when difficult decisions lead to successful outcomes
Post on 19-Jun-2015
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When Difficult Decisions Lead to Successful Outcomes
National Council on Family Relations
• Founded in 1938• 3,300 members• ~ $1.5M budget• 11 full-time staff• Mission: “Strengthening Families”
The National Council onFamily Relations is . . . • The premier professional association for the
multidisciplinary understanding of families• Publisher of ~ Journal of Marriage and Family ~ Family Relations ~ Journal of Family Theory & Review• Provider of the Certified Family Life Educator
(CFLE) designation
Old database situation
• AMS purchased in 2004• Implementation delayed• Software company went out of business• Product sold twice• 2nd time to a company in the Philippines• Went live in December 2006
There were problems
• No reporting software• Membership periods imported incorrectly• Membership orders generated errors• All attributes were fixed length CVAR• E-commerce module failed in March 2007 –
went back to re-keying online orders
Quickly became apparent, this wasn’t going to work out• Inefficiencies and errors frustrated staff• Resolving basic issues was a challenge• Customer support: 13 hour time difference
and a language barrier• Conference calls scheduled at inconvenient times• E-mail replies came in the middle of the night
• Decision made in mid-2007 to move on
Choosing the right AMS takes time
• Nov ‘07: RFP for consultant to guide selection• Feb ‘08: Internal technology audit• Apr ‘08: Business process analysis• May ‘08: RFP to AMS vendors• July ‘08: Scripted product demonstrations• Aug ’08: Finalist follow-up discussions• Sep ‘08: ACGI selected as preferred vendor
And then things changed
NCFR’s AMS purchase was placed on hold
Six months later…
• NCFR financial reserves had not recovered• Notified ACGI of pursuing other option• ACGI proposed an alternate approach• Association Anywhere Standard Edition
• Up front cost reduced by half• Ongoing cost reduced by a third• Key advantages retained
Implementation process
• 14 week timeline• Data conversion handled mostly in-house• Three on-site “boot camp” weeks
• Configure and train simultaneously• Consensus decision making process• Team approach to setup tasks
AMS implemented on schedule
August 10, 2008
and 30% under budget
Keys to success
• Talented staff committed to success• Strong grasp of business processes & needs• Thorough understanding of existing data• Flexible processes met system configuration• Structured issue tracking system• Vendor who empowered us to take on more
Outcomes
• Membership up more than 10%• Over $300K in credit card payments processed• 20% of members have updated their profile• Membership gap revenue recouped• Efficiency & capacity let staff focus on growth
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