Swisscom needed a web-based email management system that was easy to use and would integrate with their existing user database and Event Management Web App (KIME). Together with Sandstorm Media, Web Essentials delivered a self-hosted multilingual mailing solution using Neos CMS, Flow Framework and a custom-built Sending Daemon tool to enable multiple teams within Swisscom to quickly create, launch and monitor unique email campaigns.
| Client | Swisscom AG | |
| Services | Web Development Supporting Services | |
| Team | 1 Project Manager, 1 Technical Lead, 3 Developers, 1 QA |
Business Benefit
A prototype intended for 1 department now manages the communications of 16+ teams
User Benefit
Editors value the easy to use interface which reduces time spent on campaign creation
Business Benefit
All in one solution for creating, sending and analyzing newsletter campaigns
The Challenge
- Deliver an easy to use solution
- Enable email campaign targeting for specific user groups
- Connect to Swisscom's event management web application, KIME, the Swisscom user database and external CRMs
- Provide flexible data handling and recipient imports
- Create a new inhouse system independent of existing US based hosted newsletter distribution services
- Contribute an innovative project back to Neos community
The Solution
Easy Recipient Targeting
- Recipients and news can be easily imported into the mailer via an API to KIME or a fully flexible Excel file
- Smart filters allow fast creation of specific internal or external recipient groups e.g. by event, Swisscom department, gender, language, waiting list status and more
- A Neos module manages synchronization parameters and filtering of recipient data
- There is simple but effective unsubscription handling
Fast filtering of custom recipient groups
Smooth Integration
- The mailing backend tool which works together with Neos to send out newsletters integrates with Swisscom's sendmail service
- A Neos Flow module retrieves recipient data from KIME via a custom built API
- Connects via KIME API to the Swisscom Active Directory service
- Newsletters are created using responsive templates that are optimized for Swisscom's branding and recipients' email clients
- Through placeholders, newsletter content can be imported using any column from the recipient list record
- Intuitive Neos inline editing allows editors to easily conceptualize and finalize each newsletter campaign
All-in-one Communication Management & Analysis
- Newsletters can be released in multiple languages to cover the regional language variations within Switzerland and Swisscom's international subsidiaries
- For quality assurance newsletters can be previewed in desktop, tablet and app mode and reviewed using a test email function
- The system uses Redis to store and communicate user information and send it to Neos so editors can check the status of their campaigns
- A failover function built with Redis means sending activity can be restarted in case of an unexpected server failure, assuring newsletters are only delivered once to each recipient
User Friendly Interface
- The straightforward Neos interface makes it fast for Swisscom editors to create and send newsletter
Contribution to the Neos Community
- The generic code has been published as Open Source: github.com/sandstorm/mailer-daemon
I have trained 8+ editors at Swisscom in how to use our new newsletter tool. One of the biggest assets is the good usability of Neos. Editors can build their own newsletters after a short training session and they are able to repeat it even if they have not used the tool for a couple of weeks
Wolfgang Megert, Swisscom AG
Technologies
Neos CMS, PHP, MySQL, REST, GO, Redis
Tools
Jenkins, npm, Grunt
Vagrant, GIT
Team
1 Project Manager, 1 Technical Lead, 3 Developers, 1 QA
Users
16+ teams
Email Volume
2-3 newsletters per week sent to 150- 2000+ recipients
Time-Frame
Usable prototype was built in 2 months
What made this Project Unique
The team of experts
Partnership was key to Mailer’s success. After Web Essentials initially defined the concept for the project, Neos experts Sebastian and Christoph from Sandstorm Media developed the underlying mailing engine, allowing Neos to be adapted to use variables and send out newsletters. Web Essentials assembled the different pieces into a fully functioning system and continues to maintain and build new features to improve and simplify the editor experience.
The break with tradition
Swisscom mailer was an exciting project that showed what Neos is capable of beyond a traditional website project
As a development team, we gained a lot of new knowledge during implementation. For me personally, the most rewarding challenge was mastering a new programming language called GO to generate barcodes for the newsletters
Chivy Lim, Application Technical Lead, Web Essentials
Awards
This project won a Neos Excellence Award for outstanding work with Neos CMS
Maintenance
Although initially built as a single prototype for a single team within Swisscom, rapid interest in the tool from other departments meant the mailer evolved to become a central communication hub for different news sources within the organization.
Web Essentials continues to build new features to improve and simplify the editor experience and newsletter impact. We also maintain and monitor the application and its servers and provide assistance to newsletter editors through our Support Desk.
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