Content Management: Rohm And Haas Turns To Interwoven To Deliver Targeted Online Experiences For Growing Global Customer Base
Like many growth-minded companies, Rohm and Haas saw its Website as its greatest opportunity to capture new customers and generate revenue but also its biggest obstacle. Rohm and Haas, an US$8 billion specialty and performance materials company, prides itself on its deep understanding of its customer base to deliver the right products – including additives and binders for paint and plastics additives and antimicrobials – at the right time. And as it looked to grow its business in new markets and geographies, the company realized it needed a new model that would enable it to interact on a larger, faster, more complex scale.
Historically, Rohm and Haas customers had worked directly through customer service representatives, which often required 24-72 hours to respond to requests about critical purchasing criteria. While this direct model worked well with customers in its established markets, the internal perception about the role and potential of the Web channel started to change. "We knew that with the right technology, we could use the Web to help us do more business in new markets with new customers in new industries, and a key to this strategy is to provide targeted product content segmented by customer type, customer industry, and more," said Eric Soll, sales and marketing IT manager, at Rohm and Haas.
With global growth as a top priority, especially in emerging markets, the need to localize product information is critical. "To us, ‘localization' goes way beyond translation," added Soll. But the existing Rohm and Haas Website was static, with minimal product information that varied greatly in detail and depth. The Web experience was inconsistent across business units and regions, and customers had no logical way to search for and navigate product information.
Working with Interwoven , Rohm and Haas developed a clear vision for the site that would provide the deep level of research tailored to the needs of each customer segment. "Interwoven shares our vision to deploy sites that target the right content to the right audience by specific company, by region, by country, market, and company type," said Soll. "Greater efficiency was just the tip of the iceberg. The bigger benefit was helping customers more easily qualify products and make faster buying decisions."
By combining the power of Interwoven with Unica NetInsight's Web analytics Rohm and Haas can analyze and act on key insights to deliver a more compelling online experience. In one case, Rohm and Haas was able to identify product search terms that generated few or no results. The business teams could modify product content and metadata, more closely aligning the content with customers' search terms. "Our new philosophy is, ‘What have we learned and what's the action?' We're looking to improve every month," said Soll. "We have the tools to be a lot more action-oriented, which helps us to better understand our customers' needs and then meet them rapidly."
Rohm and Haas is using Interwoven TeamSite, Interwoven LiveSite, and Interwoven OpenDeploy, integrated with its SAP platform, as the foundation for both their public Web presence as well as to manage their customer extranets. Using TeamSite, Rohm and Haas classifies and categorizes content for all product information and has developed a structured product hierarchy. "Using that hierarchy, we use LiveSite to allow customers to easily navigate through thousands of products with hundreds of applications with complex relationships," added Soll. "Most importantly, we can provide the customer access to information the way they want it, not just the way we think about it."
The success of the Interwoven implementation also came from its ability to integrate with existing enterprise applications and portals. By integrating with its SAP CRM system, Rohm and Haas can leverage registered user attributes that can be used to provide more targeted and secure content. Rohm and Haas can more effectively generate leads and easily manage prospect data. "Once they register, we can provide them more specific data based on their profile and track which products they buy," said Soll. "In the past, customers may have hesitated to register. Now, we can provide them with a real incentive to participate in our Web experience and deliver a targeted experience across all stages of the sales cycle - from inquiry to action."
"Rohm and Haas understood early on that a one-size, one-message-fits-all approach can result in a disconnected customer experience and hinders growth," said Ben Kiker, chief marketing officer at Interwoven. "From major consumer brands to industrial business-to-business players, companies need their Websites to engage and persuade customers with concise, relevant, and targeted content and offers. As Rohm and Haas approaches 100 years of delivering innovation, we're thrilled to be a part of their journey as they transform their online presence."
About Interwoven
Interwoven is a global leader in content management solutions. Interwoven's software and services enable organizations to effectively leverage content to drive business growth by improving the customer experience, increasing collaboration, and streamlining business processes in dynamic environments. Our unique approach combines user-friendly simplicity with robust IT performance and scalability to unlock the value of content. Today, more than 4,000 enterprise and professional services organizations worldwide have chosen Interwoven, including: adidas, Airbus, Avaya, Cisco, DLA Piper, the Federal Reserve Bank, FedEx, HSBC, LexisNexis, Microsoft, Samsung, Shell, Samsonite, White & Case, and Yamaha. Over 20,000 developers and over 300 partners enrich and extend Interwoven's offerings. To learn more about Interwoven, please visit www.interwoven.com.
SOURCE: Interwoven