How Workflow Automation Can Improve your Association

At Pontem, we have the ability to help Membership Organizations or Associations set up their systems and workflow – right from their infancy all the way to scaling the operations at their maturity.  Starting an Association doesn’t have to require a huge investment in technology and systems as there are ways to do it in a phased approach utilizing pre-existing software tools. What is more important is thinking of the foundational components like productivity tools and workflows, with the foresight of growth and strategy in the coming years.   

Efficiency means everything when it comes to the significance of workflow automation for associations.  These automation technologies have already caught the eye of associations with a 2019 study showing that those working in professional member organizations have indicated that workflow automation and artificial intelligence are emerging areas for technology investments. at the associations they work. In fact, 24% say they plan to invest in workflow automation and 4% have already invested in artificial intelligence technology.   

As an association, you would want a system with the flexibility to suit your needs as they evolve. In addition, the ability to view key performance indicators (KPIs) for your management and board of directors is crucial, which means having the right data governance and data collection practices in place. An IDC study found that data workers may waste up to 30% of their time on a job due to the inability to find or prepare the correct data. They can even spend up to 20% of their time duplicating work. Creating automated processes can enable your members to focus on more meaningful work and achieving critical objectives.   

For example, associations have two critical objectives: acquiring members and retaining them. Automated and interactive dashboards focused on reporting data for new members will be key for the sustained growth and impact of the Association. As simple as that concept could be, not having well-thought-out drop down options around “reason for termination” is a missed opportunity. Often, these are left as free-form data fields that would be tougher difficult to analyze in the future, or they could be drop-down data fieldsoptions that are too broad and vague which doesn’t help strategic decision-making moving forward. A second example surrounding the objective of retaining members is that of automating membership renewals. The study found that 13% of lapsed members simply forget to renew their membership and by having an automated workflow process in place to renew memberships can be more efficient in retaining members and ensuring a smooth experience. 

These are two examples of how thinking ahead about how to strategically utilize data can save your organization time-consuming data clean up down the road or just plainly, missed opportunities in a time where data is considered an asset. Designing effective systems and workflows, paired with the right expertise is key for Associations no matter what stage they are at. Pontem has helped many small to medium-size organizations with both sourcing quality data and developing efficient processes as it really does require an integrated approach to generate optimal results. Contact us today…