Business Process Automation (BPA) is the application of technology to replace recurring, manual tasks, allowing organizations to focus on more strategic initiatives. This can include automating email communications, membership renewals, payment processes, hiring and onboarding as well as many other functions of an organization. Implementing BPA can help organizations improve efficiency and save time and money. Here are... read more
Most modern business leaders are still underutilizing the power of technology in today’s digital world. But, in reality, being digitally first does not imply having all of the software tools available; rather, it entails having the proper ones. Technology is essential, but it’s only a piece of the puzzle. A digital-first strategy must be customer-centric to be successful.... read more
Businesses deal with a lot of data, and analyzing it in its raw form is frequently difficult. The quality and accuracy of the datasets you’re working with increase when you present them in attractive graphs, charts, shapes, and plots. Tableau is the most extensively used data visualization application. Tableau is a data visualization program that allows you to... read more
Most people think of strategic planning as a marathon 8- or 10-hour or 2-day retreat. You process lots of information, discuss, debate and brainstorm. You have lunch brought in so you can work without a break. You fill flip chart after flip chart with ideas. Then, around mid-afternoon, when it’s time to start making important decisions, you’ve hit... read more
Comparing data between systems is necessary for businesses that are looking to migrate, adjust or back up data. The issue, however, is that data comparisons are tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming. Users have to detect changes that occurred in multiple cells under the same record, with potentially millions of records existing in the compared objects. In a member-based organization,... read more
Marketers already know that personalization is a key component to success in email communication. This personalization goes beyond “Hello, Komal” and can be used to provide relevant information to contacts. For example, users would include a contact’s Member ID or membership level when communicating about upcoming renewals. Handlebar Merge Language is named for the curly brackets around the... read more
Best Of Breed Infrastructure Most organizations today deploy a “best-of-breed” infrastructure, meaning that they use the best software that solves a specific business problem really well. These systems typically aim to include member management, payment gateways, event registration and more all in one platform. While these tools have many advantages, there are a few problems. Information is scattered... read more
fusionSpan currently offers a multi-system software package called “fusionConnect,” marketed towards member-based organizations of all sizes. fusionConnect is a three-part software that allows the sharing of data within multi-system infrastructures. It includes Storage, Sync and Log Management. Log Management is an important part of fusionConnect. If an organization has multiple applications running 24/7, syncing data accurately and having... read more
Automated Journeys are a key capability of marketing automation tools for associations. These journeys can be thought of as a detailed map showing the experience a customer or member will have with your organization. One of the primary reasons for moving to a new tool is the inability of the legacy platform to successfully automate critical journeys, such... read more
As an Association or nonprofit, you likely rely heavily upon your members paying by Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discover for membership dues, certifications, event registration, and more. Now, imagine what would happen to your organization if you couldn’t accept credit card payments for any period of time. The prospect of not being able to accept credit card payments... read more
The technology ecosystem has grown significantly since I started my career. There are stunning examples of what we can do with data and the right tools. Online meetings can now be captioned in real time for better accessibility. 3D printing, a data-hungry tech, is being used to build everything from human organs to houses. Most of these technologies... read more
Many associations want to quantify how engaged their prospects or members are with the organization. While this is ideal, many associations do not have an integrated system that can look at how the user engages across multiple platforms – web, marketing, and CRM. Various marketing tools have the capability of scoring users based on engagement, but the key... read more
Many association professionals are undoubtedly aware of the membership life cycle of Awareness, Recruitment, Engagement, Renewal, and Reinstatement. The concept can be pushed further since your relationship with members does not look the same year after year, instead, it evolves. Thinking about the membership life cycle three-dimensionally is more realistic. Therefore, we now have a Membership Spiral! In... read more
This blog was originally published on March 28, 2019. Salesforce Sandboxes are crucial to testing new releases and functionalities in a controlled environment before they are placed in your live production environment. Before you test on your Salesforce Sandbox environment, we highly recommend taking the time to refresh your Sandbox’s metadata with the production org. Despite this, many... read more
This blog was originally published on September 18, 2013. Are you ready for a new Association Management System (AMS)? If you just answered ‘YES’ or ‘MAYBE’ then read on… Finding the right AMS for your organization can be like Prince Charming finding Cinderella. Sure, you have a glass slipper – you know what you want. Now, how do... read more
This blog was originally published on September 13, 2016. The first interaction most people have with an organization is through their website. Having an attractive website that is easy to navigate and well organized to engage effectively is essential for every organization. The latest web technologies enable developers to create attractive websites and, with some effort, organize content... read more
The design of an organization’s website is a key factor in retaining existing customers and attracting new ones. From visual design to overall usability, every element of your website plays a part in engaging customers and providing them with the value you have to offer. This week we’ll take a look at how web design affects customer experience,... read more
You are live, have gone through the go live challenges, and have worked on the other phases whereby the implementation project can be closed. What now? Here are a few items to consider: Expand Training Spend time developing training materials, and put a system in place for keeping the training materials up to date as business processes change.... read more
Valentine’s Day was last week, and at the invitation of my friends here at fusionSpan, I’m popping in to share a few thoughts about my one true love – data! I Love that We Are (Finally) Moving Past Just Talking about Data The past 12 months have brought change in just about every corner of our lives. In... read more
Your organization has been hard at work throughout the implementation and data conversion phases of the project. The team has made great progress, but all the activity has been predominantly conducted by the core project team working on perfecting individual modules of the overall project. The testing that has occurred so far is unit/module level testing. It’s time... read more
Data conversion, or data migration, is the task of bringing over relevant data from your legacy system to your new CRM. This is one of the most crucial steps for a successful AMS implementation. Bad data will result in a failed project, no matter how good the features are within your new platform. As you continue your AMS... read more
Well, it’s time to begin! In Your AMS Journey, Implementation is the execution phase of the whole endeavor. In Step 6 you defined the scope of your project, and the System Implementer (SI) will now begin to bring your vision to life. The key is structure, accountability and discipline. While the earlier stages of the project have been... read more
As we close 2020 and move into 2021, association leaders may be looking for ways to increase their organizational efficiencies – a kind of new year’s resolution. Association leaders should resolve to review how technology supports the organization’s processes. Unfortunately, many organizations delay examining their use of technology, taking an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach,... read more
Forms are very common features on association websites to collect information from visitors, regardless of if they are members or not. The information gathered on forms can help turn anonymous visitors into identified prospects. For example, when a visitor provides an email address in the form while signing up for a free newsletter, you will be able to... read more
With the discovery stage complete, you and your staff let out a sigh of relief. The team is happy the implementation is moving along, and members are eagerly anticipating all of the features they expect the new AMS will bring to make their lives easier. What’s In and What’s Out As you review the requirements within the discovery... read more
By this stage of Your AMS Journey, you have made all the crucial decisions regarding choosing a new product and implementation partner. With your platform and partner selected, now it is time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. To begin, you will engage in a discovery. Clients are often unable to understand the need for... read more
In today’s age of social media and digital transformation, email is often overlooked as a marketing tool to effectively use to reach members. Email campaigns are an inexpensive option for associations to reach a large group of members and are even still relied upon as the primary form of communication. One email marketing tool that fusionSPAN’s Digital Strategy... read more
In today’s age of digital transformation, leveraging data efficiently and effectively is imperative for associations looking to deliver consistent value to their members. We often work with clients leveraging platforms such as Salesforce and Fonteva, which are tools that offer a wide range of functionalities and customization when it comes to reports and dashboards. For some readers, you... read more
For many associations, this time spent working remotely has been a great opportunity to examine current processes and tools. A few months ago, I discussed how to evaluate your current marketing tool to determine if it fits your association’s current and future needs. If the result of that conversation was that a new system is needed, the next... read more
As associations continue to adjust to a socially distanced world, virtual events have become less of a convenience and more of a necessity. It is imperative to provide continued value to members, especially when budgetary constraints are at the forefront of many internal conversations. For existing Fonteva customers, or those investigating a switch to a cutting-edge Association Management... read more
A few years ago, the association I was working at decided to overhaul and upgrade the organization website. Among many other resources, this project involved the need for staff to coordinate work with an outside vendor in order to re-do the site. Although the website updates were eventually completed, projects rarely go according to plan. Looking back, there... read more
Your staff just went through an intensive User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process, and the shiny new website looks and performs as expected. You give the go ahead to the vendor to launch the site, and in most cases it is also the last time anyone tests all features of the website. Unless a team member or client notices... read more
Guess what? Your marketing system is so organized you do not need to do a thing! April Fools! (belatedly) In many marketing systems that fusionSpan audits, there are a number of outdated lists, old email drafts, and unorganized email content. Some of this is to be expected with multiple people working in the same system, so it is... read more
Gayathri Kher Co-Founder & President This is a good time for associations to look at their project lists and re-prioritize projects that were tabled due to all-consuming events, staff bandwidth, and travel. Many of you may be grappling with how to keep teams productive, accountable, and engaged as we all adjust to the new normal of fully remote... read more
What is SEO? While online platforms like social media and paid advertising can help drive users to your website, the vast majority of online traffic is generated through organic search (i.e. Google). Therefore, it is important that your website appears when someone uses a search engine to look for content relevant to your site. This begs the question:... read more
What is Single Sign On? Single Sign On, or SSO, is probably a phrase or acronym that you have seen a lot. To understand what it is in the most basic sense, consider this analogy: the internet is like a shopping mall, and each storefront a domain. Now, each time you enter a different store, you are immediately... read more
In the previous blog we made the case for a business hub for your association (if you haven’t read it, please do). In this blog we will go over implementing the hub with free open source software. To recap the point we are trying to make, is that associations are moving from monolithic IT platforms to multiple best... read more
Associations are increasingly adopting multiple software systems to obtain the best of breed for each focus area. They are moving away from integrated systems that have multiple modules that manage varied IT functions but only excel in one or two. That means most associations use a multitude of IT systems – including a Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Learning... read more
