The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) www.ifst.org has turned to oomi® to provide back-office CRM systems and improve online member services.
The IFST is the UK’s leading professional body for those involved in all aspects of food science and technology. It is an internationally respected independent membership body, supporting food professionals through knowledge sharing and professional recognition. Membership comprises individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, from students to experts, working across a wide range of disciplines within the sector.
“Our priority is to improve the digital experience of our members, employees and other stakeholders,” said Andrew Gardner, Operations Director at the IFST. “We have spent a lot of time and energy trying to make our existing technology work well but we haven’t been able to rely on it.”
After a vigorous selection process, oomi was chosen to deliver their core membership CRM along modules to support events, finance and committees. A members’ portal will also be provided. This will support online joining and membership renewals, including the integration of its professional registers and an assessment process, along with event booking and registration processes. An important element of the Institute’s work is education and the system will be also used to support its course accreditation program.
“oomi was the preferred choice because the system is already widely used by professional membership organisations who are managing data and running activities in very similar ways to IFST. We found oomi an attractive alternative because it will meet most of our requirements ‘out of the box’. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel and we can configure oomi to our specific requirements.” observed Gardner.
The new oomi implementation will plug the existing data gaps between other business systems, and the website, and provide real-time updates between member profiles and accounts online and their back office CRM contact record. To facilitate this, the oomi CRM will integrate with the Drupal-powered website, and other key applications, such as MS Outlook and PowerBI, Mailchimp, Xero and Stripe.
Joel Trotman, Sales Director at oomi, remarked: “We are proud that the IFST have placed their trust in use to deliver the membership systems they need to deliver a first-class experience to their members. They join an ever-increasing number leading institutions and associations that recognise our experience and capabilities in this sector.”