Integrated Digital Service Transformation
Success achieved
New website with advanced integrated services helping us exceed our business and marketing strategic objectives- Website
- https://www.ion.ac.uk
- Project dates
- February 2015 - November 2017
Project team
- Gareth Pritchard, Business Manager
- Daniela Pop
Tools & Systems
Each member type has predefined rules for access and engagement, dramatically improving how we are able to ensure the right user has access to the right content and areas.
For instance, students have direct access to their learning and course materials via the VLE, study skills sections and areas for uploading assessments via integration with Turnitin.
Staff have immediate access to the back end of the VLE, enabling them to make changes as necessary to the learning and course material as a SCORM package and track the progress of students, set- up tests and exams, send messages and emails etc.
Magazine subscribers are able to easily log in and view all issues of their subscription as well as renewing for the next year, and the admin of this is managed by the use of web-forms and downloadable CSV files.
Alumni community members have the ability to sign in to a dedicated area where there is the ability to communicate via lively forums and keep up to date with organisational development.
Our newsletter and mailing database is combined via seamless integration with MailChimp.
Introduction
As a global academic institution and information provider we operate two separate websites hosted on independent domains:
- one as our public facing tool for information and ecommerce,
- one as our virtual learning environment for use by our students, academics and administrators.
The remit was for a new website and platform that reflect the positive and substantial changes made by the organization to renew its image as leading institution with a long and proud heritage and one that is modern, flexible and accessible to all users.
The old websites and platforms had become very out dated and were hindering the progress made by the organization as they were not easily updated or edited, meaning the website and platform were awash with old, poorly organized content, a lack of usable customer and student data and demonstrated poor user experience.
Discovery
Stakeholder analysis was undertaken by senior management and the digital team to ascertain prerequisite requirements and desirable requirements.
Internally, working groups were established across the organisation:
- Management – for overall requirements,
- Academic team – for design, accessibility, content structure, and learning features of the VLE area,
- Academic administration team – for control, reporting and tracking of students and their academic journey,
- Corporate administration – for events, appointments, product purchasing, magazine subscriptions, mailing database and alumni membership, and
- Student body – for online and offline learning features and accessibility.
To understand external stakeholder requirements we used data from our open events, shows, conferences and exhibitions to understand why, how, when prospective students, general public, practitioners, alumni, and other interested parties approach ION and from this built an agreed set of requirements.
Objectives
- To create a single point of access website for all users by integrating our public site, commerce, mailing, CRM and VLE
- To enable customers to easily access information, purchase products, sign up for events, engage with ION
- To have a CRM tool that provided management reports of user and ecommerce activity
- To have a mailing database that enabled effective marketing communication
- To have a VLE that was easily accessible and worked effectively on desktop and mobile platforms
- To have easy access to academic and commercial data with effective reporting ability
- To use a provider that understood the organisation and would work collaboratively
- To use a provider that had a platform that could be adapted as our needs changed
Activities
Having defined the objectives and needs we spoke to kokm and went through in detail their digital platform and its capabilities. We discussed what we would require in the first stage of this implementation and what would need to be tailored to meet our workflow needs.
Meetings were then held with the senior management and with kokm implementation support to define the needs clearly. We appointed an internal champion who was the key pivot point for them.
Kokm then led us through the site set up and development process. The site was made available for initial tailoring in 48 hours. The tailoring of the initial site was completed in a matter of weeks and then we put the content together and added it to the site.
The timeline is driven by the extent of the tailoring and the customised workflows required. Throughout this period kokm gave training to our internal champion who can control many aspects of the system without any further input from the site provider.
As kokm comes ‘out-of-the-box- with many features much of the initial tailoring is about look, feel, client journey and menus/navigation. Because the site had the main features available from day one, the task was to get the content structured in the best way for our client journeys.
Innovation
Where iWise2 and their KOKM platform have API relationships with many software developers, it’s enabled our digital team to get best value for money by utilising third-party ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions which are tailored exactly to our needs. This has allowed us to add functionality quickly and relatively cheaply.
Marketing
Our primary method of reaching out to our stakeholders is through our website. Content, updates, events and research posted on our website are communicated to our members by our monthly e-newsletter. ION also has a quarterly printed magazine ‘Optimum Nutrition’, now in its 33rd year, with a subscriber base as well as free distribution of 12,000 copies to public libraries, doctors’ surgeries, gyms and health & wellbeing centres.
In addition to regular updates, emails are sent to supporters regarding events and initiatives that only apply to specific section of supporters or a certain geographic region using Mailchimp.
Between April and October 2017 we saw an on average 11% month on month increase in website activity.
ION has four social media channels that are also used to engage supporters.
Challenges
A significant amount of time was spent on further adapting the website for various departmental needs as we found that functionality or missing functional was only properly identified when the site was being fully used by internal and external user.
To overcome this, we adopted an approach of getting core features active first and then growing the capability by activating more kokm features or adding to the bespoke workflows. We added further capabilities after the initial launch period and are now considering further features and workflows. Kokm is constantly evolving and adding capability that we can take advantage of.
Achievements
A detailed Progress report is available for download in the Related Files section.
Initial objectives which have been fully met:
- To enable customers to easily access information, purchase products, sign up for events, engage with ION
- To have a mailing database that enabled effective marketing communication
- To have a VLE that was easily accessible and worked effectively on desktop and mobile platforms
- To have easy access to academic and commercial data with effective reporting ability
- To use a provider that understood the organisation and would work collaboratively
- To use a provider that had a platform that could be adapted as our needs changed
Initial objectives which have not yet been fully met, but are close to completion:
- To create a single point of access website for all users by integrating our public site, commerce, mailing, CRM and VLE *1
- To have a CRM tool that provided management reports of user and ecommerce activity *2
*1 This objective has been met in most areas. Our public site, commerce, mailing and CRM has been integrated across one platform and is effective and well used. However we have not yet fully integrated the VLE provision in response to issues raised by the student body. They would prefer they complete their academic year of study on the existing platform. Upon their studies completing in June 2017 we will migrate the VLE across to the KOKM platform; the benefit of KOKM being its ease of migration and transfer.
*2 Whilst in its launched form, the website has reporting functionality, ION has been working closely with iWise2 to create a more comprehensive reporting hub that will allow for reports to be ran for all areas of the site – across ecommerce, subscribers, event attendance, student demographics and progression reporting.
Targets & Statistics
The marketing goals will help the organisation achieve the organisation annual key outcomes as set out in the Business Plan
- Student numbers to increase by 10% 2017/18 (+17.5% ACTUAL)
- Increase income by 7.5% 2017/18 (+12.5% ACTUAL)
- Increase number of clients visiting training and professional clinics (10.5% INCREASE)
- Increase magazine income by 10% 2017/18 (+57% ACTUAL)
- Increase social media presence through new website and increase in hits, likes and followers by 25% (+33% ACTUAL, not including Instagram as a new platform)
Financials
To date we have invested £29,100 with iWise2 for the design, development, hosting and licensing of our website.
Since launching the new website, student recruitment has increased across the organisation by 17.5%, which roughly translates to £230,000 in additional income.
What would we do differently?
Internally many of the needs of the new website only came to light once the website had gone live meaning considerable time and energy was spent designing or redesigning functionality to suit various departments. Through better buy-in via more inclusive digital workshops would have allowed us to work with individual departments in a way that is more comprehensive and strategic than asking for a list of requirements.
External stakeholder engagement in the process of change and clearer and more frequent communication to external stakeholders and supporters (especially to online magazine subscribers) would have prevented a lot of the reactionary admin needed to guide users on navigating access to particular (closed) content areas.
Feedback & Testimonials
“I love the look of it compared to the old one. It’s so clean and fresh with great features”
Shahel Miah, Course Advisor
“Initially I assumed it was a simple website as it looks so neat and organized. But when you start exploring the site expands with information and comes alive.”
Dessi Bell, clinic client
“P.s. fab new site, really shows off the best of ION.”
Melanie deGrooth, BANT
“I would like to pass on a massive WOW at the online materials. It’s all VERY professional! I’m so glad I made the switch to ION.”
Marjorie Grice, student
“Wow! Thank you for such a speedy return on the online marking - it makes it feel much more relevant!”
Anon, student
“I only came to the site to book a short course I had seen advertised at an exhibition, but once I saw how many exciting courses were so visibly listed, I just added them to the cart and booked them all!”
John Sinclair, delegate
“I’ve recently been researching nutrition courses and have been unimpressed by so many of the colleges I’ve come across. ION is in a different league however, and your website was so nice to navigate – signing up to an open event was a doddle! (Completely unlike any other provider). Can’t wait to start with you in September!”
Kate Stafford, prospective student
Wider impact
Having separate member areas we’ve been able to tailor those areas to specifically suit the needs of the user. This has enabled us to ensure the right people are getting access to the right information and materials.
From surveying the public and internal stakeholders we have aimed to tailor the user experience to be unique to that group.
A lot of work has been done in designing the VLE for our students (evidence based from six monthly staff-student liaison committees), with particular attention paid to increasing engagement. This has included incorporating means for students to communicate in open and closed forums, upload documents, have notes visible to themselves or to staff.
