What are GrowthZone users saying about the software?

Great organization for my membership.

Pros

Very easy to pull up members accounts, billing information, general contact information, and the reps information. Making membership mailing labels and membership reports is very easy with this software. I use this software to easily find any membership representative information I need. This software has also made it easy to look up and find a member.

Cons

The only con I have for this software would be the new update, i'm so used to the old version it'll take time to learn the updated.

GrowthZone is a Game Changer

I think our entire team has been extremely please with our entire experience. The customer support and attention to what customers want and implementing just that is fantastic. There's a few features that we'd love to see some improvements in (communications, reporting, and marketing automation).

Pros

The overall integration is fantastic and we love the customer support and the ability for us to submit an idea for improvement and for it to more often that not be put into development or rolled out fairly soon after.

Cons

There are a few newer features that just need a bit more development, mainly revolving around communication analytics. We'd love to use GrowthZone exclusively for our communications, but they just don't have the analytical reports we need. Right now we use Constant Contact, which GrowthZone has a great syncing feature with.

Could be great with a little work

We chose GZ because it offered us the ability to use the same company for website development and hosting and AMS system ensuring compatibility. We are very happy with the look and feel of our website and the CMS used to manage it. Our migration to GZ for the AMS side was rocky at best. Our project manager had never gone through a detailed conversion before. While she was very service oriented and nice to work with, her inexperience caused many issues. We like GZ's ability to give a good view of member activity. I like that when I am on the phone with a member, I can see their engagement, make notes, and create follow up task items. G

Pros

The user interface, look, and feel of the back end. Also like the ability to integrate with the company website to create a good member only user experience. It also has a pretty good project management system, though it desperately needs push notifications via email. The only notification it provides is a badge count on the top menu of the software. So if you are disciplined to check there, the PM works well. GZ also has a certification/continuing education component which we find valuable.

Cons

Customer support needs work. GZ is very slow to respond to issues. Many times entered tickets are not responded to (first response) for 3 or more days (I am not counting the automated message generated that the ticket was received and someone would review). And, when the "front line" or 1st level support team reaches out, frequently they aren't completely familiar with the ins and outs of the software, so the first 3 emails or 15 minutes of the call are spent teaching them how the system works. The communications functionality has a great vision, but is inconsistent and extremely buggy. It is difficult and many times impossible to send a merged email to multiple members. Members get emails or newsletters with the fields not merged properly. It feels like the database was not developed with a vision and as the software was enhanced and features added, bandaids were placed on the tables to make them work together. Field naming is inconsistent and many times not working as a true relational database. Feels like a consequence of growing quickly and not having one responsible group overseeing the programming growth. Different naming philosophy throughout different modules.

Best platform for membership management

Overall, GrowthZone has been so good for my membership and myself. The ease of use is just the best and I am so happy that I switched.

Pros

The ease of use and there are so many places to find answers to any questions that come up.

Cons

The education platform has been a struggle as it is difficult to get a CE certificate to be available to the students. The integration from my old platform (RAMCO) and GrowthZone was not as smooth as it should have been. It was very difficult to communicate with my project manager via phone or email.

GrowthZone Works

Pros

GrowthZone is so much better than the last management system we had to offer. We love it!

Cons

We wish the integration with Quickbooks was better. We have more duplication of work in our accounting department.

GZ Changed the Way We Do Business

GrowthZone has opened up more opportunities for our members to see more of how they can be engaged. The ease of registration system has helped us stop registering members for events. No one calls because they can't access their account. Its been a great experience. I wish on boarding would have spent more time with reports that we used and how to replicate them.

Pros

Easy accessibility for our members to see more & be more in control of accessing benefits. Plus I love that its web based - easy check in. Saves time & money.

Cons

Financial Reports - We are still having trouble running good financial reports to see who owes us dues, etc. Support has been slow to answer or just sends us back to the videos we have already seen.

Overall, a really good membership management tool for Chambers

We appreciate the customer service that we receive from Growthzone, considering the major time differences between Guam and your support staffs' locations. They are always pleasant and supportive.

Pros

Overall, we are very pleased with Growthzone as a membership management software. This has been a challenge for us in the past. We really like that everything we input about the membership in the back end integrates with the website and that we have control of managing our site. Web site templates are pleasing and up to date. Members like having access to their information and updating at their convenience.

Cons

We would greatly appreciate any support from Growthzone to integrate with Quickbooks. Having our membership information align with our accounting would be a dream. Right now we export with excel but we are still having to work out discrepancies between the two platforms. We also request that Growthzone works with other credit card application software such as Paypal. Right now our members cannot pay on-demand as many would like. We would work with Stripe but this program will not work with us in Guam, even if Guam is a U.S. Territory. Any support Growthzone can provide in this area would be greatly appreciated.

GZ/CM is an incredible tool!

My experience(s) with GZ/CM through my current iteration as well as my previous Chamber are impeccable. The Support Team is incredible!!!!!!! Thanks a million!

Pros

While the GZ/CM product is not "everything" we currently need and want, it is close. I've used ChamberMaster at a previous Chamber, and LOVED the product. When I came to my current position, I was very excited that they (the Board) was already investigating a conversion to CM/GZ. It took a bit longer than I'd anticipated, but we have morphed to GZ/CM and I am still learning the ropes, as they say. I wish that it had a few things that organizations such as Chambers definitely need and want, such as a POS type service, as opposed to a strictly database system. Many, many of our type organizations have products and things that are sold throughout the year and at events, and that POS system would be FANTASTIC to be able to incorporate.....not necessarily HAVING to collect information on every "shopper". That information is not necessary for everything. That would really be my only "critique", at this point.

Cons

In some ways there is almost TOO MUCH to grasp and learn. Especially as a "one-man band". BUT....I'm determined to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can!

Manistee Chamber Review

The overall experience has been great! I have not used any prior software so there is nothing to compare it to.

Pros

The product is relatively easy to use! Even if you do get stuck, they have a wonderful team that is available to assist you along the way.

Cons

There isn't much to not like about this software program. However, there are some glitches with the syncing where we have to manually sync things together with constant contact. When we have an event such as a golf outing, it's a bit clunky when we receive payment and it doesn't connect with the event as paid so we are having cross-reference both (member account and the event itself).

ChamberMaster

Been using for 12+ years

Pros

Overall functionality works well. Gets what I need done

Cons

The renewals are harder than the older system Adding free registration is more difficult than the older CM

Great service and scalable

We switched from another platform because the user experience wasn't what it needed to be to make us competitive. We also believe GrowthZone will help us grow for many years. We also like the variable rate payment option, particularly in our early years.

Pros

We use the Events, Web Content (blogs), and Lists (contact manager) all the time. They're easy to use and produce a great-looking member experience. As we grow, we'll use more of the Reports to track engagement and renewals. The website editor is also great for designing something professional and for ease of editing. The support service is great. We always get an answer within a day.

Cons

The accounting menus could be simplified. The Boolean operators in list creation don't work consistently.

Why GrowthZone is my perfect parnter

GrowthZone allows me to communicate effortlessly with my members, staff, and the public. It covers project planning that the whole team can stay on track. We can offer our advertisers great looking reports on the performance of their ads. We can easily track data to make informed decisions. We can quickly get answers for our Board through the reports function as well and the dashboard let's us know exactly where we are and what we need to focus on in the next quarter.

Pros

Capacity is key in any business. If a business does not have the capacity to fulfill its mission, it dies. Operating a small, rural chamber with big goals and a staff of 4 to manage 470 members without GrowthZone would be a nightmare. From the internal management to the member benefits, GrowthZone allows us to stand out in our community as their advocate and partner in growing their business. The customer service and technical service is above the bar in knowledge and attentiveness. They allow us a to operate at a more professional and top-tier level than other member-based organizations without this service.

Cons

There are only a few cons which pertain to technical features for the back-of-the-house users such as not being able to preview blog posts prior to publishing and having different banner size options for our sponsors.

I love ChamberMaster/ GrowthZone

Pros

I love our ChamberMaster software. Customer Support is fairly quick to respond to issues. They also try to roll out new features/ updates as often as possible. They do listen to their customers and try to provide the services we need, although some of it comes with an extra price tag. We already use the biggest package, so we do wish new features were automatically included with our package.

Cons

Sometimes I feel like I know the system better than some of the customer service reps. I always have to be very detailed when I have an issue. And a lot of times they reply back and tell me something that I already stated in the original email. I don't feel like they are very thorough when reading the emails we submit when we're having an issue.

Can't wait to see the growth

Overall, as one of the first associations to use this program. I think it is great and has only gotten better with time and updates. I really like the time saving features this AMS has brought to our board. Initially it was a struggle for us to adopt but in over a year and a half of using GZ - It is clear I would never want to change systems.

Pros

I like the email designer and the landing page creator. It has seen many updates and I can't wait to see where it goes - I've liked all the changes so far and it makes my job easier and helps me avoid unnecessary 3rd party sources when possible. I also really think the event pages are great and it makes it easier for us to promote our classes/events.

Cons

I would say the forms - There seems to be a disconnect in some places when I am creating or editing our membership applications or surveys. There is a lot of different tabs I have to open to find what I want and sometimes the option to edit certain items seem to be completely lost to me. I like to think I'm relatively good figuring things out on a computer with a Marketing and CS degree but this is where I get lost. Would love to see the member applications and forms section get streamlined in general so it's all in one place. Also, I would love to see the website integrations get touched up a little, you can tell the difference between our page and the GZ implemented ones because it seems some elements get moved around or changed a little, but for what it is and what it adds it is really impressive!

My Happy Experience

My overall experience with this software has been better than I could have imagined. It is a continue learning process.

Pros

I've used ChamberMaster for years and the continue upgrades and how they listen to their customers is one reason I continue to recommend them to our Board and other Chambers. The Support team not only knows the software, they are patient and kind when I've called them. It is user friendly and I can edit, correct or change the website myself without having to call, email, or make a ticket for everything. When I do make a ticket or call, they are quick to reply and correct the issues.

Cons

I really cannot say I dislike anything. Just this last couple of weeks, I've learned something new. The event tab has been wonderful and I learned how to improve it but with that improvement I also learned that it changes other areas in the software that I was not aware of until I was using it. It worked out, it just made more steps to complete my task.

Growthzone Management System Has It All!

GrowthZone has enabled our organization to effectively manage our database, reporting, event registration, accounting and website. The system is extremely user-friendly for both management and users.

Pros

Switching from one system to another is never easy, but GrowthZone made it a smooth transition, from decision to launch! The entire process took us about 9 months to design and implement both a management system as well as website. All tools are easy to use and reporting is effortless! I appreciate that GZ takes user recommendations into consideration (voting process) and offer ongoing development! GZ customer support is fantastic!

Cons

GZ has great report templates, but sometimes I need to report on something not available. I wish we could create our own queries/reports without needing GZ to do this for us. I wish GrowthZone would integrate directly with QuickBooks. To continue utilizing this accounting software, it requires manually updating QB with deposit summaries vs. automatic batches.

GrowthZone Review

GrowthZone has amazing customer service, who is always willing to answer questions and provide training materials. It's not the most modern software, but it's a place to organize all your company's functions.

Pros

I like that GrowthZone is the hub for the majority of our organization's functions. Keeping everything in one place makes it easier to manage, organize, and train.

Cons

The design seems outdated. Especially when directing our clients to the ChamberMaster Member Center, I wish there was a sleeker, more modern look. We also have not integrated our billing systems and manually updating everything so that the software communicates with other programs is a pain.

Good Value, Easy to Use

Customer service is excellent! When I submit a question, I have never waited longer than an hour for a response.

Pros

When I started 3+ years ago, I was happy to be able to take online training to help me learn the features and benefits of using this software. I keep looking for new training to help me succeed!

Cons

Emails get flagged as spam when I send to members thru ChamberMaster. I am unable to export email to outlook so my members get my communications.

ChamberMaster GrowthZone

It has allowed us to stay in contact with our members in a way that wasn't possible previously. The billing software is easy to use and learn. The other big benefit is in event tracking. The things that were once accomplished by spreadsheets are now integrated with calendars and social media and available through the Internet.

Pros

Ease of use and ease of training. Training is very simple and employees can continue to learn more through tutorials and webinars. Support has also been excellent with little down time despite the fact it is Internet based. It is flexible for me to be able to use my membership software and make updates from home or on the road. Having so much information about your members and multiple ways to contact and interact with them through the software has made a huge difference that has been noted by our members.

Cons

The website module saves time and allows us to keep our website content fresh. I wish it was a little more adaptable within the templates.

Great software Great adaptability

My overall experience has been overwhelmingly positive. If we weren't able to have the staff help create a viable platform to reach our customer base it would have been very difficult to get our foundation out in the publics' eye.

Pros

What i like most about GrowthZone software is the customization. Even though we are an outlier when it came to overall usability, the staff was able to help our Foundation create a webpage and have controls that made it easier to use and navigate as compared to our previous site.

Cons

What I don't like about GrowthZone software is the complexity of some of the controls. Some controls have too many sub-levels that you have to click on to do a simple task

Great Features and overall functionality

Mostly pretty good. The conversion has settled down, and we are working through cleanup. We wish we had a basic manual from GrowthZone, not just a video how-to. A manual, perhaps in Word, where we can add in the details that are specific to us is vital. Without it, we are having to complete each part of a manual a little at a time.

Pros

The fully functioning connectivity for our members, record keeping for all members in one place, and the website's integration. Every day we discover a new feature we didn't know about that makes us happy. The most recent is the integration with ZOOM and events/classes.

Cons

The things that don't work for no apparent reason. We have clearly tied members to a firm, yet they don't show up in that firm's list. Programmers have had to fix some, but we never hear why it happens. Some of the accounting takes quite a bit to track down. The conversion process left a lot for us to do without clear direction. GrowthZone should take the lead all the way through instead of us getting basic instruction and then asking questions as we go.

The Software that Streamlined my Business

GrowthZone has drastically improved our productivity by streamlining our contact management, membership information and renewals, and events. Gone are our multiple spreadsheets of information and wasting time trying to hunt down information! Now it's all neatly in GrowthZone!

Pros

Before signing up with GrowthZone, we have several spreadsheets going for contact management, membership tracking, events and volunteers. Trying to coordinate and update each item took exorbitant amounts of time and allowed for far too many mistakes. Since we've been utilizing GrowthZone, productivity has been dramatically increased. We all have access to the same information whether we're in the office or remote. Team members are also able to see what communication has occurred among members and vendors so we are all on the same page. Events, membership and overall productivity have increased dramatically. Also, onboarding and support were great! The videos and live support helped clarify and reinforce what I was learning about the software. If I forget something, or get stuck, they are a few clicks away.

Cons

The only thing that I can see as a con is also really a pro as well. -This software does SO MUCH it can be hard to process and retain it all.

Great Management Software for Member-based Organizations

Their online training sessions are very useful and the wiki has extensive, helpful information for when I want a quick answer without calling. Onboarding new employees has been super easy with the resources GrowthZone has provided.

Pros

Central location of data and links to financial transactions/recording. I like the interfacing with email like Constant Contact and Outlook, and I like user friendly platform elements for maintaining memberships and displaying them online.

Cons

The templates are very hard to use if you want to edit them, and there are a lot of features that are not customizable. I wish there were more integrations with Google and business websites not provided/hosted by GrowthZone.

Overall a great product

GrowthZone has streamlined our membership software. It has also made invoicing, billing, and event set up much easier. We used to have to mail all of our invoices, whereas now we can email-big cost savings. We have looked into the website version, but right now that appears to be pretty costly considering how much we already pay for our current software.

Pros

I like the fact that it is web based. Meaning multiple users can log in and handle our membership accounts. Events are all housed within the product as well as a directory.

Cons

I wish the customer service understood the nuances of the National Home Builders Association. I was used to having someone that understood how reporting works. Also, while Chambers and HBAs can be similar, they are very different organizations. GrowthZone seems to have a lot of knowledge in how Chambers run, but not as much for HBAs.

So many great features, user-friendly and great customer service!

GrowthZone has allowed us to automate our billing and then exports all financial data to Quick Books. Provides a very nice member area with a user forum. Also does a great job with set up and execution of our events.

Pros

That it provides all the tools we need on a daily basis and yet it is very user friendly.

Cons

Honestly, do not have a bad thing to say at this point.