No matter what industry you are in, technology is rapidly advancing associations around the world, enabling them to become more efficient, effective, and productive. As technology moves forward it is important that associations adapt to new environments and keep up with current trends, being careful not to get left behind.
It’s okay to be a late adopter of technology, and by no means is this a suggestion to trade in your pen and paper for a tablet or swap your paperback for an e-reader. A lot of technological advancements remain a matter of preference, but when it comes to managing an association, some things just make sense.
The internet is home to thousands of freely available applications, websites and management systems that are designed to make your workday more productive. They not only ease workloads but enable a more cohesive approach to collaborating with others – something essential for any successful membership association.
Whether these tools take a back seat throughout the workday, or are used as fully-fledged project management systems, their key role is to create a more streamline experience for an association’s board and its members. These tools will help with any given task, allowing users to easily plan, manage their workload, and delegate tasks to others.
Taking a labour-saving approach to running an association can improve the efficiency with which it performs. This will reflect on the individual members of associations, by giving them a more self-sufficient experience whilst taking advantage of the association’s benefits.
The key idea behind utilising these tools is to reduce the amount of work you must do manually. Automation is powering the working world forward technologically, freeing up more time for users to focus on the most important matters such as growth and development. There are countless tasks that can now be automated, one of which being membership renewals, a vital, yet time consuming task for any association.
Communication should be of paramount importance to associations and is only made easier by taking advantage of technology. The easiest way to do this is through social media and monitored emailing services. It’s by far the most efficient way to promote an association’s mission, recruit members and gain feedback. More effective communication leads to higher engagement levels with members, something that will in turn increase member retention rates year-on-year.
To read more about the future of office working and what it can do for associations, click HERE.
