brief
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through processing and application, to product recycling and land reuse. It is a leading authority worldwide and has more than 18,000 members working in industry, government, education, research and the academic world.
IOM3 wanted to rebuild their website and integrate it with their bespoke CRM – ‘Concept’ by Advanced NFP. As part of this, they wanted full user experience and graphic design work, as well as data and content migration between the old CMS database and the new site.
As the institute was formed following several mergers and has roots dating back to 1869, it has extremely complex internal operational structures, systems and processes, and a disparate and dispersed membership. This meant that in addition to the website build and systems integration work, a complete digital transformation project was required to optimise processes across the organisation and interface numerous internal and external systems.
action
IOM3 had unsuccessfully attempted an integration with another supplier previously, so we made sure to collaborate fully with the institute and carefully explore the implications of each step of the project. We enjoyed an excellent partnership, working together to explore how to deliver a fully-integrated and strategic solution that delivered on all of IOM3’s requirements.
Activity took place across two distinct cycles. One project focused on the relatively straightforward Drupal website development, including user experience, and design and build. At the same time, a second, complex CRM and digital integration project was carried out, which involved careful planning to minimise organisational disruption and overcome critical challenges. Our dual approach ensured that robust consultation, technical scoping, stakeholder alignment and testing took place in continual cycles, whilst simultaneously enabling progress to be made.
We facilitated several consulting phases with IOM3 and third-party suppliers to scope out the development of a bespoke CRM API toolset, define and facilitate testing phases, and migrate thousands of pages of restructured content. We also used our extensive experience in membership web design to analyse and improve membership systems and increase administrative efficiency.
The new website gives IOM3 a fresh online brand appearance, is optimised for viewing across devices, and has a vastly improved user journey. The site is integrated for the first time with IOM3’s bespoke CRM tooling and has substantially improved membership and back-office processes. The depth of technical insight gained during the project has also empowered internal teams, paving the way for future phases of digital change, which can now be made more efficiently and effectively.
impact
The IOM3 project was delivered to the set timeframe despite numerous technical challenges and the complexities of working both in a consultancy and development/build capacity.
The institute’s new website has seen some huge improvements in performance:
- Thousands of users have registered and created a personal profile on the site, as a stepping stone to becoming full members
- By requiring existing members to log on and update their profile member log-ins have increased 100-fold, facilitating member engagement
- Organic traffic has doubled due to SEO features on the new site
- Visits to the homepage have increased by 17%
- Session duration has increased by 35%
- Bounce rate has reduced by 13%
Since the project, we’ve continued working with IOM3, providing Drupal website maintenance services as well as ongoing digital consultancy and support.
