Success in the association world, now more than ever, is connected to organizations that find innovative solutions and new technologies to improve efficiency and value. The relationship between innovation and success isn’t new, which is why AH has retained a CIO to ensure that as we grow we remain technologically ahead of the game. Innovative technologies, such as hybrid cars, now create less pollution by using less gasoline. The cell phone revolutionized not only communication, but what it means to be connected. Simply put, technology is the future.
For a rapidly growing company like AH, it's important to stay on the cutting edge of innovation and technology. In our company strategic plan we focus on staying ahead of client partner needs. We have a clear vision of where clients need to be and are always looking out for the next best thing to help them remain a valuable resource to members and constituents. These days, associations and professional societies are in competition with online communities. In order to stay relevant, it's important for member-based organizations to embrace technology or their space could be taken over. We help all client partners stay on top of their respective industry or profession to maintain a trusted voice in matters concerning their interests.
Innovation has always had its roots in identifying solutions to problems and fulfilling needs. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend made us realize that in order for our staff to remain efficient we needed to develop a secure, yet flexible, architecture for allowing employees to use tools that help them perform their job. Our IT team consistently monitors the security of client data, while also being flexible in order to accommodate the use of personal tablets, smart phones, and laptops. We used to be a Blackberry device shop, but with ever-changing technologies available we took an innovative approach to being more open to the tools our employees are using.
AH also offers innovative business solutions for our client partners through cloud computing, such as software as a service (SaaS) and other web-based programs, to increase efficiency. Some of these programs include:
- Association Anywhere (AA) — We have already transitioned eight client partners to this web-based association management software. This software streamlines operations, enhances member services, and enables users to manage personal profiles. AA is a one-stop shop for membership, financial, and operational information through a secure database. As of today, we are one of only two AMCs currently using this web-based platform for database management.
- Salesforce — Our sponsorship sales team uses this Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to generate and manage sales leads for our client partners. This program allows our team to remain efficient while growing revenue, boosting productivity, and increasing visibility for our clients.
- Basecamp — Many of our teams currently use this online program to keep track of project discussions, files, and events from start to finish. This program stores all information necessary to track processes and also helps onboard new team members. Transitions are made easier and the learning curve is decreased for new team members because best practices and projects are tracked and saved in one place. AH is currently looking in to a more intuitive project management program for use by all clients and departments.
- Google Apps for Business — We utilize this intelligent web-based system for tools such as Drive, Analytics and Gmail. Transitioning our staff to Google increased efficiency for document sharing, meeting scheduling, email processes, and address book organization. Many of our employees travel frequently or work remotely. Google Apps has afforded our team the tools and resources needed for serving our client partners from anywhere in the world.
- Dropbox — This program allows staff to collaborate with volunteer leaders by securely sharing files over the web. This keeps files up-to-date across multiple devices and helps us stay in sync with team members and volunteer leaders while working from anywhere at anytime.
- Drupal — Websites through AH are built using an open source content management platform for powering functional and mobile friendly websites and applications. This easy-to-use system enables team members who work with our client partners to edit and create content on web pages. This increases efficiency because web developers are no longer tasked with website updates and have additional time to make sure everything is running properly on the backend while planning and executing far more complex web projects to help our clients stay ahead of the game.
Our suite of innovative tech products and services help our staff to achieve the goals of our client partners, while freeing up critical financial and staff resources. We work diligently with a trusted team of employees to sustain our commitment to innovation while also remaining flexible. Through cultivating innovation we are strengthening our client partners for the future.
