Canola Council of Canada

The Challenge
The Canola Council of Canada came to Tactica to save their project after they were dissatisfied with the performance of a competitor. Although the Canola Council knew the previous vendor had begun their website’s development they felt they were kept in the dark and not receiving the customer service they deserved. With the project deadline quickly approaching they needed urgent help.

The Solution
Tactica put our team of experts into action to clearly define the scope of work through interviews with client and the former web development company. Once the scope of the project and status of the work to date was established Tactica took over the reins and put our development team to work.

Acting as the communication hub Tactica managed the transfer of intellectual property from the previous vendor to the Canola Council and documented the assets for future reference to ensure any charges from the previous vendor were justified.

As Tactica begun development timelines were tight and the scope was large including:

1. A Customized ASP.NET Content Management System

The content management system (CMS) allows the council to update their site’s content, structure, and security settings. No technical knowledge is required and since the system is entirely browser-based there is no additional software to purchase or install. The system also allows them to easily assign permissions and restrict content view and edit access on a user or group level, and comprehensive user management tools allow them to set up your groups and define who has access to update the site.

2. Event Registration System

The event registration system allows attendees to register for events online with an easy to use secure form. The system manages session capacities, takes care of sending confirmation emails, and keeps track of payments. Full backend management tools allows the council to create, edit, or delete registrations as well as generate reports for each of their events. The system is reusable year after year and additional conferences can be easily added.

3. Accessible and Visually Engaging Design

Tactica’s XHTML/CSS expertise ensures the templates are compliant with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The site is also visually engaging while downloading fast to accommodate the council’s rural/dial-up audience.

4. Online Store

The online store allows visitors to purchase publications or merchandise using a secure online shopping system. The system automatically calculates taxes and totals, generates confirmation emails, and allows visitors to keep track of their order history. A backend management system allows the council to view incoming orders, change order details and status, or cancel orders.

5. Email Marketing System

The newsletter system allows the Canola Council to maintain contact with the subscriber base and reduce the overhead associated with snail mail publications. The council can create an unlimited number of newsletters and mailing lists and visitors can easily manage their own subscriptions. The system also provides detailed reports including subscriber totals, open rates and click-throughs.

6. Search Engine Optimization

The Canola Council emphasized the importance of search engine optimization and Tactica delivered. CanolaInfo.org, part of the council website, ranks at number one for the keywords “canola information”. The council ranks at number 2 and 7 on a search for the keyword “canola”.

7. Content Migration

Tactica developed an automated process to transfer over 2500 content pages and documents from the Canola Council website. This automation saved dozens, if not hundreds, of hours manually transferring content and resulted in a tremendous cost savings for the client.

 

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