Macmillian Cancer Support Becomes More Engaging
Challenge
When the digital experience isn’t as seamless as it should be, taking up valuable time for staff and becoming a point of frustration and barrier for the user’s interaction with digital product portfolio – the people living with cancer, their families, healthcare professionals, volunteers and donors.
Outcome
We collaborated with the Macmillan team to create a technology roadmap aligned to the charity’s target operating model and business strategy. The roadmap will guide the three-year transformation programme which consists of multiple streams and represents a significant investment for the charity.
A long-lasting cooperation
Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany providing amazing experiences for millions of visitors. Over the last couple of years, we’ve had the opportunity to support their teams in giving their visitors a wonderful time through a variety of exciting tech projects.
Two entire worlds in one app
In 2019, with the Rulantica water world opening its doors next to Europa-Park, we have created a renewed mobile app with comprehensive features for a very special leisure experience. Within the app, users can find all information on both parks as well as on the hotels and shows. We have integrated comprehensive information on the attractions, editorial news, and even a dedicated radio channel.
Thanks to geofencing, the app offers different functions depending on the visitor’s location, like a detailed map for navigation in the parks, including a display of waiting times and push notifications. Besides the app itself, we have also developed the back end and the content API, which is used by numerous Europa-Park departments.
Embracing the new normal
Like the entire industry, Europa-Park was hit hard by the Covid-19 restrictions. While its top priority was to protect the health and well-being of its guests and employees, as one of the biggest employers in the region it was looking forward to reopening its doors as soon as possible.
We have worked at full speed to develop two innovative tools that allow our customer to meet the high safety standards in times of the coronavirus: an autonomous social distancing app using a gamification approach and a virtual queuing feature for the existing Europa-Park mobile app.
Together, we developed digital tools with which the park can open again for its visitors even under increased hygienic conditions. Besides various other on-site measures, with these two tools, the Europa-Park team could feel at ease when they opened their gates again.
Evolving from a hindrance to a help
As one of the UK’s leading cancer charities, Macmillan Cancer Support has been helping people living with cancer for over one hundred years, aided and funded by volunteers and a very grateful public. The way they work has changed a lot over time, to ensure they are offering the right support, tools and inspiration, both today and in the future. To make this a reality, they needed their technology to be fit for the future, too. It was time for a digital transformation.
Getting into alignment
The importance of having a technology and digital strategy that is in sync with your organisational goals and orientated around customers’ needs shouldn’t be underestimated. This becomes more apparent when different departments are using disparate systems that don’t integrate with each other, even though they all have the same goal – to help everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can. As a result, the digital experience isn’t as seamless as it should be, taking up valuable time for staff and becoming a point of frustration and barrier for the user’s interaction with digital product portfolio – the people living with cancer, their families, healthcare professionals, volunteers and donors.
Plotting a clear path to perfection
We collaborated with the Macmillan team to create a technology roadmap aligned to the charity’s target operating model and business strategy. The roadmap will guide the three-year transformation programme which consists of multiple streams and represents a significant investment for the charity.
To ensure that things were on the right track, we engaged with a large number of stakeholders to understand what technology transformation would mean to them and where they believe the charity really makes a difference.
This invaluable feedback as well as alignment with Macmillan’s strategy and mission was consolidated into six key areas and a clear plan was created about how to deliver a platform and services which would make their vision a reality, by addressing the key areas in which they wanted to improve while simultaneously being very conscious of costs and enabling a flexible digital stack and platform for the future.
A key component of this was the content management system, which needed to make it as easy as possible for content editors to manage and deliver relevant content specific to each audience. Through the selection of Sitecore, we were able to deliver an improved information architecture and user interface, which is bolstered further by extending the search functionality with Azure search features, meaning users can get to the information that they need quickly and easily.
Fit for the future
The new cloud-based platform built on microservices is allowing Macmillan to provide a more engaging digital presence that is intuitive and helps and supports users. Healthcare professionals have access to educational resources across devices, so they can use content on the go. Fundraisers and volunteers have smart profiles that consolidate the opportunities across various activities, giving them oversight of their contribution to this worthy cause.
People living with cancer and their families can get the help they need, when they need it, and Macmillan staff can work together more effectively and create new, exciting and engaging digital experiences and content to keep supporting the audiences they are committed to serving.
The strategic partnership between Macmillan and Endava is important to help Macmillan deliver our digital transformation. Macmillan’s digital transformation is more than just new technology and platforms. It is about how we re-envision and deliver support through our digital product portfolio as well as how we evolve ways of working to deliver for our different audiences’ needs. All of this within a budget that represents value for money in-line with the generosity of our donors. Working in partnership with Endava we have been able to deliver significant and important organisational strategic goals including growing our internal digital capabilities. Importantly, we are laser focused on evolving our digital estate and portfolio to support our core audiences in their times of need.
Richard Dodd
Digital Director, Macmillan
Learn more about Macmillen Cancer Support
If you are affected by cancer or would like to know more about the great work Macmillan are doing, visit their website: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/.
Help support Macmillan’s work with a donation: https://donation.macmillan.org.uk/.
If you are affected by cancer or would like to know more about the great work Macmillan are doing, visit their website: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/.
Help support Macmillan’s work with a donation: https://donation.macmillan.org.uk/.
Explore the industry
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Develop innovative solutions to enable a connected healthcare ecosystem and seamless patient journeys.
Interesting? We love when people share.