Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
Proactive business organisation that lobbies and responds to Government
Industry: Business Organisation & Support
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Redesign, rebuild existing website with integration into a third party Membershp system
BRANDING | UMBRACO CONTENT MANAGEMENT | BESPOKE DEVELOPMENT | HOSTING
FULL
Redesign
INTEGRATION
With third party membership/event booking system
LIVE
Events feed
SIMPLE
Admin area
The Challenge
The challenge was to refresh and modernise Suffolk Chamber of Commerce’s existing website while introducing significant changes behind the scenes.
With a new CRM system being rolled out, the website needed to evolve to support a broader range of content, services and member interactions. The project required a design refresh that aligned with the Chamber’s updated brand, alongside an upgrade to the latest version of its content management system.
At the same time, the existing site architecture needed to be reconsidered and restructured to accommodate the new, more comprehensive CRM. The challenge was to deliver this transformation while maintaining a clear, intuitive experience for users.
Our Solution
We restructured Suffolk Chamber’s website around three clear areas - Support, Connect and Inform - creating a more coherent journey across its diverse activities.
The project began with a full review of the existing architecture, identifying content and functionality that could be replaced or streamlined through the new CRM. A bespoke API connects the CRM’s events system directly to the website, automatically displaying event information with links through to booking.
Built on the latest Umbraco CMS, the new platform gives Suffolk Chamber’s team complete control over content and structure. This greater autonomy enables faster updates, reduces reliance on support and allows the marketing team to respond quickly to changing business priorities.
The Result
A significantly easier website to manage, navigate and keep up to date. The new structure gives visitors a clearer route through Suffolk Chamber’s wide range of services, events, news and resources, while seamless CRM integration removes unnecessary duplication behind the scenes.
Event information can flow directly from the CRM to the website, keeping content accurate and reducing manual administration. For the Chamber’s marketing team, the latest Umbraco CMS provides straightforward control over pages, content and site structure without relying on technical support.
The result is a more agile digital platform that makes everyday updates quicker, simpler and more efficient, freeing the team to focus on delivering value.
"We recommend Rade to any organisation seeking a reliable partner for their website needs."
Yvonne Hargreaves, Head of Communications and Marketing
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
Proactive business organisation that lobbies and responds to Government
Project Scope
An existing website customer, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce re-appointed Rade to assist with the design refresh and upgrade of their website to coincide with the roll-out of a new CRM system. The scope of the project included refreshing the design to better reflect the chamber’s recently updated brand, an upgrade to the content management system with a rollout to the latest version and the revision of the site architecture to accommodate a new and more encompassing CRM system.
Solution
Suffolk Chamber act in a large number of diverse areas of business. The new site offers a much-improved customer experience and a more coherent structure under three main areas; Support (Membership and Representation), Connect (Events) and Inform (News and Resources). Alongside these areas are a range of policy and lobbying activities including Net Zero, Transport and Logistics and International Trade.
The project commenced with a review of the site architecture to assess what pages and functions were required and which would be replaced by the new CRM system, followed by a restructure of the content. Many of the features of the previous website required custom development, however the implementation of the updated CRM system provided a more seamless and straightforward approach to the integration and thus certain pages and features were no longer required.
Suffolk Chamber organises and hosts a wide range of events throughout the year and a new events management system was included in the new CRM. Details of events need to be shown on the website and so an API was developed to provide a means of pushing event data from the CRM to various points on the website, each with a link to the event booking system.
The site was built using the Umbraco content management system, bringing with it an intuitive administration system and industry-leading features. Using the latest version, the client was very quickly able to take control of their new site, allowing for the input of content, the modification of pages and the addition/removal of pages and sections.
This level of autonomy gives the client far greater control over their site and reduces the level of support required. This is advantageous for Suffolk Chamber which has a busy agenda as it speeds up and improves site editing which allows the marketing team to be agile and respond quickly. .
Profile
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce provides a range of services aimed at meeting the needs of local business members. Covering businesses all across the whole of Suffolk, key towns include of Bury St Edmunds, Greater Ipswich, Haverhill & District, Lowestoft & Waveney and Newmarket & District.