The Goal
The initial phase was to move the existing site from an old WordPress server to a more secure and serviceable platform. They had many custom workflows and integrations to other vendors. The second phase of the project was to create phone Apps that could be powered by the same backend powering the website.
Special Considerations
However, the processes were buggy and not well integrated with HSP’s back-office. Additionally, the service provider was unresponsive to resolving issues or making upgrades. HSP wanted to add in new functionality, improve back-office workflows, undertake a new design direction, and make the site mobile responsive. They needed to complete of all this quickly and on a budget.
The Solution
We collaborated with HSP at a holistic level to optimize all workflows and automations, not just the few they initially identified. This comprehensive approach reduced staff workload and minimized errors, leading to higher satisfaction among HSP’s members with their customer service.
HSP delivers newsletters, sometimes as large as tens of megabytes, to thousands of members at 5:00 am twice weekly. Over 90% of the members download the content within 10 minutes of receiving the link in their email. We leveraged cloud technologies to manage these sudden spikes in load, reducing their costs by 1/15. Additionally, we implemented a scheduling system, eliminating the need for staff to be on hand.
To address HSP’s issue with members sharing newsletters, we integrated technology that tracks sharing, allowing HSP to limit sharing on a member-by-member basis.
For the phone Apps, our primary focus was on enabling efficient database searches. We designed the Apps to minimize bandwidth usage, making searches fast and reducing overall operating and maintenance costs. The Apps’ back-end was integrated with the website’s back-end, further reducing the workload for HSP’s staff.