Local government Herne: a transformation of the municipal website
In conversation with Cindy Verhoeven, Head of the Communication & Leisure Department of Herne Local Government
A new municipal website was soon needed. Why?
The website was seriously outdated and in urgent need of renovation. Together with the launch of a new logo and house style, the website was completely renewed. The new website had to be up and running in 3 months because our old website was no longer supported. We could quickly step in and build our website in the Paddle Content Management System (CMS) by making use of the VERA framework agreement.
We were able to quickly step in and build our website in the Paddle Content Management System (CMS) by using the VERA framework agreement.
Cindy Verhoeven
Head of the Communication & Leisure Department of Herne Local Government
The logical next step was graphic design and content creation. How did this happen?
First of all, our new corporate identity was integrated into the graphic design. We also had a brainstorm about the navigation structure, based on a preliminary study by Paddle.
We reviewed the old website and structured the new one in function of the resident. Using the clear navigation and the advanced search the visitor now quickly finds what he is looking for.
How did you and your colleagues get to grips with the CMS Platform?
We learned how to work with CMS very quickly through various training courses.
I attended the training sessions together with all colleagues involved. That way, we could work well together and help each other where necessary. We started with the CMS training step by step and in June there was the training on web forms.
In addition, the project manager was very responsive and we could always turn to him during the project. They always thought along with us and there was always good support from the helpdesk.
The project manager was very responsive and we could always go there during the project. They always thought along and there is always good support from the helpdesk.
The CMS Platform is developed with the user in mind. What module or functionality makes everyday tasks easier?
In the case of reports, the staff member can now set up an automatic reply to the sender, which removes a lot of administrative hassle. In addition, our opening hours of the various services are now dynamically visible.
In my daily tasks, I especially notice that I save time when writing news items and when scheduling them. In addition, it is an indispensable luxury that a file in the Media Library is automatically replaced on every web page when you upload an updated version.
We wanted a CMS platform that was convenient to work with daily. This is certainly the case with our new website.
Is er een tip dat je zou willen meegeven aan een collega communicatieprofessional die aan zo’n project wil starten?
Vorm een team en werk samen naar het doel toe. Zorg ervoor dat je regelmatig intern samen zit of tijdstippen blokkeert om bezig te zijn met het project. Op die manier kan je onderling vragen stellen en elkaar helpen als je bv. vastzit. Het feit dat er in team gewerkt werd met zo’n strakke deadline gaf ons een enorme drive om het samen tijdig klaar te krijgen.
Welke nieuwigheid is het best onthaald door de Hernenaar?
Vooral de reacties op het eindresultaat zijn lovend. We krijgen enkel positieve reacties.
Daarnaast zien we dat de nieuwe navigatiestructuur, de toevoeging van Mijn Burgerprofiel, de weergave van openingsuren, meldingen en de zoekbalk een grote troef zijn. We streven ernaar dat de Hernenaar de gezochte informatie snel terug kan vinden. Daarom gaan we altijd uit van de inwoner om zo informatie op een logische wijze weer te geven.
Op korte termijn is er echt een mooie website tot stand gekomen. Het is fijn om er met zo’n tevreden gevoel op terug te kijken.