When associations move to a new AMS system, it’s easy to overlook one of the most critical parts of getting the most from that investment: customer support from your AMS vendor.  

All the new features for your members and efficiencies for your association staffers are going to be great. But when there’s a question or a problem, it’s support (or the lack of it) that everyone will notice. 

After 25+ years of working with associations and countless hours refining our association management software, we’re proud to say our support team stands out in a competitive industry. Part of the reason our support team can boast a 98% customer satisfaction rating is our focus on empathy, efficiency, and effectiveness with customer support.  Read more about our average response and resolution times: Why Our AMS Support Is So Responsive and Effective. 

Often, clients reach out when confronted with individual record discrepancies or systemic challenges that demand swift resolution. In these moments, we know the frustration for clients is often complex and overwhelming. 

Even if it’s not, reaching out to support is at least an unplanned annoyance. We get that. From years of interactions with our customers, we would like to share our best tips for getting the most from your AMS support team.  

If your current AMS vendor is just flaky, disorganized, or not proactive, you should prioritize looking at other options. There’s no reason you or your members should need to put up with that. 

Get the 2025 AMS Buying Guide

This essential resource is full of our most transparent insider advice. Learn what AMS vendors are really thinking during your sales conversations, what you should ask AMS providers to ensure you’re getting the system you really need, and more. Download a free copy for your team today!

Send Me a Copy of the 2025 AMS Buying Guide Now
Association Management Software 2023 Buying Guide cover image. It includes a large version of Cobalt's logo, the AMS Buying Guide title, and photograph of Cobalt's Washington, D.C. lobby.

Understanding Service Level Agreements (SLAs)  

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) play a crucial role in governing support services and establishing clear expectations between service providers and users. These agreements outline the level of service that users can expect, including response times, resolution targets, and other performance metrics.  

By understanding SLAs and how to leverage them effectively, users can prioritize and escalate support requests to ensure timely resolution of issues. Let’s take a closer look at SLAs and the impact they’ll have for your team and members.  

Why SLAs matter 

SLAs serve as a foundational framework for defining the scope and quality of support services. They provide users with assurance regarding the level of support they can expect from their service provider.  

With measurable targets and performance metrics, SLAs help ensure accountability and transparency in the support process. Additionally, SLAs help service providers allocate resources effectively, prioritize support requests, and optimize service delivery to meet user expectations.  

Realistic turnarounds for research and resolution 

Your team might not be in a rush for an answer to their ticket where they are exploring how to extend the system to meet a new requirement that has come up for a month from now. But everyone feels the pressure if there’s an error and a member is calling off the hook. The expectation for an instant solution makes so much sense.  

Most of Cobalt’s support cases are closed the same day they are opened (we have a 2.1-hour median resolution time!). But we have a highly dedicated, completely in-house support staff. They’ve been involved all through the implementation process, so they know each association’s system and configuration. And we’ve grooved some very proficient processes and systems for finding problems before they surface as problems.  

Some challenges just need a deeper level of scrutiny, more extensive research, rigorous testing, and even collaborative consultations with domain experts. Your AMS support team should be able to quickly know — and clearly communicate to your team — the difference.  

One of the key components of SLAs is defining response times and resolution targets for support requests. Response time refers to the timeframe within which the service provider commits to acknowledging and initiating a response to a support request. Resolution target, on the other hand, specifies the timeframe within which the service provider aims to resolve the issue.  

When reviewing SLAs, your team should pay close attention to these timelines and ensure they align with their business needs and priorities. By setting realistic expectations for response times and resolution targets, users can better plan and manage their support interactions, minimizing downtime and disruptions to their operations.  

Leveraging SLAs to prioritize and escalate support requests  

SLAs often include provisions for prioritizing support requests based on their severity or impact on business operations. Your team can leverage these prioritization criteria to ensure that critical issues receive prompt attention and resolution.  

For example, SLAs may define different response and resolution targets for high-priority incidents, such as system outages or security breaches, compared to lower-priority issues.  

In addition to prioritization, SLAs typically outline procedures for escalating support requests that are not resolved within the specified timeframe. Users should familiarize themselves with these escalation processes and channels to escalate unresolved issues effectively.  

By following established escalation procedures, users can ensure that unresolved issues receive appropriate attention from higher-level support teams or management.  

Specificity in your AMS support request  

When submitting a support ticket, precision and comprehensiveness are paramount. The more detailed your initial submission, the more efficiently our support team can address your concerns.  

It’s not merely a matter of expediency; it’s about optimizing the support process to minimize unnecessary back-and-forth and maximize productivity.  

Even seemingly straightforward requests can harbor multifaceted underlying causes. Without sufficient context, diagnosing and resolving issues becomes a far more arduous task. By investing a few extra moments to provide comprehensive information upfront, you can potentially save significant time and resources down the line.  

To streamline the support process and expedite resolution, here’s a good checklist of questions to answer in your initial submission:  

  • What specific task were you attempting to accomplish?  
  • Which records were involved in the process?  
  • If numerous records are affected, provide examples or indicate that multiple records are impacted.  
  • What precisely went awry or failed to meet expectations?  
  • At what stage of the process did the issue manifest?  
  • Did you encounter any error messages? If so, what were they?  
  • When did the issue occur? Providing a timestamp can aid in tracing the problem’s origin.  
  • Have you attempted any troubleshooting steps thus far? If yes, please outline them.  
  • Which internet browser were you using during the incident?  
  • Can you provide the URL(s) associated with the affected record(s)?  
  • Is there a deadline associated with this task that we should be aware of?  

By furnishing this comprehensive information upfront, you empower your support team to delve directly into the heart of the issue. Cobalt takes a proactive, customer-centric approach to support issues. When our association partners are a little proactive in their support requests, things go so much easier for your team and members!  

Screenshots, screenshots, screenshots!  

Visual aids such as screenshots and screencasts can be invaluable tools in effectively conveying the nature of an issue. So many problems are hard to articulate through written descriptions. Multimedia elements provide clarity and precision around the intricacies of the issue you’re having. 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a short video clip can be worth even more. Whether it’s an error message, an unexpected behavior, or a complex process, visual documentation offers a tangible representation of the issue, reducing the need for lengthy explanations and minimizing the risk of misinterpretation.  

With us, you can even take this a step further and ask to schedule a Teams or virtual meeting where you share your screen, walk through the problem, and have a discussion about possible resolutions. This is a great way to expedite the troubleshooting process!  

Why support needs the full error message  

Providing the language of error messages and noting the date and time of occurrence can offer invaluable insights into the root cause of the problem. Error messages often contain specific details or codes that can help pinpoint underlying issues, while timestamps enable our team to correlate the incident with other system activities, facilitating a more comprehensive analysis.  

It’s worth mentioning that while some errors may appear cryptic or nondescript, exploring additional details or attachments, such as those available through the Business Process Error’s “Details” button, can often yield valuable diagnostic information. Though it may not always provide immediate clarity, such supplementary data can serve as a crucial starting point for further investigation and resolution.  

Leveraging visual aids, providing error message details, and noting timestamps enhance the clarity and depth of information available to our support team, ultimately expediting the resolution process and ensuring a more efficient support experience for all stakeholders involved.  

When All Else Fails? Training! 

If it seems like you’re hitting the same issues with your system or your AMS support, consider connecting with your partner or a third party that specializes in your solution and seek training.  

When you’re locked into an AMS agreement with no way out, the best route for you will be to take the reins in your hands… At the end of the day, you’ll be more at peace the less help you need from your partner. Even better, if they have an online knowledge base for self-service troubleshooting, like Cobalt, this could also help increase efficiency. Push through until you can invest time in seeking a new AMS and implementing it.   

Everything we’ve shared are fundamental practices that will make a real difference with most technical support challenges. From the beginning, Cobalt committed to providing comprehensive and reliable support, tailored to your unique needs and circumstances.  

If you’re unhappy with your current AMS system, vendor, or support, you deserve a team that puts your association and member experience first. That’s us. Let’s connect to see we’re a good fit for what you need.  

Connect with an AMS Expert

We understand associations and the needs you have throughout the process of researching, selecting, and implementing new membership management software. Wherever you are in your AMS search today, we can help you find clarity about your options and take the next steps with confidence.

Take a Quick AMS Tour