When I help associations seek out and select new association management systems, one of the first questions I ask them is: “What’s your relationship like with your current AMS vendor?” (Assuming they are using a vendor.)
Too often the response is something along the lines of “We don’t talk to our vendor except when there is an emergency.”
This is a dangerous arrangement, and in most cases will lead to disappointment and ultimately abandonment of the current system.
As I’ve written before, when an association buys a new AMS, it’s not buying a product; it’s entering into a relationship much like a marriage. It’s a relationship that requires continual nurturing (much like a marriage), lest the relationship goes bad.
In order to nurture the relationship with your vendor, you need to look at them not only when you have an emergency, but when times are good, too. When was the last time you spoke with your vendor when it wasn’t a complaint or an emergency?
Wes,
Nice post. Frequent communication by an association with its vendors is critical to getting the most out of its technology investment. This communication needs to be two way communication. Our customer success group schedules frequent calls to keep the customer updated with new features, personnel changes and to tell them what is coming that they need to be aware of. We also make an effort to discover any challenges that they are experiencing, any staffing changes, product changes and any other issues that we maybe able to help them with.
I would like to replace the term Vendor with Partner. As you noted, this is much more a relationship than a transaction. The best relationships are when both parties work together, communicate often and look out for eachother.
-Sig
Thanks for the thoughts, Sig. Agreed that partnership is what it’s all about. And both sides need to work harder at making that happen.