The needs of each of our clients are unique. Understanding their commercial priorities, the subtleties of their product differentiation, distribution strategy and sales strategy is vital to creating user experiences that enhance our clients’ business models.
Our business analysis teams work with our clients to understand the effect that existing work flows and business processes have on the overall customer experience. They help identify where change is commercially viable, where refinement is the most profitable course of action and the risks that need to be managed during project implementation.
In parallel our user needs team helps our clients to better understand users' priorities, identifying the key tasks that exist in the minds of users and the hierarchy of the information that needs to be presented.
In the B2B environment we also consider how the solution will work seamlessly with an intermediary’s business model and the often varied needs of the different types of user within that business.
The foundation of our thinking is the often forgotten design principle that ‘form follows function’. When designing site structures we consider two dynamics, firstly what does the experience need to do and secondly what does it need to say. We never let aesthetics get in the way of meeting functional needs and firmly believe that the site hierarchy should be driven by user priorities, even where that can appear to contradict the operational structures of our clients’ businesses.
Our start point for designing site architecture is to identify where the experience is likely to be at its most complicated. Looking at how to simplify the presentation of the complex data often needed with in the FS industry and working back from the most complex functionality ensures that we determine navigational principles which are both scalable and consistent.
Our functional designers have a great deal of experience, for example in structuring user journeys for quote and apply systems for the mortgage and protection industries as well as wealth management systems for investment and retail banks.
They also focus on how tools and calculators can be used to bring to life the tangible benefits of financial products prior to driving the user to the point of purchase.
The application process is often the bridge between digital marketing spend and business returns. Analysing the existing online application is often the first piece of work we undertake for our clients, as even modest adjustments can result in a tangible improvement in business performance.
We optimise the process by refining question sets, creating clear navigational signposting, ensuring that expectations are set before the user starts the process and establishing confidence in the brand by communicating clearly the process that customers can anticipate, after the application has been submitted.
Where quotes are presented we enhance the presentation of the results page, reaffirming the product benefits and considering how outbound follow-up emails can strengthen the overall user experience, help close the sale and enhance brand perceptions.
The main power of digital is the ability to fuse marketing messages with functionality. We help businesses to harness the time users spend transacting online by identifying opportunities to raise awareness of relevant products and services. Increasingly, in the search to build more intimate relationships with users, we help package our client’s intellectual property so that they can share insights with their users and facilitate a more powerful dialogue between user and brand.
These issues are particularly acute in the B2B environment where many providers seek our help to create content ideas that arm an intermediary to sell products more effectively and to identify new revenue opportunities.
Our communications planners work with clients to help identify what makes their business unique and how best to communicates these benefits. Our aim is to address issues, challenge any negative perceptions, leverage market strengths and ensure our client businesses connect with their customers emotionally as well as functionally.
The combination of our financial services expertise and marketing heritage means that we are ideally-placed to offer our clients integrated marketing solutions that span on- and offline media.
We harness the power of trade press advertising and the intimate and highly-tailored advantages of online advertising and email to help our clients raise awareness of their products and services to their target audiences.
These skills are often called upon when we are asked to launch the e-business solutions we have designed and built for our clients. In a highly-competitive provider landscape half the battle is creating compelling adviser facing e-business solutions. The other half is convincing advisers of the benefits of switching to new systems. Our integrated campaign solutions play a vital role in achieving this aim.
Email marketing is a valuable component of our integrated campaign solutions. Working hand in hand with our extranet solutions or as stand alone campaigns, they enable the distribution of highly-targeted promotional messages and valuable knowledge-sharing which build loyalty and drive site traffic.
When we talk with clients about integrated thinking, we're not just talking about on- and offline media. We like to discuss with clients how to maximise the effectiveness of all areas of ebusiness - in particular the often-neglected potential of their customer's post-login area.
We recognise the power of the post-login area to offer service that reinforces brand values and to support clients with their issues. If properly handled, this creates cross- and upsell opportunities. We know that post-login communications need a different approach and tone of voice. We work closely with clients to ensure that the post-login area delivers to its full potential and contributes to commercial objectives.
Our programmes focus on two core audiences. Firstly, the intermediaries, where for example we undertake roadshows designed to raise awareness of a new extranet’s functionality and to demonstrate the benefits to principles, advisers, business writers and para planners. Our aim is to ensure all users are familiar with the experience, understand the compatibility with existing working practices, and are aware of the commercial benefits – eliminating the fear of change. These programmes also provide a useful feedback mechanism for providers – generating valuable market intelligence.
The second audience is the providers themselves. We work – often with sales teams – to ensure they are fully aware of the benefits of the new extranet and how the solution relates to the different working practices of IFA firms, for example. We then compile “toolboxes” designed to arm the sales team with the arguments they need to sell the new system. Lastly, we demonstrate the efficiencies and functionality to customer service teams ensuring high value service is passed on to the adviser.
We work with clients to deliver solutions that are tailored to all users’ needs – internal users, intermediaries and their clients.
Our development team is organised to complement the skills of our clients’ internal teams or third party IT partners, dovetailing our expertise with clients’ own skilled resources.
Our developers liaise with clients’ IT teams throughout the project to ensure solutions fit within existing systems and that code meets the organisation’s accessibility and development standards.
Our involvement can range from development of html prototypes for user testing through to development and hosting of client sites.
In response to an observation shared with some of our clients, that content management systems can be over-specified, we developed our own content management and email marketing system which many of our clients deploy. We understand, however, that many clients already have a CMS in place and we’re equally happy providing solutions that sit within that system.
Whatever our level of involvement, our documentation and active involvement, together with PRINCE2 certified project managers, help ensure the integrity of the work clients approve is maintained right through to implementation.
Space01 is a trading name of MBPA Limited