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Untangling an AMS for an International Health Care Professional Society

Project Goals

In this large-scale project, fusionSpan was responsible for replacing an outdated and struggling Fonteva system.

This project was a significant undertaking, during which the team needed to reimplement an existing Fonteva system. Due to the number of fields and process flows — none of which had documentation that fully explained their purpose — the system could no longer be updated to adequately meet the client’s needs. The new implementation would also make the system more user-friendly for both the client and their customers.

This client had worked with fusionSpan’s Managed Services team prior to this system implementation project. While we had previously done multiple system-wide improvements, it became clear that these updates were no longer sufficient and that it was time for a full-scale new implementation. fusionSpan’s history with the client, and our detailed knowledge of the existing system’s shortcomings, gave the team valuable perspective, and a clear path forward.

In this project we aimed to:

  • Simplify workflows within the new Fonteva AMS implementation
  • Build system customizations that support the client’s business processes
  • Establish data cleansing, improved data structures, and ongoing governance processes to provide better reporting abilities
  • Enhance user experience to ensure both staff and members have an easy time using the system.
  • Provide custom Fonteva Training tailored to this client's needs.

Services We Provided

  • Discovery
  • Strategic Consulting
  • Fonteva Implementation
  • Lightning Community Portal Implementation
  • User Experience Enhancements
  • Data Governance
  • Reporting
  • Training
Project Challenges

Improving client communication and speeding up development processes were crucial to the success of this project, and it required the fusionSpan team to embrace thinking outside of the box and approaching the challenge from non-traditional perspectives.

The requirements for this project were complex. The new system needed to account for customized business processes and complicated data structures while improving the experience for members.

Fostering a deep level of client collaboration

During the discovery process, the team provided the client with detailed process diagrams so they could fully visualize and understand how the new system would work. The team also created mock-ups of future changes so the client could see exactly how their new system would look and function. This created the opportunity for deeper communication and immediate client feedback.

The team invited the client to be an integral part of the solutioning process as well. Getting the client involved in this part of the project helped them better understand the changes fusionSpan made and allowed for continual feedback from the client. That way, the team could make iterations throughout the project, rather than at the end when it would be both more time consuming and costly.

Every project has implementation challenges and this one was no different.

Building unique systems is why we come to work every day, and what we thrive on. This project certainly had some challenges we’ve seen before, but it also had others that required us to find a new way of thinking.

  • Custom Business Processes:

The client had many customized business processes that either needed to be solutioned for or needed to be streamlined throughout the project. As just one example, this client uses a dual membership program, which means they have both national and local groups. Members must maintain membership in both, which makes transferring members, adding members, and navigating annual dues a more complex process than found with single-membership associations. There were many other complex business processes that the team learned about through discovery as well, which were then solutioned for and implemented to enhance the system.

  • Data governance issues and data fields complexities:

The existing system had grown organically over time, and little had been done to ensure fields were being used properly or were being added with purpose. Workflows had been added and expanded to accommodate complex business processes without efforts to simplify or streamline. With these two factors in play,, many fields and processes in the system were no longer in use, or were being used inconsistently, with little documentation to support use cases.

  • Limitations with Reporting:

While the original system was able to create reports, they were difficult to manipulate and did not optimize the available data. These reports were also limited in scope due to the data governance issues the client faced. Page layouts were confusing and not providing clear, actionable information for staff.

  • Poor User Experience:

The existing system was not intuitive to end users, making it difficult for them to engage with the site. Profile information was not organized well, with an overly complicated information architecture, making updates difficult for members. The ecommerce solution in place was also challenging for both staff and members to use, making the client wonder if there revenue was lost due to how challenging completing purchases could be for members.

Solutions and Outcomes

UX and appropriate data governance lead the way in a brand new Fonteva implementation that benefited both the client and the client’s members.

With this new system, fusionSpan implemented a future-proofed, flexible technical architecture that accomplishes current goals while ensuring it will be easy to update to support the client’s future needs. This design also allowed the team to make adjustments during the project without losing time or needing to make significant structural changes.

Major features that were implemented included:

  • Dual membership implementation:

    fusionSpan re-architected the membership module to support the client’s model. The user experience of joining the client and the membership management features in the CRM are now aligned with the client business processes.

  • Simplified data fields and flows

    The extensive discovery and solutioning process with the client left the team knowing exactly which data fields were important to keep and why, so they were able to consolidate and manage data to best suit the client’s specific needs.

  • Updated automations to support the client business processes:

    The system supports the clients business processes in a simplified, streamlined, and system-friendly Fonteva implementation, and necessary documentation was provided. However, not all automations were brought forward into the new implementation, as the team knew some of those existing automations were not serving the client well. Post-implementation, the client is continuing forward with fusionSpan into a second phase of development, where additional changes and automations can be made.

  • Data governance was key to the project.

    By reducing data sets and unhelpful fields, the team created a streamlined system where the client can get the important information they need at a glance.

  • Improved reporting tools:

    While the original system was able to create reports, they were difficult to manipulate and did not optimize the available data. By focusing on the page layout and limiting the number of fields, the team created easy-to-use reports the client could generate easily and use more productively, making the data accessible for the business to see, interpret, and then use to make positive changes for the business.

  • Enhanced user experience:

    With the new system, each of the client’s members now has access to their personal information, so they can see exactly what’s already in the system. If changes are needed — for instance, to a mailing address — the customer now receives prompts to change any other impacted fields. To continue the streamlining process, the team improved the information architecture, and consolidated input fields into a single page for demographics with orderly and easy-to-use type and search fields instead.

  • Lightning Community Portal implementation:

    The new Lightning Community Portal also gave the client the opportunity to improve their ecommerce with fusionSpan’s help. The team tagged products so the client could see how much money they were making through member purchases. With this new feature in place, the client can analyze their traffic and income more easily and use Google Analytics to improve their business. Along with the new Fonteva system, the team also implemented the Lightning Community Portal, which the client did not previously have. This portal is better designed and more user-friendly than the previous member portal, allowing users to more easily share important information about themselves with the client.

While this project brought with it plenty of challenges, the team thrived on the complexity of it all. They enjoyed having the opportunity to exercise their creativity while putting together a custom solution for the client. The non-traditional and collaborative approach to solutioning was one of the team’s favorite aspects of the project.

Looking back at the project and the incredible improvements the client team was able to make in a relatively short period of time leaves the team feeling invigorated. Seeing the final implementation and the positive impact it's had on both the client and the users gives the team a true sense of satisfaction and success, which makes the hard work and challenges involved in the project more than worth it.

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