Australian Institute of Company Directors to implement UpBeat membership management solution with Professional Advantage

Software to provide a foundation for enhanced services to more than 28,000 members

 

Sydney — 13th April 2011

 

Australian business technology and services specialist, Professional Advantage, today announced it has signed an agreement with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, to further develop UpBeat, the Microsoft CRM-based membership management software solution.

 

UpBeat will provide a more efficient platform for the Australian Institute of Company Directors to record and manage all activities relating to its 28,000-plus members including member communications, monitoring membership status and receiving and recording financial transactions. It is also designed to assist in the management and booking of more than 850 professional development and networking events held by the organisation each year.

 

One of the key tasks for UpBeat will be to help the Australian Institute of Company Directors manage the diverse needs of its membership base. For members, it is expected that UpBeat will deliver a more personalised website, targeted member communications, and streamlined online interactions via a 24-hour web self-service feature.

 

In addition to delivering UpBeat's existing member, marketing, event, ticketing and financial functionality, Professional Advantage has committed to develop new business and professional membership-specific capabilities. These include providing for greater interactivity with the Australian Institute of Company Directors website such as future social media interaction; the support of complex events such as conferences within the events management and booking module, and the ability to log and accrue Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours against memberships. 

Fabio Bastian, Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Chief Information Officer says: “This project sets out to deliver greater functionality to the business while minimising risk. We bring knowledge of how to run a professional association management solution while Professional Advantage brings the product and the technical expertise. The benefit is that we get to cooperate very closely and influence the development of the product, ensuring it meets our current and future needs. For Professional Advantage the result is an improved product to take to the professional association marketplace.”

 

UpBeat was selected over alternative association management solutions because it is expected to meet 80 per cent of the Australian Institute of Company Directors' required functionality ‘out-of-the-box’ and deliver efficiencies and automation across three key areas of concern: membership management, events and professional development, and internal collaboration. UpBeat's tight integration with the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ financial system – Microsoft Dynamics GP – was also an important consideration as it means that data relating to member revenues and transactions will automatically and immediately be reflected in the organisation's financial reports.

 

Derek Rippingale, Managing Director of Professional Advantage adds: “The partnership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors is helping us to align our foundation membership product with the more specific needs of professional and business associations. We are creating a solution that meets the real world requirements of professional organisations, one that will be far richer than anything that could be achieved by developers operating in the theoretical world alone.”

The enhancements to UpBeat are being developed on Microsoft CRM 2011. Deployment of the solution is expected to be complete in the third calendar quarter of 2011 at which time all new functionality will be incorporated into Professional Advantage's standard UpBeat Professional software solution.