Global content management overhaul
Challenge
The efficiency of web content management in this global company had deteriorated despite its online strategy that emphasized strong local presence in approximately 80 countries in circa 50 different languages. Besides the high operational costs due to the ineffective content management and portal platform, also the publishing speed of content was unsatisfactory; operating the system required plenty of manual processes that were not only slow but also prone to errors. A second challenge was integrating uniform and accurate product information into the marketing communication content in a way that would bring added value to consumers. Content was moved between systems as email attachments, which was a problem in terms of the quality, consistency and availability of content. Also, the platform made it difficult for local users to distinguish between content and layout. This led to a situation where it was no longer possible to update the site for a reasonable cost.
Analysis
The client has an outdated content management and portal platform, which had no integration into the key sources of content, for example product information. Instead, using a variety of manual processes, different types of content is brought onto the publishing platform. For example translations, which make up a massive volume of data, are sent and received as Excel files. Workflows are not employed. Content is not distinguished from the layout. Using the tool is commonly regarded as so cumbersome that instead of doing the work themselves, the client's business organization has outsourced the operation to a support organization of dozens of consultants.
Solution
1. Choice of product
We worked as part of a working group set up by the client, developing a set of selection criteria with emphasis on the optimization of the content management processes and the usability of functionalities. After completing the Proof of Concept phase, out of the candidate products, we recommended the one that offered the most comprehensive support for the functionalities required in the new, optimized process.
2. Development
Our representative worked as the Product Owner for the SCRUM team responsible for the development of the content management system, making sure expected results and improvements were achieved. In the development phase, we created a needs-based content model, normalized product information, created a taxonomy suitable for the metadata-based presentation of content, built up a workflow integration to an external translation services provider, built an integration into the product master database.
3. Deployment and further development
Our representatives worked as solution designers for the new concepts built on the platform (e.g. a responsive presentation layer implementation that genuinely supports a multi channel system), as well as supported the development and roll-out of the operating model.
Our solution design comprised of the following areas
Strategy: Evaluation of long-term goals set for the platform. Participation in the competitive bidding process and choosing the product. Development of the selection criteria.
Process planning: Specification of the key processes for content maintenance and planning the workflows that support them. Description of user scenarios. Top-level architecture design, such as integrated sources of content, for example.
Specification: Requirements specification of the tool and the end-user concepts. Specification of the content model and taxonomy. Specification of user levels and permissions.
Roll-out: Support for the development, training and deployment of the operational model.
Results
Following a relatively aggressive migration phase, the old platform was shut down. The more effective content management enabled by the new solution has brought significant cost-savings and enhanced the client's ability to promptly react to the fluctuating market conditions with its new innovative solution concepts. Since the deployment of the new platform, the site and some of the integrated functionalities have already seen a few revamps. In short, now important content reaches consumers faster and more cost-efficiently than before, and it is of higher quality.