Society of Operations Engineers

About The Society of Operations Engineers (SOE)

The Society of Operations Engineers (SOE) works to advance Operations Engineering through education, training, study and research. It currently supports more than 16,000 engineers and companies across the road transport, plant and engineer surveying sectors, encouraging best practice and compliance.

As an organisation spearheading efficient operations, SOE felt it needed a brand and content refresh for its website, as well as to replace its website CMS (Content Management System) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system.

Cheryl Carroll, CRMS Manager, SOE explained: “The existing CMS and
CRM platforms were no longer ‘fit for purpose’. They became unmanageable, lacked integration and did not allow staff to collaborate effectively. Our systems had not grown with us – we needed to do more dynamic things with our website and membership services.”

Business Process Review and Requirements Gathering

SOE had worked with Hart Square for some time and decided to bring them in on the projects. “They really know us as an organisation and were familiar with the systems we had,” said Cheryl Carroll. “They undertook a very thorough business process review (BPR), including hosting workshops to gather requirements, and put together a Business Case to convince the board to go ahead with the projects.”

As part of the BPR, Hart Square also enabled SOE to streamline some of its processes. In fact, it encouraged an organisation-wide discussion of what SOE wanted from its systems, where the organisation was heading and where it could integrate CRM and CMS to maximise the benefits to the organisation.

Invitations to Tender (ITTs)

As a next step, Hart Square was asked to put together Invitations to Tender (ITTs) for both the CRM and CMS systems. “They recommended the vendor organisations that we should consider looking at,” said Cheryl Carroll. “One of the key benefits of working with Hart Square is their independence. They didn’t push particular vendors at us - in fact, we never had the feeling that they didn’t have our best interests at heart in the selection process.”

With a shortlist of recommended vendors agreed, Hart Square supported SOE through the vendor selection process. “They were able to give us their honest and expert insights into each vendor’s offering and hand-held us through the process from start to finish,” explained Cheryl Carroll.

Choosing the Right Technology Partners

In the end SOE selected MS Dynamics from Smartimpact as the new CRM, and the Preside CMS from Pixl8. Cheryl Carroll added: “These two companies have worked with each other before and with Hart Square, which was a real bonus.”

SOE has some complex challenges managing linked partners and personas under their own branding, as well as the need to present as a charity. “Hart Square have given us the tools and guidance to be able to make the best partnership choice for our cultural, technology and digital vision,” said Cheryl Carroll. “With these new systems in place we will be able to increase member conversions and engagements, create a more user-friendly and personalised member service and increase volunteer collaboration.”

Hart Square is working with SOE as part of the implementation team for the website and CRM launch scheduled for early 2019. Cheryl Carroll concluded: “I really like Hart Square’s honesty, they are really good at keeping in touch and ensuring things run smoothly.”