From The Blog

KICA to Launch a New Technology Platform and Member Service Portal in September

OVERVIEW

In the last several years, the Kiawah Island Community Association Board of Directors has prioritized investment in technology to elevate the association’s service capabilities. After a two-year process, KICA is now in the final stages of implementing Salesforce, a robust technology platform that will integrate formerly siloed technologies, streamline internal processes and provide an online service portal for community members.

The member portal, accessible Sept. 8 on at kica.us/login, will enable members to view and pay statements and assessments online, view their household account data, update their contact information, report issues or submit inquiries to KICA, and engage with other community members. It will provide the ease of self-service, and the visual confirmation of all household information and activity.

A secure and robust database is the foundation of the association, and was the impetus for the decision to implement Salesforce. Behind the scenes, Salesforce is the replacement for an array of technologies that were antiquated or inefficient, and it automates some formerly manual processes. KICA’s critically important database of property records and contact information for members, their households and commercial businesses will be transferred into Salesforce.

Yet, Salesforce isn’t just a database; it’s a scalable platform that connects all of KICA’s most important technology tools. Similar to a smartphone, it performs essential functions (storing  your contact list and allowing you to make calls and send emails), but the functionality can be expanded by adding apps. Salesforce houses KICA’s database, but the association has also chosen to add or integrate other technologies.

KICA’s work order system will now be executed in Salesforce and will integrate with property records. For example, if a member requests a mailbox repair, it will be noted on the property record, and members can view the status of the request in the member portal. Email marketing communication tools will be replaced with Salesforce tools that will connect seamlessly with the contact database. The Sandcastle’s check-in and point of sale system will be replaced with Salesforce tools that will integrate with member account information.

The launch of Salesforce marks the achievement of some significant association technology goals: a singular view of all members and data; a scalable platform that ties together KICA’s service tools; self-service capabilities for members; an increase in productivity and automation; and a decrease input redundancy.

While this is a giant step forward for the member experience and employee service capabilities, this is the first of several phases planned for Salesforce integrations, and not all member or employee service tools will be transitioned for the September launch. The gate access management system and the Sandcastle pool reservation system will be maintained as separate portals. KICA has a second implementation scheduled for 2021 and will continue to transition more capabilities into the Salesforce platform over time.

Member Account Features

My Account

KICA’s member portal will allow you to securely login to view your personal KICA account. On the My Account page, you will be able to view and edit the primary contact information for your household. This is the contact email, phone and mailing address for your membership correspondences, like annual voting, billing statements and emergency notifications. You will be able to view and edit contact information for all members of your household. Here you can also submit to allow your guests to visit the Sandcastle without your presence. You will be able to view your Kiawah Island property information, like your property type, which determines your allocation of KICA votes. Finally, if you have a home away from Kiawah, you can view and add other residences and select your preferred mailing address.

Billing & Payment

In the “Billing & Payment” section of the site, you will be able to view your account balance, recent charges on your account, and make payments.  Currently, making a payment is a multi-step manual process that lacks insight into the details of your account balance and recent transactions. You must reference your emailed statement total (sent monthly if you have recent association charges), or your assessment total (sent annually), then then navigate to kica.us/pay. There you must manually input the total amount of your payment, along with your credit card or bank account information. The record of statements and charges only exists for members to view in email.

With the launch of online member accounts, these actions will be consolidated into a comprehensive “Pay” page, which will show your account balance, transaction details, recent payments, and the ability to pay your charges or assessment within the portal. You will be able to securely save your preferred payment method for quick and easy association payments. Going forward, a monthly email notification will prompt you to log in to view your balance and make a payment.

If you had formerly requested the association to mail your statements, rather than email, your preference will still be honored. You will also be able to edit your billing preferences within your member account, if your billing email address or mailing address changes.

Community

In the “Community” tab of the portal, members will be able to join community groups and engage with other group members. The groups will function similarly to a Facebook page, with group information and a feed of community member conversation, photos and updates. Members will be able to search all community groups and easily navigate to the groups they’ve chosen to participate in.

Contact

One of the functionalities you may overlook is the Contact form, but not all contact forms are created equal. Ask any question, report an issue, or just share information (including a photo, if desired) and your submission will become a “case” that is reviewed by staff. You’ll be able to track the status of your inquiry as it’s assigned to the appropriate staff member and resolved. So keep in mind, the next time you want to touch base with KICA, use the contact form in the member portal!