Family Formation’s program had grown significantly since it began over 30 years ago, and they were looking for a development partner to help take their new direct marketing strategy to the next level with a sleek new website, a simple online buying experience, and quick & easy content management. After working with our Vice President of Technology, Mark Bajema and Graphic Designer, Luke Flowers back in 2007 to design the original website and its custom backend eCommerce solution (all before Emergent Software was born!), the Family Formation team knew that Mark and the Emergent Software team had the knowledge, skill, and experience to get the job done right.
Designing a sleek, new website to support Family Formation’s mission
The team came to us with a clear vision of what components of the new site were needed, along with ideas for a new look and feel. We called upon our partners at LN Design Co to help bring their ideas to life with some conceptual designs to support Family Formation’s mission. To get started on their new Marketing strategy, the Family Formation team needed a new site quicker than they initially anticipated. A Umbraco content management system (CMS) was chosen for the entire website redesign for its low cost of ownership and the ability to connect to other tools that Family Formation was already using, namely their custom eCommerce solution and a new marketing database.
Choosing the right CMS to support a simple online buying experience and easy content management
The new website connects with a fully custom eCommerce solution built by our team and tailored to Family Formation's unique product catalog and distribution model. The original custom eCommerce tool, which assists with taking orders, implementing unique pricing models, building invoices, and automatically creates shipping labels needed to integrate into the new site as smoothly as possible to enhance the buying experience for families and parishes. Umbraco’s CMS platform made this integration simple and valuable for the Family Formation team. To ensure the site is optimized for its best performance, Emergent Software’s website support team actively maintains this live website hosted on Microsoft Azure with 24/7 website monitoring tools and works on continuous site development.
The Emergent Software team also trained the Family Formation team on how to use the Umbraco CMS to make updating their content quick and easy. Although there was a period of adjustment as they got used to the site, Family Formation remarked that the Emergent Software team has been a great resource to help walk through any problems and have been supportive of any changes or updates needed to make the site as valuable as possible.
A new ability to reach families across the world
The finished website left Family Formation team members jumping for joy (literally!) as they walked out of the office after seeing their new site for the first time. A professional graphic and UX design makes the website simple for both families and parishes to understand Family Formation’s mission, shop for materials, browse the blog, and get answers to their questions. Since its debut, the Family Formation team have heard numerous comments from families and parishes about the impressive new site’s easy navigation, new look, and simple buying experience. Emergent Software looks forward to the continued partnership and supporting this organization as it continues to flourish.
For the Family Formation team, the Umbraco CMS is easy to use and the website can be updated with new content in a refreshed design, saving the team time and frustration so they can get back to what matters most for them – reaching families across the world.
Technologies Used
