Acronyms are commonplace in the membership industry and are an easy way to help with recognition. But when it comes to looking for a new system to manage your members, it can be confusing to know the difference between the types of system on offer.
Sometimes CRM, EMS, AMS and UMS are used interchangeably but there are some differences between them. Here we define each acronym and share what makes them different.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
You might have heard of this acronym in relation to Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics. A Customer Relationship Management System aims to make it easier to manage the relationship between the organisation and their customers; from when someone initially reaches out to when they become a customer.
These systems are flexible solutions with a broader scope and can be used across a range of industries. They also include processes such as sales, pipeline and customer service cases.
Association Management System (AMS)
AMS is the most widely used term for solutions built for associations. It supports the processes membership organisations rely on, such as membership types, renewals, dues and building communities. Platforms such as iMIS and Salesforce are both used as an AMS. Some come with membership features ready to use, while others are configured to suit how your organisation works.
Engagement Management System (EMS)
For Associations, Engagement Management System (EMS) is most associated with iMIS. This solution focuses on building and developing engagement. It aims to bring events, learning, communities and purchases together into a single view of each member.
Union Management System (UMS)
A less commonly used term is a UMS. A union management system is specifically designed to support the needs of unions. This includes managing processes like ballots, case management, branches and reps, and taking payment from payroll. Like for associations, systems can adapted and built to manage tasks needed by unions.
What are the similarities and differences between a CRM, EMS, AMS & UMS?
All systems essentially start from the same foundation – the aim of making it easier to manage relationships between your organisation and your audience. Each system also aims to provide a single source of truth – one place where all of your data is stored securely and allows you to have a greater understanding of your members interactions with your organisation.
The main difference between these systems is the focus. A CRM is built around relationships in general, an AMS around membership processes, an EMS around member engagement, and a UMS around the needs of unions. In practice, there is plenty of overlap, and many platforms cover more than one area.
Another difference is how much comes ready to use. Some functionality is standard, while some is configured or custom built by developers to suit your organisation. A system with more of what you need built in can be quicker to set up, while a more flexible one can be shaped around processes that are unique to you.
| CRM | AMS | EMS | UMS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Managing relationships with customers | Managing Memberships | Building engagement with members | Managing union members activity |
| Used by | Organisations in any industry | Associations and membership organisations | Membership organisations focused on engagement | Union |
| Common Processes | Sales, pipeline and service cases | Membership types, renewals, dues and communities | Engagement tracking, events, learning and communities | Ballots, case management, branches, reps and payroll deduction. |
How do I know which type to choose? Is there one that’s best?
No one system is best for every organisation. The type of solution to choose depends on your organisational needs. When looking at solutions, it’s important to think about what needs are unique to your organisation. Which of your processes are unique to how you work? E.g. events, ballots, renewals. What are your priorities? What tasks do you need your system to complete? Once you have created a list of what you want your system to achieve you can consider suppliers.
At Zentso, we implement Salesforce, iMIS, and Fonteva specifically for membership organisations associations and union. Not sure where your organisation fits?
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FAQs
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Often, yes. Many CRMs can be configured to handle memberships, renewals and dues, and some organisations choose this route because they already use the platform for other work. The question is how much setup is needed.
A system built for associations includes more membership features from the start, while a CRM gives you more flexibility to build exactly what you want. A good way to test it is to list what your team does day to day and check each task against your current system.
Event management software focuses on running events, including registration, ticketing, agendas and check-in. An Engagement Management System looks at the bigger picture, bringing together how members interact with you across events, learning, communities and more. Events can be part of an EMS, but an EMS isn’t only about events.
Off-the-shelf means using features that already exist in the system, set up for your needs. Custom-built means developers create new features to match your processes. Standard features are usually quicker to set up and simpler to maintain, while custom work gives you more flexibility for processes that are unique to you. Most organisations end up with a mix of both.
Unions share many needs with associations, such as managing members and communications. They also have processes that are less common elsewhere, including ballots, case management, branches and reps, and collecting subscriptions through payroll deduction. Some systems include these features, while others can be configured to support them. It’s worth checking how each option handles the processes that matter most to you.
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