39 Technology staff ‘we can’t do that in our system’ frustrations, and put the association within striking distance of the same tech used by some of the most effective companies in the world. Before you truly consider going non-AMS, you really need to challenge the status quo internally at your organization. You have to look in the mirror and ask these questions: » Are we ready to jump into a tech solution that is riskier to implement and will challenge our team? Or are we ok with iterating on the ‘current state’ or jumping to a similar system that shares 90% of the same functionality we have currently? » Are we relying too much on our member portals to deliver benefits and customer service? » Is our current culture supportive when things don’t work? Can we prioritize and solve big problems if they arise? If you answer these questions thoughtfully, it will be a litmus test. And if you do take on the big leap of going non-AMS, you need to be focused not on some critical elements that will position you for longer term success. You’re gonna have to turn a lot of things on their head. This is why smaller associations are better suited for non-AMS solutions, as they tend to be simpler in need, have less silos in decision-making, and have more close ties and communications between teams and functions (many hats, remember?). If you are going to make the non-AMS leap, then you are gonna have to blow some shit up. Blow up your policies: Often old or complicated policies get in the way of innovation and speed. Before we configure or customize any complex workflow or process, we gotta ask the question—could we simplify the product or the policy first? Often the answer is yes. Blow up your processes: Leverage a dynamic system to make your work more efficient through built-in AI tools, workflow automations, and sequences of actions. Blow up your model: If you are in an AMS, your model is essentially handicapped by the core system. System flexibility and innovation are completely controlled by another entity. Blow up being ‘out’ implementation: Reframe and consider that you are always in implementation to varying degrees, especially when you are tied to software systems that are developing at such a rapid pace. In this mindset, we are always going to be reinventing ourselves. We should embrace it as part of our culture and we lean into it, hard. Instead of asking if you’ll ever love your system, focus on whether it delivers the results you need today and has the potential to empower your org to be more adaptable and meet the moment. Brian is the CEO at Harrier LLC, with a focus on helping small orgs & businesses get to the next level of operational & strategic competence. Visit harrierbiz.com to contact Brian. Ever Think About?
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