What Chamber Software Actually Costs

image of lighter burning dollar bill Indirect costs are costs that are not directly accountable to something (e.g., a particular project, facility, or product).

In a recent blog post, Wes Trochlil of Effective Database Management addressed direct costs vs. indirect costs regarding member management software. The direct costs are clear—the amount spent on the software itself. The indirect costs, however, can quickly add up. A subpar MMS can result in wasted time, missed opportunities, staff headaches, etc.

Indirect costs are seldom taken into consideration when calculating expenses; they are difficult to quantify, so they are ignored or unnoticed.

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A noteworthy excerpt from Trochlil’s blog:

A client told me she was having trouble with staff turnover, especially with younger staff. When I asked her about her technology, her eyes got big, and she said: “The last staffer who left me told me in her exit interview that she was leaving in part because the technology we had made her job so hard to do.”

His client’s experience is the very definition of indirect costs.

An MMS that appears as less expensive often costs more than a robust, fully functional product. Cheaper isn’t always better.

“It is very rare that cheap decisions will make great impact.”
― Jonathan Heimberg

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