Spreadsheets aren’t enough. Here are 8 ways association management software will improve your workday.
Most associations use association management software to manage their data, process joins and renewals, track finances, cultivate member engagement, and streamline tedious tasks. However, some do not.
According to research, 30% of associations still use Excel spreadsheets or do not use an AMS system.*
At a glance, Excel seems to have its advantages. It’s known by employees, easy to use, and most associations already have it. However, the advantages are offset by many limitations.
8 WAYS GROWTHZONE BEATS EXCEL
- IT’S BUILT FOR ASSOCIATIONS
Excel: Designed for the masses to be used as a spreadsheet to crunch numbers – not as an AMS. Plus, Excel isn’t designed to be shared and accessed by multiple people.
GrowthZone AMS: Designed specifically for associations and the challenges they face every day. It provides a central hub for information, and it gives you control over what each employee can see and do in real-time.
- IT SAVES TIME
Excel: Allows users to analyze data and perform calculations, but requires much more manual data input and manipulation to perform everyday tasks.
GrowthZone AMS: Provides a more efficient and robust way to input, analyze, and interact with data. Users can find information faster and make critical decisions that better serve members and improve processes.
- IT ALLOWS REAL-TIME REPORTING
Excel: Data analysis and reporting are painful and time-consuming because Excel doesn’t provide automated reports. You can enter data and manipulate it by copying, pasting, and sorting, but it’s cumbersome and tedious for generating reports.
GrowthZone AMS: Offers real-time reporting on financials, membership, events, communications, projects, sales, and more. It’s also easy to access your data with customizable reports.
- IT PROVIDES ANYTIME, ANYWHERE ACCESSIBILITY
Excel: You can share Excel files with a shared folder, but real-time collaboration, input, and access on the go are nearly impossible.
GrowthZone AMS: Available when and where you need it. GrowthZone AMS is cloud-based, so your entire team can access the same information from any computer or mobile device in real-time whether they’re in the office, working from home, or on the road. It also includes a mobile app so you can scan business cards to load contact data, view notes, register and check in event attendees, process event payments, and more – all from your mobile device.
- IT OFFERS SALES FUNNEL MANAGEMENT
Excel: Excel is great once you close a sale because you can simply log the information into your spreadsheet(s). However, that’s where it ends. What about cultivating the sale, setting sales call reminders, and tracking relationships between data or members?
GrowthZone AMS: With GrowthZone’s Sales Funnel Management module,** anyone can master the art of cultivating and closing sales. Monetize and track sales opportunities such as memberships, sponsorships, and subscriptions. You can track by progress, probability, sales stage, lead source, and more.
- IT DELIVERS EASY WEBSITE CONTROL
Excel: Separate steps and tools are required to make changes to your website or update it with information from your spreadsheets.
GrowthZone AMS: Manage your website from the same place you manage your Association data. Reduce data entry and programming time with web content that integrates data from your GrowthZone AMS.
- IT BRINGS PEACE OF MIND
Excel: Security can be an issue. An additional tool is required to backup Excel files. When multiple copies of the same spreadsheet are maintained throughout an organization, data can easily be lost, outdated, or compromised.
GrowthZone AMS: All data is saved to the cloud and backed up daily, which is safer, faster, and more convenient for teams to access. IT ELIMINATES COSTS
Excel: Because Excel does not have automation tools, you’re often required to purchase additional third-party software. Consider the true cost when you have to purchase multiple third-party systems to do everything a good AMS can do.
GrowthZone AMS: GrowthZone has automation tools right in the software, such as email marketing, directory publishing, event management, sales funnel,** payment gateway, mobile credit card reader, and a members-only Info Hub where members can update their profiles, pay invoices, register for events, and access information and resources.
THE VERDICT
There’s a reason GrowthZone is the gold standard for associations. If you need advanced functionality, there is no substitute. But if you have very modest member management requirements, Excel can help get the job done without much expense. However, when the time comes, your Excel data can easily be imported into GrowthZone AMS, making it super easy to make the switch!
*2017 GrowthZone Association Industry Survey
**Available with GrowthZone Premiere, Pro, or Enterprise packages.
SEE ALSO:
https://growthzone.com/blog/organize-desk-new-year-association/