4 Steps to Quickly Learning Your Association Management Software

Why you Need a Member Management System

Congratulations! You’ve determined what AMS you’ll be using to manage your association. You’ve signed on the dotted line, now what? How do you go from “demo land” to fully embracing and using your new system?

We know that learning new software can be overwhelming. Follow our 3 steps to reduce the learning curve and quickly see the benefits of your new association management software.

Invest in Training

It’s understandable that you might consider skipping training because of the extra price tag, but unless you’re adept at learning new software, don’t do it. Paying for training will get you up and running faster and be less time consuming than trying to learn your new system on your own. Investing in training will ensure that you’re following best practices and your association is setup properly from the get-go. If you’re not technologically savvy, investing in training will most likely reduce your anxiety and make the entire experience more pleasant and enjoyable.

At AMO, we’ve noticed that associations who invest in training, see the following benefits:

  • They’re up and running faster and more easily.
  • They get more out of the AMS.
  • Their members have a better user experience.
  • They’re happier!

Schedule Time to Learn and Set Goals

Set aside time to go over training videos and knowledge base articles and set goals for learning the software. Recognize that learning new software can take time. Simply acknowledging this may make your experience better. It’s important to block off time to learn your new AMS. If you need to ramp up quickly, schedule time 3-4 days a week and set some goals to become familiar with how your AMS works.

Stay in Contact

Your new AMS project can quickly unravel if you don’t stay in contact with your project manager or support contact. Our best AMO installs have happened when the association admin and our team stay in close contact throughout the process. By doing this, you’ll tackle the speedbumps together as they come rather than all at once just when you think you’re ready to launch.

Test, Rinse and Repeat

Managing events for your association can create tension on its own. Throw in using new software to manage it and you’ve got a recipe for stress. Setup a test event when you’re not under a time crunch. This will allow you to work out any kinks you may encounter before you need to setup a real event. Be sure and review your test event from both an administrator’s and member’s perspective.

At AMO, we want your experience using our software to be like petting a sweet little puppy after his bath. That’s why we’re committed to building a solid support center for AMO users. Watch our video here:

Other tips on a smooth transfer to a new AMS? Check out these helpful posts >> 4 Tips to Ensure a Smooth Member Data Migration, End of Day Productivity Hack: Easily Clean your Member Data.