The future might be uncertain, but you can still be prepared.
Read on to learn a great approach for staying adaptable and resilient in changing circumstances.
Were you ready for the year that was 2020? Not likely. No one saw that one coming. Nonetheless, there your association was, suddenly needing to switch to virtual engagement with members. And not just for a few days or weeks, but months and months.
So here’s a question for you: What are you doing to prepare your organization for the next disruption?
The thing is, disruptions happen when we least expect them. And the thing about the unexpected is that, well, it’s unexpected. You don’t know what the future holds, which means you need to be prepared for uncertainty.
How do you prepare your association for uncertainty?
You might ask, “How do I prepare for something when I don’t know when or what I’m preparing for?”. It’s a valid question, but the truth is that you can do things today to prepare your organization for whatever the future might bring.
Let’s start with the concept of digital transformation.
“Digital transformation” is a bit of a trendy term these days. But it’s really all about using digital technologies to create or modify business processes and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. Sound familiar?
I can’t think of a time that the importance of digital transformation was more apparent than in 2020. At a time when many associations’ member communications and interactions had to go virtual due to global health concerns, associations had to reimagine how they engage with their members.
While many organizations are still playing catch-up, digital transformation is accelerating. It’s time to think, plan, and build digitally so you can work more efficiently, deliver a better member experience, and remain resilient no matter what the future brings.
AMS integration: A solid foundation for the future
One of the most effective ways to put your association on a solid footing for digital transformation is to use association management software (AMS) that’s flexible enough to integrate easily with other apps and systems. This approach helps to ensure the software you use to manage your organization (your AMS) can quickly and easily adapt to your (and your members’) changing needs.
Look for an AMS system that gives you a wide range of options for integrating with third-party applications and services. For example, Nimble AMS offers the following integration options:
- Your system administrators can configure and deploy integrations to your third-party service providers, such as email marketing, learning management, and advocacy systems. This reduces the need for costly and custom integrations – giving your administrator the ability to add and change integrations, using a simple point-and-click interface, when challenges and disruptions pop up.
- You can use pre-built integrations to apps offered in the Salesforce AppExchange, which offers thousands of solutions to meet specific needs.
- You can use APIs that are native to the Salesforce platform, which Nimble AMS is built on, to easily integrate Nimble AMS with other applications, such as content management and email marketing systems.
- You can have the Nimble AMS team build integrations for you.
Using an AMS that offers multiple integration options will give you the flexibility you need to tackle whatever may come. When disruptions arise, you’ll be able to easily add apps and solutions to address those unexpected challenges so you can continue to deliver a great member experience.
