Blog

Get the smartimpact team's comment and opinion on everything CRM and beyond.

Time to change your Microsoft Dynamics membership CRM supplier?

05 September 2019 by Steve Sydee

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a great product for all sorts of membership associations. But you need a specialist Dynamics partner to work with you on it. Read more

See your data in new ways with Power BI

19 December 2018 by Lauren Smith

There are many software and business platforms on the market that allow you to view and draw insight and business intelligence (BI) from your data. Microsoft’s version is Power BI which allows you to go from data to powerful insights within minutes. Read more

Exploring Dynamics 365 for Talent

13 December 2018 by Naresh Raj

Want to manage your employee recruitment, onboarding, and training processes? Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Talent might be the answer for you. Read more

Risks of not integrating your system

11 December 2018 by Lauren Smith

In our last blog post, Naresh spoke about system integration and why it’s so important. But what are the dangers and risks involved in not integrating? Lack of integration means your data is highly likely to be kept in silos and you may risk the following: Read more

What should a fully integrated system include?

05 December 2018 by Naresh Raj

We hear about ‘system integration’ all the time but what does it mean exactly and what features should a fully integrated system include? Integrated systems can talk to each other and share data for the overall benefit of your organisation and members, whilst still allowing for all of them to be used separately if needed. Read more

The ability to adapt in the face of change is what TechSmart is all about

30 November 2018 by Lauren Smith

We were proud to be Platinum Sponsors of TechSmart on 27th November 2018, with around 350 delegates in attendance – it was certainly a must-attend event for anyone within the membership space who wants to learn and keep abreast of what the technology marketplace has to offer their organisation. Read more

What members want and expect

23 November 2018 by Lauren Smith

Your members now expect more from you than ever thanks to the likes of Amazon, Uber and JustEat to name just a few. Consumers can get goods, taxis and food all at the tip of their fingers and a click of a button – literally. Amazon is renowned for its 1-Click service, Uber can get a taxi to your location in as little as two minutes and JustEat will deliver food to your door just as quick (almost!). Read more

What’s the best CRM system for membership organisations?

05 November 2018 by Charbel Abi-Maroun

According to the Digital Excellence Research Summary Report 2019 from industry thought leaders MemberWise, Dynamics 365 now has 23% of the Association Management Systems (AMS) sector, up from 15% in 2018, when it was already the market leader. But what are the key things to think about to decide the best CRM system for membership? Read more

Grow Membership with Microsoft Dynamics Social Engagement

02 November 2018 by Steve Sydee

How to identify and attract the people, messages and activities which are really important to your organisation from within the social media noise and buzz. Read more

How can organisations measure member engagement?

19 October 2018 by Ahmed Eltohamy

Every organisation, whether it realises it or not, sets its culture through the actions of its people and those it comes into contact with. So how do you make sure your culture embraces your membership base and keeps them fully engaged? Meet the smartengagement Index. Read more

Artificial Intelligence for Membership bodies

12 October 2018 by Naresh Raj

We’ve covered a lot about CRM basics in membership recently, so we thought we’d look at some more advanced technology. One term you would have heard everywhere over the past few years is Artificial Intelligence (AI). So let's explore that... Read more

Building on ‘engagement moments’

28 September 2018 by Steve Sydee

We’ve recently been talking about membership engagement and how focusing on improving member engagement is the key to success for membership organisations. Read more

Back to basics: tips on working with your Membership CRM supplier

13 September 2018 by Steve Sydee

As part of our ‘back to basics’ series, we’ve looked at what good Membership CRM systems can do for your organisation, and some of the things you can do to drive internal adoption through good planning and management. Today, we’ll have a look at effective working with suppliers, so you can get a productive and long-term relationship from which everyone benefits. Read more

Back to basics: overcoming the challenges of investing in CRM

21 August 2018 by Becky Reid

Part 1 of our ‘back to basics’ series looked at what CRM is and how it can help membership organisations, associations and professional bodies attract more members, raise retention rates, and provide better and more cost-effective services. Now we’ll take that thinking one step further and look at the issues around investing in CRM and how to overcome them. Read more

Back to basics: Membership CRM

09 August 2018 by Lauren Smith

We’ve recently been engaged in conversations with a number of membership associations where it became clear they didn’t have a clear idea about what a modern, integrated CRM system could do for them. Read more

Are you stuck on a legacy CRM system?

02 August 2018 by Lauren Smith

Unless you’ve been living in a vacuum recently, you’ll know that audiences expect you to be aware of their wants and needs and communicate with them accordingly. However, many membership bodies are still struggling to meet expectations because their traditional legacy systems have fallen behind. Read more

Why you should upgrade your Dynamics CRM to Dynamics 365

26 July 2018 by Naresh Raj

Microsoft Dynamics is the leading membership CRM among membership associations, with over 15% market share and rising. So, like many other membership organisations, you might be using Microsoft Dynamics CRM but are you getting all you can from it? Read more

6 common membership CRM system misconceptions

19 July 2018 by Steve Sydee

At smartimpact, we are often called in by organisations who have become disappointed with their current CRM partner, to do our project ‘rescue & relaunch’ service. Read more

5 questions for your membership CRM supplier pt1

05 July 2018 by Steve Sydee

At smartimpact we are often called in by organisations who, for a wide range of reasons, have become disappointed with their current membership solution and are looking for someone to rescue the project. This means we have a good insight into what often goes wrong, and what is needed to make a successful system. Read more

5 questions for your membership CRM supplier pt2

05 July 2018 by Steve Sydee

Last week I gave you two of the five key questions you should be asking your current or potential CRM supplier. This post covers the final three questions so, without further ado, let’s find out what they are... Read more

5 ways to transform your email marketing effectiveness

28 June 2018 by Becky Reid

How to get your email messages in front of your audiences. Read more

7 key member engagement statistics

25 June 2018 by Steve Sydee

On June 20th, smartimpact and MemberWise ran a Select CRM seminar in London, with around 30 membership associations attending, ranging from large to very small. The session was aimed at helping organisations identify how to find and select suppliers to help migrate them from old or no-longer-fit for purpose systems. Read more

Legacy membership database v CRM: what’s the difference?

19 June 2018 by Steve Sydee

Are you still stuck on a legacy membership database, or feel you aren’t getting the best out of your CRM? Then read on... Read more

Countdown to GDPR: 5 practical things to do before 25th May

16 April 2018 by Becky Reid

It’s only a matter of weeks to go now until GDPR comes into force. Rather than talk about the principles of the regulation, which hopefully you are up to speed with now, I thought I could provide a checklist to help you focus on some practical actions you should make sure are implemented prior to 25th May. Read more

The holy grail of system integration

26 March 2018 by Naresh Raj

What does proper systems integration mean to Charities and Membership Associations in practical terms and why should you focus on getting this right? Read more