Non-Profit Replaces Standalone Apps with All-in-One Salesforce.com Solution from ITS

The Computer Measurement Group (CMG) is a not-for-profit, worldwide organization committed to sharing information and best practices of IT service delivery to the enterprise. CMG is the most influential organization for the exchange of information among Information Technology (IT) professionals and is able to achieve its mission through regular communication with members and hosting a number of events, conferences and tradeshows each year.

For more than 10 years, CMG was working in a database built from the ground up by IT Solutions. This system provided CMG with a lot of the functionality essential to the organization’s success. However, as the organization’s processes and data tracking requirements changed over time, several key areas of the existing system began approaching a point where core functionality revisions were necessary. Specifically, CMG needed more consistency and flexibility with its data for event management and strongly desired reporting capabilities which would both require substantial upgrades to the aging system. But the biggest challenge with their current system was that it was not easily accessible outside the office. The current era of computing puts a high demand on accessing data anytime, anywhere. And CMG’s existing solution lacked this capability. Employees could only access their data from inside the office, which limited the productivity of external employees and restricted users’ ability to work remotely. With technology being at the forefront of the organization’s mission, rather than retrofitting or adding on to an aging database, it was clear that the strategic business decision for CMG was to make a transition to a more robust and modern platform that could incorporate cloud computing accessibility and facilitate the growing needs of the organization.

IT Solutions recommended a custom solution built on the Salesforce.com platform for its user-friendly, cloud-delivery model, customization capabilities, and its ability to be seamlessly integrated with third party applications. The Salesforce.com solution that IT Solutions delivered integrates with an event management application integral to CMG’s data management. The event management app is offered through the Salesforce AppExchange and is obtainable at a reduced rate for non-profit organizations. The app includes functionality to manage all aspects of the event planning process -from promotions, registrations, payments and reporting as well as the ability to associate members with specific events. Additionally, CMG’s email marketing tool was integrated within the solution so that all contacts sync across products. Lists can now be manipulated and segmented for specific events, thus, campaign success can now be measured and tracked easily because of the amount of connected data and robust reporting functionality that the Salesforce platform provides.

CMG quickly saw the benefits of transitioning to Salesforce and the related event management app because it enabled employees to access their data from anywhere they could access the Internet, thus increasing overall productivity of the organization. The integration of the cost-effective event management application and email marketing software with their client contacts is a huge benefit as it gives them one go-to solution for all their data. Having the ability to track memberships and volunteers as well as manage all stages of the events in one central location drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to maintain event campaigns. The cross-syncing of data cuts out unnecessary steps and time needed to perform redundant data entry previously required in the standalone systems. Additionally, mobile data management needs were also addressed with the solution. Salesforce enables secure access to data from any mobile device, anywhere, even at the event itself. From updating contact records, managing campaigns, tracking new opportunities, and communicating with colleagues and members while on the road, users can quickly and easily make updates or look up information on a variety of mobile devices.