Intergen has worked closely with Ravensdown to help make its web vision a reality. Intergen’s technologists have not only built a new website, but by working with Intergen’s Web Strategy team they have also undertaken comprehensive user testing and analysis to find out what Ravensdown’s customers really want, using this information to design a useful, informative and intuitive customer-focused site. More information: http://www.intergen.co.nz/Our-Work/ravensdown/

1. agriculture
case study
Web innovation brings
greener pastures
Ravensdown
Leading the way
in agriculture
THE SITUATION
With our new website
we know that it’s a
journey, not something
that’s ever finished.
And recognising the
importance of the
website as a vital
business channel for
us, we established a
dedicated web team to
make sure it gets the
attention it deserves.
ERIN WEBLEY
WEB MANAGER RAVENSDOWN
Until very recently, where
website innovation is concerned,
New Zealand’s rural sector has
been left out in the cold.
Constrained by limited, sporadic and
poor quality broadband and a general
perception that farmers are too busy
‘down on the farm’ to worry about
joining the digital revolution, having
a powerful, interactive and user-centric
website aimed at farmers and rural folk
seemed superfluous to requirements.
But for Ravensdown, this couldn’t be
further from the truth. A strong,
committed web strategy now lies
squarely at the heart of the
organisation’s technology and business
roadmap. The Rural Broadband
Initiative is set to bring high quality
broadband to 86% of New Zealand
within the next six years.
A customer survey clearly showed
Ravensdown that its customers were
most certainly not just online but also
doing their research, banking and
shopping online. Ravensdown quickly
saw that being in the web space was an
absolute necessity, not an optional extra.
THE PAIN
“Of course, we’ve had a web presence
for quite some time,” says Erin Webley,
Ravensdown’s Web Manager.
“But we built our old website and then
left it – it just wasn’t a part of our core
day-to-day activities.
“With our new website we know that it’s
a journey, not something that’s ever
finished. And recognising the
importance of the website as a vital
business channel for us, we established
a dedicated web team to make sure
it gets the attention it deserves.”

2. THE PROCESS
Over the past 18 months, Intergen has
worked closely with Ravensdown to help
make its web vision a reality. Intergen’s
technologists have not only built a new
website, but by working with Intergen’s
Web Strategy team they have also
undertaken comprehensive user testing
and analysis to find out what
Ravensdown’s customers really want,
using this information to design a
useful, informative and intuitive
customer-focused site.
“The rural sector is no different from any
other sector now,” says Tim Roulson,
Ravensdown Project Manager. “And in
the last couple of years we’ve put a lot
of time and effort into our web presence
as a core business channel. We’ve made
it a more intimate point of connection
with our customers and focused on
understanding what works on the
internet and what doesn’t. It’s no longer
a case of putting some information up
there and hoping it will work.”
THE GAIN
Ravensdown’s well-considered web
strategy is a careful balance of user
research in the field and the use of
leading edge technology, with
Ravensdown choosing Microsoft
SharePoint 2010 as its web platform.
The website is now the customer’s first
port of call. Information is now tailored
to the needs of real customers and it’s
also easy to search, underpinned by a
powerful search engine.
Having a flexible and future-ready
content management system has
simplified the content management
process and has removed bottlenecks
and maintenance issues. Backed by
robust technology, Ravensdown keeps a
close eye on measurement, paying close
attention to what works on the site and
what doesn’t. It uses Google Analytics
to hone its content and approach,
based on real information, in real time.
Since the website’s go-live the results
have spoken for themselves, with
bounce rates down, and the number of
page views and average time spent on
the site doubling – not to mention the
positive feedback received from users.
But despite these achievements, there’s
no room for complacency.
THE FUTURE
An up-to-the-minute e-commerce
platform is the next step in the
Ravensdown web journey, which, when
complete, will offer customers a more
comprehensive and interactive online
shopping experience. Future plans for
a full service customer portal are also
underway, with more than 1,600
customers having provided input into
what, for them, will provide the greatest
value and use.
The Business Case
Ravensdown’s need for a web
strategy and a user-friendly and
informative website for the rural
sector was imperative – especially
with the global demand for
information online and the
‘Online Rural Broadband Initiative’
coming into place in New Zealand.
The Business Value
»» Ravensdown’s core communication
channel is now its website
»» A flexible and future-ready
content management system
»» Eradication of resource and
process duplication
»» A user-friendly website
(internal and external)
The Engine Room
»» Microsoft SharePoint 2010
»» User experience design
With more than 300 Intergen
staff working across organisations
of all sizes and types, our
offerings include portals, content
and collaboration solutions,
Microsoft Dynamics financial
and relationship management,
custom software development,
management consulting and
hosting services.
AUCKLAND CHRISTCHURCH DUNEDIN PERTH REDMOND SYDNEY WELLINGTON