Before choosing a 网站 and mobile app provider and membership management software for your organization, wouldn’t you like to know more about what you’re getting into? We would like to help you navigate this crucial decision more confidently and successfully. In the following guide we want to share what we’ve learned from our customers (through online surveys, 支持, and problem/solution interviews) to help your organization meet its needs.

You should be asking the following questions:

1. Does the web design company you're hiring specialize in anything? 他们是你所在行业的专家吗?

   Rather than searching for web designers by "near you", look for 网站 design companies that 专注于你的行业. A company that has an expertise in your specific industry will have a deep understanding of your needs. Because they already work with many organizations similar to yours, they will have solutions pre-tailored to meet your specific requirements.
   

   Wouldn't it be nice if your web design company educated you on best practices for your industry? And how to best utilize your 网站 for your organization? 专家会这么做的.

   A great way to identify a few specialized companies is to do a simple search: (我的行业)网站. This will often pull up companies that specialize in that industry. If you are a Chamber of Commerce, for example, you might search Google for 最好的商会网站 or 商会网页设计.

2. 软件是否直观且易于使用?

   It is one thing for membership software to have all the features and functionality that you need. It’s quite another for your team to develop proficiency using it. It’s often the case that software companies will inform you, 客户, that their software already has the functionality you need. The problem is that the software is too complicated, which doesn’t fully allow your team to benefit from the features.
   
   Great software needs to be extremely intuitive so that your team can effortlessly and quickly figure out how to use it and are excited to do so. 也, make sure to understand what training a company will provide throughout the implementation of the software, 他们将如何培训新员工, and what self-serve training options (such as tutorial videos, 在线培训模块, and learning management software) will be available.

3. Can our staff access our software anytime, anywhere, and with any type of device?

   Cloud-native software allows your staff to login via a web browser from any computer, 平板电脑, 或者移动设备. Make sure that your team members will have access to the correct data within your database (i.e., 管理项目的能力, 比如会员信息, 网页, 报告, 事件信息, 支付/发票, 等.).
   
   Unique username/password logins are also important. You should have the ability to create different logins for different staff members, as well as manage their security access levels. 例如, your membership and sales/marketing teams should be able to log in to their sections of the software simultaneously without accidentally accessing content from outside their department.

4. 软件是基于云的吗?

   The days of keeping on-premises servers are gone. Maintaining these servers and operating systems is too costly, requiring additional personnel and continuous up-keep efforts.
   
   现在, having your own server farm to 支持 your software is like building an electrical grid to provide your organization with electricity. Adopting a cloud-based approach is far more economical and practical. Using a cloud-based solution will free up your IT team to conduct higher-value activities, such as architecting future resolutions and optimizing existing technology.

5. 软件是否提供了一个完整的解决方案?

   Pure nirvana is finding one software program that meets all the needs of every department.
   
   Avoid web solutions that are overly dependent on third-party integration and feel cobbled together. When you integrate third-party membership management, 网站, 事件, 电子邮件营销, CRM软件, 你创造了碎片化, isolated data silos that can impede productivity and overcomplicate communication. You could also end up with thousands of duplicate records and outdated, extraneous data.

6. Will the software better engage our members through the web and mobile app?

   Your 网站 and mobile app are the essential components to improving your members’ engagement. A quality online experience is increasingly more important to upcoming professionals between the ages of 20-40 years old since they grew up in a connected world and expect seamless online access.

   Here's what you should consider for your membership when building a new 网站:
   • Will your new system allow for easy membership payments?
   • Will the 网站 allow your members to register for 事件s and keep up to date with your content?
   • How will your members be able to reach out to you from the 网站?
   • Do forms data automatically upload into databases? Additionally, do you get an email notification?   
   • Will you be able to communicate with your members effectively through thank you pages, 电子邮件回复, 还有其他方法?

7. Is the 网站 and mobile app native to the software?

   It is vital that your 网站 software is a built-in feature of your membership software, not an integrated third-party software product.
   
   Using third-party 网站 software that is not native to the membership software will result in continual data integration when either software program upgrades. 经常, you will have to work with separate companies—one to provide the membership software and the other to deliver the 网站 and integration. Integrating the 网站 software requires significant customization, and this knowledge is often proprietary to the 网站 company. 最后, third-party integration can produce data silos, resulting in data fragmenting between your 网站 software and membership software.

8. Will all my data be consolidated, improved and transferred to our new software?

   You may have member information on file for the past several years, or decades even. You may have hundreds of 网页 and photo albums on your current 网站. You could even have folders full of Excel spreadsheets keeping your records. 无论您的数据处于何种状态, you will need to consider the task of transferring it into your next system.
   
   When transferring to either a new 网站 or membership software, you need to make sure your existing data is not forgotten, 失去了, 或者随意地放在某个地方. Make sure to thoroughly question the prospective companies about their expertise in migrating data and their plan to do so.

9. Will my organization receive regular monthly upgrades as part of our subscription fee?

   The monthly subscription should include regular software upgrades and updates. Further, these updates should take place every month, not on an annual basis, at no additional cost.

10. 我能在买之前试用一下吗?

    Make sure that the software provider that you are considering can provide you with a comprehensive trial experience before your purchase. This trial should involve every department being set up with the software (within limits, of course) so that they can take it out for a test drive before committing to it. This process will also give every department the ability to gauge how intuitive the software is based on their needs. 最重要的是, it will increase staff buy-in and decrease the likelihood of them feeling as though it was forced on them after purchase.

11. Will our members be able to access their benefits anytime from anywhere and on any type of device?

    Your organization's membership benefits need to be highly accessible to your members. Young and upcoming professionals have high expectations for the quality of online connectivity you provide because they grew up in an always-connected world. If you don’t provide your members with an incredible online experience, they will leverage the power of the Internet to find it somewhere else. An excellent online experience is the foundation of the next generation of membership organizations.

12. 如何处理支持?

    Make sure the 网站 includes ongoing 支持 and that the terms are clearly defined.
    
    要问的一些重要问题包括:
    • 什么是积极的支持时间?
    • 我多久可以联系一次技术支持? 我可以通过电话或电子邮件联系技术支持吗?
    •  有任何相关费用吗?
    
    另一个重要的问题是, "Will we have to rely on a 支持 or development team to make updates to my 网站?" The amount of control you will have when adjusting the site copy, images, and menus is critical. Your new 网站 should be easy for your team to manage so that you are not reliant on your developers for content that you should be able to control yourself.

13. 有退款保证吗?

    Did you know that Tesla offers a 7-day, no-questions-asked, 保证资金回收 on all their cars? Well, your new membership software should also extend this type of guarantee.
    
    The purchase of your new membership software and 网站/mobile app is a considerable investment. You should not feel like you’re betting your future on a product that you've only viewed a couple of times in the context of a salesperson's demo.
    
    When speaking with your potential new membership and 网站 provider, make sure to confirm that they have a no-questions-asked, 保证资金回收. Your new software provider should be willing to mitigate your risk and, 而不是, take on the risk themselves by offering a 保证资金回收. 这种方式, if the software neither meets nor exceeds your expectations, 你可以免费退货.

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