Altai Rocks, but Are You Ready for It?
I have had the pleasure of working with the Altai team for more than a year and I feel compelled to chirp in here. Implementation of an AMS is a major undertaking. By its nature, an AMS system affects most if not all aspects of an association's business. To select and implement an AMS successfully, an association must commit resources, time, and talent required to fully understanding what an AMS is and what it will do for their business. This requires discipline and a very candid look in the mirror. If you, as an association membership executive, are not sure yet what you should be doing and why you should be doing it, no AMS will be good for you-not even Altai Systems, which has been relied on by some of the most respected organizations in the associations business. You MUST begin with a disciplined self-assessment and commitment to your organization, its mission, and its members that you will do what it takes to figure out what your business needs BEFORE you approach someone like Altai. Don't do it based mainly on a demo or/and their many 5-star reviews posted here and elsewhere.
Only when you are ready to move forward to execute on your clearly defined organizational and technological expectations, will you be ready to fully appreciate just how far Altai System's team is willing to go for you to help you be successful. We were a "tiny fish in the pond," when we approached Altai team and they went above and beyond to make our collaborative journey financially and technologically possible. They then continued to hold our hand and support us all the way through the process of implementing the Altai solution. Therefore, Altai Systems is not just an excellent and robust AMS platform that will not straight-jacket your growing association by the time you are done rolling it out. Altai System's knowledgeable and supportive team is a crucial element of what makes this product so different from most others listed here. If you go with Altai, you will have the support and understanding you need to be successful, but you still must know where you are going. As The Cheshire Cat reminded Alice, if the destination is not clear to you, any road will eventually lead you there. I might add, that, if you didn't really know where you are going, you will hardly like it, when you get there. Don't blame the Altai folks for that or anyone else. Have the courage to look in the mirror to find the culprit.
