When it was time to update its website, the Verlag für Standesamtswesen (VfSt) was looking for a business partner. Besides the purely technical skills required for the implementation of a Drupal update, the partner also needed valuable experience in e-commerce. The result is a modern website with an online shop with a focus on user experience and an optimized search.
Who is Verlag für Standesamtswesen?
Verlag für Standesamtswesen is regarded as the leading specialist publisher and software producer in the field of civil status. The company provides specialist literature to registry offices and their supervisory authorities as well as to all those who deal with civil status law. The quality is guaranteed by authors from science and administration. For decades, the publishing house has been developing expert systems for the special requirements of registry offices, including the implementation of the OZG, with its software products AutiSta and ePR-Server. Expertise in civil status and technical competence in software development are the distinguishing features of the publishing house.
What problem was the client facing?
VfSt contacted 1xINTERNET because the website needed updating and the existing search functionality was no longer fulfilling its purpose.
The website needed to be migrated to Drupal 9 and optimised for the user. They wanted to speed up access to stored information and simplify purchase transactions, in order to relieve the sales department, which was frequently contacted with requests seeking help.
How could we help?
In the first stage of development 1xINTERNET and VfSt worked together to rethink the concept of the website. This involved discussing user journeys and checking which components of the previous site were no longer needed and which implementations were most appropriate.
The second stage was to review the publisher's proprietary code, as this couldn´t be migrated over to Drupal 9, and we carried out a small redesign. Then the smooth upgrade to Drupal 9 took place.
To enable the user, say a registrar, to access the content most relevant to him or her as quickly as possible, the search, presentation of content and the purchasing process were improved and a connection to SAP and the Database "Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher" (VLB) was established.
Thanks to the new functionality of the search and the clear presentation of the publications (such as folio collections, journals, books and eBooks), a faster access to deposited information could be achieved and timely purchase transactions could be supported.
The upgrade to Drupal 9 benefits both users of the website and the publisher's staff, who now enjoy enhanced and simplified editing.
Main features of the project
Registration process
The transfer of the interface to SAP enabled a login process. The customer has access to the protected customer area via his SAP interface. This is done in consideration of the DSGVO.
Search
For the search, which is available on all pages, SOLR was implemented in the backend.
Display
The way VfSt publications are displayed has been structured more clearly and optimised for mobile display. Being clearly structured is crucial for finding publications and ultimately for the user's decision to buy.
Cash desk
By linking the existing checkout system to Drupal E-Commerce and the SAP system, shopping is carried out in the familiar systems.
From the client
“Thank you for the successful relaunch of our publishing website. We are particularly proud of the significantly improved customer area and the time-saving editorial maintenance of our products. Working with you was great - very professional and very pleasant from a human point of view. Your working methods were very efficient and professional. We are looking forward to further collaboration.”
Anke Jakob, project manager at VfSt
Why was Drupal a good fit for this project?
The Verlag für Standesamtswesen publishes or updates new publications and software every year. The content provided on the website is for the information of customers and partners.
The most valuable funtions are:
For VfSt internally
- Simple, fast and modular expandability of the system
- Uniform appearance of existing pages and the new pages / sections
- Intuitive user interface for editors
- Data security for the protection of intellectual property
- Profitability
- Integration of external systems - such as registration (via SAP) & display of available products (via VLB)
For external clients of the publishing house
- Easy Login
- Powerful search
- Intuitive user journey up to the completion of the purchase / payment process
Drupal's CMS offers an extensive selection of modules and a uniform appearance with just a few clicks. Creating and editing a page requires no programming knowledge. Thanks to open source and efficient code maintenance, it is not only clearly structured and extensive, but also economical and has the highest security standards. Existing third-party products can easily be migrated into the structure.
