Case Study
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GO-Live Date
December 27, 2023
Trusted Web Experts
Charlie Stanley
Web Solutions Architect
Caleigh Pickard
Project Manager
Nikki Vanderkooi
Content Strategy
Stacey Horton
Layout Design
Heather Clark
Content Integration
Katie Morman
Content Visualization
Mehran Aziz
Web Developer
Callum Creed
Quality Assurance
Ryan Arthur
Design Revisions
Kenneth Kimbrell
Web Hosting Setup
Michael Confalone
Training & Website Launch
Leanna Thesken
Marketing & Case Study
Deanna Frimann
Resource Allocation
Goals
Overview
About
Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) is dedicated to delivering safe, reliable, affordable, and innovative electricity solutions to its members. SEC upholds their vision to enrich their communities through the cooperative principles. To further this vision and enhance their online presence, SEC partnered with Powerful. This collaboration sought to create a new website that serves as a digital extension of SEC’s commitment to their member-owners and community at large.
Bringing SEC’s Slogan to Life
Powerful’s main objective was to embody SEC’s slogan, “Here for You”, into the redesign. Through Powerful’s Storytelling Blueprint, this commitment is brought to life, offering visitors an engaging, informative experience that echoes SEC’s dedication to service and community support. The website’s layout encourages exploration and interaction with SEC’s messaging. It features a dynamic news section that is always up-to-date, highlights community programs, and offers an in-depth look at SEC’s mission through an enhanced “About Us” section. These elements work together to create a cohesive narrative that successfully captures SEC’s commitment of being truly “here for you”.
Streamlining Access to Essential Services
Building Trust Through Reliable Information
In the event of an outage, members instinctively turn to SEC’s website, seeking immediate assistance and information. This reflex action underscores the importance of SEC’s website design. With a prominent action button on the homepage that leads directly to the Outage Center, SEC ensures that members can quickly find the information they need without navigating through multiple pages. This direct access is a critical component of SEC’s commitment to providing reliable support and maintaining open lines of communication with their community during outages.
Anticipating Needs with Intuitive Design
The intuitive design of the Outage Center is a testament to SEC’s anticipation of their members’ needs. Understanding that stress levels are high during power outages, the information is presented in a way that is easy to process, reducing the load for those who may be in a heightened state of concern. Bullet points, graphics, and icons replace large walls of text, making the information engaging and faster to skim through. By anticipating the questions and concerns that arise during a power outage, SEC provides answers and solutions before they are even sought. This includes detailing how to report an outage, accessing a real-time outage map, and offering advice on what to do before, during, and after an outage. SEC’s proactive communication strategy strengthens their pledge of being “here for you”.
Challenges
SEC aimed to further enhance member engagement and streamline operations by encouraging the use of online tools. Recognizing the potential to improve member services and communication, SEC identified key areas where online functionalities could significantly impact efficiency and member satisfaction. One such area was member communication, where the goal was to facilitate easier and more direct interactions. Another critical area was the management of unclaimed capital credits, where an accessible online solution could simplify the process for members to identify and claim their credits.Solutions
To achieve these objectives, Powerful implemented online forms and search tools. A key development was the online "Contact Us" form, designed to simplify the process for members to make inquiries directly through the website. This form was crafted with visitor experience at the forefront, ensuring it is intuitive and accessible for all members. Alongside this, a dedicated online search tool for unclaimed capital credits was introduced. This tool allows members to quickly search a database of unclaimed credits, making it straightforward to identify and claim any funds.Results
The introduction of the online "Contact Us" form and the unclaimed capital credits tool significantly enhances the member experience on SEC's website. The "Contact Us" form facilitates an efficient communication channel between SEC and its members, leading to quicker responses to inquiries. By providing a hassle-free way to engage with SEC, this tool improves operational efficiency while increasing member satisfaction. The unclaimed capital credits search tool is equally impactful, giving many members the opportunity to identify and claim their capital credits. The tool's ease of use exemplifies how online tools enhance member services.Quotes
Client Testimonials
We felt that Powerful could give us the user friendly platform that we were looking for. In today’s world we see employees who move around more often than we are used to and having something that is easy to use made sense, along with the added ADA compliance. We plan to take each landing page from the ‘ground up’ this year to make sure we have the relevant content and resources our members, community and employees need.
VP of Member Engagement and Communications
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Quotes
Team Comments
Sheena really wanted a strong mobile-first approach because if it works well on mobile, it works well everywhere. We worked closely together to prioritize functionality, and we're so proud of how the site turned out.
Director of Content & Design Operations
In strategizing the integration of visual elements into SEC's pages, we meticulously analyzed the preferences and demographics of their target audience alongside their branding goals. By adhering to visitor-friendly design principles and ensuring responsive layouts, we guarantee an immersive browsing experience across all devices, thereby fostering higher engagement and retention rates. Through this strategic approach, the visualized pages not only captivate visitors but also serve as powerful mediums for effectively communicating SEC's message, thereby propelling the success of their website.
Content Strategist
As the project manager for Southside Electric Cooperative's website redesign, I found immense satisfaction in delivering a new and inviting site that prioritizes the member-first approach. Collaborating with the Southside Electric Cooperative team was an absolute pleasure. Their dedication and commitment to their members significantly contributed to the success of the project. Together, we've created a digital platform that not only reflects their values but also enhances user experience, making it welcoming for everyone
Project Manager
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