What are some of the basic benefits of using WebLink Connect?

Here are some of the many benefits to your chamber for using WebLinkCONNECT:

• Immediate availability with an internet connection and a PC.  Run it simultaneously from home, remote offices, visitor centers, etc.
• Includes most web components that others charge extra for (directory, members only, community calendar, surveys, enews, and more)
• Updates your website in real-time - saving hours of staff time and improves response times for change requests. 
  • Member Directory is updated as soon as changes are made and saved
  • Event Registrations flow right back into the software
  • Credit Card Processing flows back into the software
  • Individuals (not just companies) can control their own profile and submit changes requests (no re-keying once changes are approved).
• Comes standard with hundreds of reports to help make better decisions. 
• Uses industry leader Crystal Reports for all reports including a built-in report writer to create your own reports (or copy ours).
• Many "Personalization" features help you to truly establish and keep a relationship with your members and most importantly the people  (not just the main contact and the company - but all individuals).   Personalize broadcast emails and of course and printed correspondence.
• Immediate access to comprehensive and cutting-edge Enterprise level security, back-up, disaster recovery and support services.
• Better business decision making through the availability of Digital Dashboards that provide executive and supervisory staff with graphical overviews of all critical metrics needed to lead your organization. Staff will have up-to-the-second access to information like actionable items, business/staff performance at-a-glance, early warning for potential issues and forecasts.
• Improved ability to focus resources on core business issues like increasing membership value, member retention, and generating non-dues revenue, rather than IT concerns.
• Faster implementation of new applications and technologies with reduced risk to your existing systems and bottom line.
• Powerful features take full advantage of having your data centralized.
• Easy application/database scalability to meet you organization’s growth needs.
• Reduced total cost of IT ownership, greater predictability of IT costs and increased IT flexibility.
• Continuous access to the latest technology you need to run your organization and securely manage your membership from any location and Web-enabled device without the risks, costs and administrative responsibilities associated with developing and maintaining the required IT infrastructure to do it on your own.

What are the Hardware/Software Requirements?

• Each user using the WebLink Connect system will need to have internet access. Windows XP, 2000, NT operating systems.
• As with any software, the faster the machine the better performance you’ll see.
• The latest available and free Microsoft IE browser is best for browser access.
• WebLinkConnect will actually work over a dial-up account -however for "heavy" use we recommend a broadband connection.
• Unlike non-internet software you will NOT need to host your website internally (a big security "challenge" you don't want anyway)
• We also back up your data each night so you don't have to
• WebLink Connect uses certain IP ports to communicate with our hosted servers. If you use a firewall or proxy server to connect to the Internet, you must configure them so that the ports used by WebLink Connect are not blocked (specific documentation is provided). 

IS the software slow because it's based on the internet?

No.  In fact it often out performs many internal applications.  Data processing on SQL Server is often much faster then localized file based systems such as FoxPro or Access. WebLinkConnect is a client-server application that puts the bulk of the processing burden on our servers, not yours. Things that bog down a file based systems such as invoicing, running multiple reports, or even sending bulk email are all handled by WebLinkConnect so it does not impact your local network performance.   Even if you compare our software to other internet based applications because of our "Smart Client" interface (which only pulls data instead of data and code) we are still faster.