smoothly. This includes looking for an AMS vendor who will offer a system whose features align with your association’s unique needs like membership management, event management, fundraising or financial tracking.
During an AMS product search, associations conduct a thorough evaluation of various Association Management Software (AMS) platforms to identify the solution that best aligns with their specific needs and budget.
You can search for an AMS vendor in a similar way to that of an implementation partner like vendor directories, industry resources, online marketplaces or word-of-mouth.
Top 4 Reasons Why Unbundling Implementation Partner Search from AMS Product Search is Beneficial for Your Association
Mostly, associations looking for an AMS solution opt for a bundled package that includes both the software and the implementation services. However, a smarter approach includes unbundling these aspects, allowing you to search for an implementation partner who will suggest the best AMS software suited to your needs and provide implementation and ongoing support.
Here’s how this approach empowers your association:
1. Cost-Effectiveness:
Bundled packages can lock you into a one-size-fits-all approach. You potentially overpay for unnecessary features or services. Unbundling allows you to negotiate the best price for both the AMS software and implementation, aligning your spending with your specific needs. Here is how it works:
- Enables Competitive Bidding Process: By separating the AMS selection from implementation, you can get bids from multiple qualified implementation partners. This fosters competition, driving providers to offer the best rates and service packages to win your business.
- Ensures Efficient Resource Allocation: Bundled packages often include pre-determined services that might not fully address your association’s unique requirements. Unbundling allows you to allocate resources efficiently. You only pay for the specific implementation services and the resources you truly need.
- Provides Scalability and Flexibility: Your association’s needs will evolve over time. An unbundled approach allows you to scale your implementation based on current requirements. You can start with a foundational implementation and secure additional expertise from specialized partners as your needs grow, maximizing the return on your investment in the AMS itself.
- Reduces Overhead Costs: Unbundling can reduce overhead administrative costs by streamlining operations and allocating resources based on your project requirements.
2. Increased Competition:
By separating the search, you open yourself to a wider pool of qualified implementation partners. This fosters competition, driving providers to offer competitive rates and exceptional service to win your business. Here is how it helps:
- Competitive Pricing: Providers vying for your business are more likely to offer their most attractive rates, ensuring you get the best value for your investment.
- Innovative Solutions: A competitive landscape fosters cutting-edge solutions tailored to your associations’ specific needs. This could involve innovative approaches to data migration, user training, or even customization of the AMS itself enhancing the functionality of the software.
- Better Service Quality: In a competitive environment, implementation partners understand they need to demonstrate exceptional service quality to win your business. This ensures enhanced support services, faster response times and dedicated project management teams to ensure project success.
3. Customization and Expertise:
Your association’s workflows and needs are unique. Unbundling lets you find implementation partners with specialized expertise in your industry or specific AMS systems. This ensures a customized implementation that optimizes the AMS to perfectly match your association’s operations. Here is how it helps:
- Deep Platform Expertise: Unbundling allows you to seek out partners with in-depth knowledge of your chosen AMS platform and understanding the nonprofit’s unique requirements like donor management, fundraising, and membership tracking.
- Customized Solutions: By unbundling, you can partner with experts who can tailor the implementation to perfectly match your association’s specific needs. For example, a Fonteva AMS implementation provider will have pre-built integrations and custom modules designed for membership management, event planning or certification tracking. This helps in streamlining workflows, enhancing member experiences and achieving goals more efficiently.
- Best Practices and Optimization: By unbundling, you gain access to experts who can share industry best practices for data migration, membership renewal workflows, and automation for streamlined administration. This optimizes your AMS, boosting efficiency and maximizing your return on investment.
- Dedicated Support and Training: The unbundled approach allows you choose implementation partners who provide dedicated support teams specifically tailored to your AMS configuration. This means you get personalized training sessions, user guides, and ongoing assistance that directly addresses your association’s unique setup.
- Futureproofing and Innovation: By partnering with an expert, your association can stay ahead of the curve by getting early access to the latest features and updates of the AMS platform. This ensures your AMS remains scalable and future-proof, allowing your association to adapt to evolving needs and industry trends.
4. Flexibility and Scalability:
The unbundled approach allows you to independently evaluate different AMS solutions based on features and pricing, then select the implementation partner who best demonstrates the skills and experience to deliver a successful implementation. This flexibility extends beyond initial implementation with your association’s growth and evolving needs. Here is how it helps:
- Resource Scalability: The unbundled approach allows you to scale resources up or down based on your project needs. This helps in optimum resource utilization thus reducing costs.
- Agile Methodology: Many experienced implementation partners employ agile methodologies. This flexible approach allows for continuous improvement through feedback ensuring that AMS implementation aligns with your association’s needs.
- Adaptability to Changing Requirements: Unbundling allows you to collaborate with experts who can integrate new features to your AMS platform anytime, without disrupting the timeline or the budget.
The Power of Partner Selection
Detailed Comparison: Implementation Partner vs. AMS Vendor
Associations often find it challenging to find the right AMS implementation partner that will add value to their organization. A comparative analysis between AMS vendors and implementation partners is crucial for maximizing the value of your investment. By dissecting the strengths of each, you gain the power to choose the ideal implementation partner with the expertise to integrate the AMS software with your association’s unique workflows.
Here is a tabular representation of the detailed comparison between the two based on the services they provide like software platform, implementation, data migration, customization, consulting, migration, training and support.
Services | AMS Vendor | Implementation Service Partner | Software Platform | Provides the core software platform with essential features for managing events finances, memberships and more. | Assists in selecting the appropriate AMS platform based on organization’s needs and requirements. |
|---|---|---|
Implementation | Offers limited implementation partners (often just 1) for implementing the platform, which might not fit well with specific needs of associations. | Associations can compare and choose an implementation partner based on – budget, benefits, expertise. |
Data Migration | Offers tools for migrating data from existing systems to AMS. | Assists in migrating data from legacy systems to the AMS platform, ensuring data integrity and completeness. |
Customization | Offers customization options within the platform, such as branding, workflows,
and integration with other systems. | Provides extensive customization and configuration services tailored to the organization’s specific needs and goals. |
Consulting | Provides recommendations for using the AMS. | Offers consulting services to help organizations optimize their operations, processes, and use of the AMS platform. |
Upgrades | Manages software updates and upgrades to ensure the system remains current and secure. | Assists in managing upgrades and updates, including testing, deployment, and post-upgrade support. |
Training | Offers training resources and documentation to help users learn how to use the software. | Assists in managing upgrades and updates, including testing, deployment, and post-upgrade support. |
Support | Provides technical support for the software platform, including troubleshooting and issue resolution. | Offers technical support and ongoing consulting and assistance to address challenges and optimize system performance. |
5 Benefits of Searching for an AMS Implementation Partner Over an AMS Vendor
While AMS vendors provide the essential software platform for managing memberships, events, finances, and more, they often take a one-size-fits-all approach to implementation. This can leave your association with a powerful tool that doesn’t quite fit your unique needs. Implementation partners bridge this gap, offering a range of benefits that unlock the full potential of your AMS:
- Targeted Selection: An implementation partner allows you to compare and choose the AMS software based on budget, association needs, and the specific benefits the software offers. This ensures you find the perfect software that aligns with your association’s operations.
- Data Migration Expertise: While vendors might offer basic data migration tools, implementation partners specialize in transferring your data from legacy systems to your new AMS. They ensure data integrity and completeness, a critical aspect for smooth operation.
- Deep Customization: Beyond the vendor’s built-in options, implementation partners provide extensive customization services. They can tailor the AMS to your specific workflows, and integrations with other systems, creating a platform that works in tandem with your association’s unique mission.
- Consulting and Optimization: Implementation partners go beyond basic training. They offer consulting services to help you optimize your operations, processes, and overall utilization of the AMS platform. This ensures you leverage the system’s full potential for maximum efficiency.
- Ongoing Support: While vendors offer technical support, implementation partners provide ongoing guidance and assistance. They can help you navigate challenges, optimize performance, and ensure your AMS continues to adapt and evolve alongside your association.
In essence, implementation partners bridge the gap between the AMS software and your association’s reality. They personalize the experience, optimize your workflows, and empower your staff to maximize the value of your AMS investment. This ensures your association benefits from a powerful tool that propels your mission forward.
By effectively bridging the gap between the AMS software and your association’s unique needs, implementation partners are crucial for optimizing workflows and maximizing your AMS investment. Choosing the right partner ensures a seamless, customized integration that empowers your team and drives your mission forward. Here’s a checklist to help you make the best choice.
Checklist for Choosing the Right AMS Implementation Partner
Choosing the right implementation partner is just as important as selecting the perfect AMS software for your association. They are the guiding hand throughout the implementation process, ensuring your chosen AMS is customized and optimized with your workflows.
Here’s a checklist to consider when choosing an implementation partner who will empower your association’s success:
- Industry Expertise: Look for a partner with a deep understanding of your association’s sector. Their industry-specific knowledge allows them to anticipate your unique challenges and tailor the implementation to address your association’s specific needs and workflows.
- Collaborative Approach: The ideal partner works as an extended team of your association throughout the process. They should prioritize open communication, actively listen to your needs, and involve your team in key decisions.
- Comprehensive Services: Go beyond basic implementation. Choose a partner who offers a full spectrum of services, including data migration, customization, training, and ongoing support. This ensures a smooth transition and empowers your staff to maximize the value of the AMS platform.
- Scalability: Your association’s needs will evolve. Select a partner who understands scalability. They should design the implementation with future growth in mind, ensuring the AMS can adapt to accommodate increasing membership bases, data volumes, or even integration with new technologies.
- Reviews and References: Leverage the experiences of others. Research the partner’s reputation, read client reviews, and request references. Talking to past clients allows you to gain valuable insights into the partner’s work ethics, expertise, and commitment to success.
Conclusion
While choosing the ideal AMS software is crucial, maximizing its value hinges on a skilled implementation partner. They become your guide, customizing the AMS to perfectly align with your association’s workflows, and empowering your staff to leverage its full potential.
But how do you find the perfect partner with the expertise to breathe life into your specific AMS?
It is essential to consider partners with wide-ranging experience in platforms like Fonteva and Nimble AMS. These partners bring a wealth of knowledge to the table, allowing them to understand your association’s unique needs and tailor solutions accordingly. Look for partners who not only offer technical proficiency but also demonstrate a deep understanding of association management dynamics, ensuring a seamless integration process that aligns perfectly with your missions and objectives.
Ready to transform operations and drive member engagement with Salesforce-based AMS implementation? Unbundle Implementation search from AMS product search for cost-effective solutions. Partner with us to identify the perfect AMS solution for your association and ensure a smooth implementation journey.
