THE CHALLENGE
The Madison Area Builders Association has one simple goal: to promote its members by creating a one-stop shop for home building and remodeling resources. But keeping a diverse and growing group of more than 500 builders, remodelers, contractors, banks, and tradespeople informed and connected had proven to be an enormous task.
Using an antiquated database, the Association was unable to generate mailing lists, pull member lists, or even create simple reports without the help of someone well versed in writing code. The association was also limited because its database was not able to interact with its own website.
THE SOLUTION
The time had come to take action. Knowing something had to be done to better serve its members, the Association looked to its technology partner for recommendations. An initial list of nearly fifty solution providers was generated. The Association then created a matrix of nearly 40 criteria that were important to have in its new solution and started checking boxes for each provider.
In the end, a clear winner emerged from the pack by hitting nearly all criteria that was established. That provider was GrowthZone. After a lengthy phone interview and some tough questions, the Association knew it had found the solution.
However, there were still concerns about the conversion process. “We were certain GrowthZone was the right solution for us, but you always wonder how smoothly the transition will really be,” said Schroeder. “During implementation, transfer of data was easy – we were charged a flat fee and everything was taken care of with any issues resolved quickly. The whole process could not have gone smoother.”
THE RESULTS
Since implementing the GrowthZone member management system, the Association has heard only positive feedback from its members, who are now able to register for events, update their information and more in just minutes.
“We can now see how our members interact with us and use that information as a retention tool,” added Schroeder. “For example, we track referrals so we can tell members how many times we’ve referred them to potential customers.”
Because GrowthZone syncs with the Association’s website, users have an easy way to find members, events, and other important information. Through GrowthZone’s directory function, small contractors and builders are able to have a web presence without having to incur the cost of creating their own site.
Reports are now easy to generate, and mailing lists and emails can be created with just a few clicks. Staff members have become more efficient by not having to duplicate their efforts since information is entered only once.
“GrowthZone is very intuitive,” said Schroeder. “So much so that we didn’t need a lot of training to be able to hit the ground running. And the customer service is incredible because they do what they say. I give them an A+.”
Switching to GrowthZone is a decision that has paid huge dividends for the Madison Area Builders Association. The Association pays less per month than their previous solution but can accomplish much more. It also saves by not having to pay an annual subscription fee.
The biggest benefit? GrowthZone is cloud-based, meaning data can be accessed anytime, anywhere, without needing to be on an office computer.