It’s hard adopting new technology once you’re out of school. In school, you have teachers and peers who are showing you all the new and shiny things. There’s no ramp-up time or trial needed because the tech is at your finger tips and someone is showing you. You’re probably won over by the cool factor more often that not.
But out of school, it’s a different story. It seems like new technology is being introduced on a daily basis and you’re left with the question of what should I adopt and what shouldn’t I?
From a professional perspective, it needn’t be difficult to figure out:
- What saves time, money or resources?
- What makes money?
Adopting Tech at Your Chamber
The first question is an easy one. Look for things in your chamber that are not running as efficiently as they could be. For instance, you may be recording all of your Chamber Bucks by hand or on a spreadsheet. You may be tracking touch points with members in Excel.
While your chamber budget may not be large, many cloud companies offer tech for minimal monthly fees, because they spread the cost of developing the software over their entire customer base, making it very economical.
The other thing you need to consider is how much is your time worth? If you spend a good portion of your time on administrative tasks that could be automated, freeing you up to do more important chamber work, you may pay for the new technology with your time.
Technology is rarely looked at as a money maker but if it helps you do something more often on a more consistent basis, it could be. For instance, if implementing invoicing software can help you reach out to members through automation, and those touch points increase the rate at which memberships are renewed, the software expense may be worth it. Also if an automated marketing drip campaign can convert more prospects into members, that’s a good return on investment.
If you are spending a lot of time on administrative tasks you owe it to you and your staff to investigate what technology is available that can help you extend your resources.
While you might not have a BFF who can show you the latest in tech, you have a whole lot of people willing to help in the Chamber of Commerce Professionals Page on Facebook.
