January 2012  |  Posted by Tracy Nguyen

This article looks at a recent online project successfully completed for the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), a membership body and authority for the building services profession.

Hart Square helped bring all of CIBSE's publications online through a "Knowledge Portal" integrated with the CRM to deliver value and benefit - in particular, first class information and education services - to their members and stakeholders. One of our CRM consultants explains how Hart Square went about managing the project.

So how does CIBSE's Knowledge Portal actually work?

CIBSE's "Knowledge Portal" (KP) is an accessible, readily searchable collection of electronic books and documents including guides, commissioning codes, application manuals, and technical memoranda relating to building services.

Non-members coming to the Knowledge Portal site are able to either purchase digital PDF versions or complete a "Quick Join" application form and pay for their membership there and then. This gives them instant member privileges and allows them immediate, free access to view and download publications. There is less administrative burden, as all the data is then written back directly to CIBSE's CRM database, which captures all new joiners. There is nothing in the way, no paper trail or delay, which encourages membership growth.

Members, on the other hand, have seamless access to view and download full texts as electronic files with the option to purchase hard copies at a discounted member price. This is delivered via the tight integration with CIBSE's CRM, which authenticates members when they enter their login details through the portal. Members get a wealth of information at their fingertips, which contributes towards member retention and shows that CIBSE are forward thinking.

What were the main aims of the project and how did you go about producing your specifications?

When detailing the specifications for this project, we recognised CIBSE's vision to be leading in their use of technology and to fulfil their goal of raising their profile within the profession. The main aims of the project were threefold:

• provide a platform to share information and engage users
• broaden their readership and reach a wider majority in the profession
• attract and retain new local and international membership

Once we had established the general aims, we set about producing a detailed project plan, listing the technical requirements and resources necessary for the project. CIBSE commissioned a supplier to build the website, based in PHP Joomla, with a merchandising component called Magento, which would house the publication content, provide a search interface and control membership access and functional behaviour.

A significant amount of time was spent on identifying users, their access, and experience. We spent a lot of time documenting each user experience, reporting requirements and financial procedures. This is key to a smooth operation of any website, but we recognised that due to the significant amount of back office integration required at CIBSE, it was especially important to get these fundamentals right, saving time and costs longer term.

"A significant amount of time was spent on identifying users, their access, and experience."

Can you describe CIBSE's CRM setup and how the integration went, including the online joining, as I assume this will have been one of the hardest and most time consuming processes?

Actually it was the technical model and business requirement for members to gain access once subscription renewals had been paid that was the most time consuming and difficult. This is because we had to marry business processes with the CRM, and technical functionality in the KP.

The key to a successful launch of the Knowledge Portal was for it to coincide with the membership renewal period, so members would have immediate access to the Portal upon renewing their subscription. CIBSE wanted to remain responsive to members' needs, which meant the portal needed to be linked to CIBSE's online joining, which is integrated to the CRM.

The CRM had to manage all access to the portal by validating members versus non members. With our in-depth knowledge of CIBSE's CRM and configuration, we were able to outline the full criteria, detail the applied logic and provide technical resource for practical application and testing of the CRM integration.

Our involvement on a previous project for the implementation of Online Applications also meant we were in the best position to link this element to the Knowledge Portal as well as CIBSE's main website.

Did everything go to plan and delivered according to the initial specification?

No, the requirements changed in a number of areas and Hart Square was heavily involved in advising CIBSE, reassessing priorities and flagging up potential risks in this complex project.

Any product that generates revenue online, poses questions of security and the need for protection against misuse. CIBSE initially wanted to have control over who could gain access to the site and to which documents, as well as regulate the number of times a document could be viewed or downloaded per member. We highlighted the risks and implications of having stringent controls on access to the portal and advised CIBSE that such controls may become too obstructive, and counter-intuitive to the initial aims of the project.

In addition, there was the consideration that workers within the building services profession must often travel to multiple sites, and an open system of information would accommodate this better. It was proposed that analysing and monitoring download figures could help shape future decisions on the security of the system as well as fair use policy.

The initial specification for search functionality and the categorising of content had been far more elaborate than was actually deployed in the first phase of the project. Our phased approach allowed us to reduce scope and time on the administration of content, giving us a basic structure sufficient for the portal to go live. We recognised that a great deal of development time could be spent on search functionality but the level required needed to be weighed against the benefit of a timely launch and complexity of the information that was being presented. CIBSE aims to develop the search functionality of the portal to allow for much more customisable features in the future.

What would you say were the most challenging aspects of the project?

One of the most challenging aspects was co-ordinating all the separate parties, i.e. CIBSE staff, the two software development companies and user groups of the KP. The administration behind this communication relay was often very time-consuming, yet the productivity of everyone involved depended on this flow of information and our professional relationships.

We overcame this challenge by keeping the pace and focus of all involved with regular updates at milestones in the project. Providing an independent outsider level of questioning and examination has also been valuable.

The other big challenge, as with any large project, was bridging the gap between high level organisational goals and aspirations with the technical, practical and intellectual capabilities for successful launch and working relationship with the developers.

The phased approach was stressed as less risky, which meant that CIBSE could tactically meet these requirements shorter term, but also continue to develop the system for maximum ROI in the future. We had to adapt the project plan in line with the changing business requirements.

How did CIBSE measure the success of this project? Have you got any statistical evidence?

Reporting and analysis have been key requirements within the project to evidence and reflect the return on investment to stakeholders. This is why the integration and methods of data capture were so important. We commissioned robust reports from the Knowledge Portal and use Google Analytics, now that we have gone live, to capture member engagement. We already identified three key trends:

• Retention of members during this renewal period is ahead of previous years and a further increase should be seen once a full marketing strategy gets underway at the start of 2012.
• There is a slow but steady number of new members joining via the portal with an average of 5-6 a month since it went live at the end of October 2011. Again, CIBSE expect a marketing campaign to increase this.
• 31% of visitors have been from overseas, showing a significant increase in international members and CIBSE contacts (potential members) accessing the portal, now from 109 countries around the world.

There have been nearly 10,000 visitors to the portal in the first two months, with 70% of these being new visitors. The KP gives CIBSE the ability to reach a much wider audience, which previously remained relatively untapped, so we think this is only the start to this trend.

What kind of on-going support did Hart Square provide and what other services were required for this project, other than project management and technical CRM consultancy?

Managing people and supplier relationships was critical in this project and resources had to be carefully planned, not just for on-going progress, but specifically for testing the beta and live versions of the portal. We documented all internal procedures for CIBSE, which was a valuable exercise in itself, but also key for any future development. We provided practical support, such as troubleshooting and training, as well as continued guidance on the improvement and future phases of the Knowledge Portal.

What potential do you think this technology has and how can the Knowledge Portal be developed in the future?

The portal has huge potential and is a great platform for further enhancement. Development is planned in the search functionality, nature of content and integration with social media.

CIBSE are developing publication content, which provides authoritative recommendations and which evolves static publications into the realm of interactive working documents that can be tailored or adapted to meet the needs of the profession here and in other countries and at a much faster pace.

Engagement of members is a huge factor in further development and success of the portal. There are advantages to drawing in social media and building communities based on this platform. Building in social media will allow for greater communication, stronger ties and therefore better understanding of how to meet demand. High levels of engagement with its membership will allow the generation of better content , directly utilising the input of its members whilst better meeting the needs of the industry. This dynamic feedback process would mean that services are continually relevant.

What advice can you give to organisations considering a similar project?

There are a number of things to consider:

• Define your objectives carefully - business, tactical as well as longer term strategic ones
• Plan and scope out any variances and dependencies in the project by using work flows early on in the project to save time and costs later
• Allow for contingency and be prepared to adapt the project plan and be flexible to meet business needs when new findings or different models emerge
• A phased approach is important, especially when back office integration is involved
• Productivity of the project relies on well coordinated and managed relationships of all parties involved

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