Our client, a specialist publisher in the scholarly sector based in the US, approached us in December 2010 with a specific requirement. Whilst their current content delivery platform was working well for them, they wanted to be sure that they were aware of all new developments or initiatives that could enhance the way their customers accessed their content. Maverick was requested to undertake an initial “potential vendor (current) capability review” and then undertake a resultant, narrowly focused RFI / RFP program.
Working with the client, Maverick developed an RFP which set out all the requirements for a potential new platform and invited selected technology companies to respond accordingly. Subsequent responses were then reviewed, scored and reported against to provide a basis for comparison as to which offered the best potential solution. The result? The client actually remained with their original provider (one of the respondents) as they were able to adapt the platform sufficiently to meet their changing needs, at a reasonable cost and with minimal impact on service delivery.
The process did, however, uncover a number of other issues with which the client required support.
These included:
- Further strategic and tactical discussions about how to maximize the commercial benefits of the platform via online advertising and sponsorship.Improving access to – and delivery of – usage statistics from the current platform provider.
- Improving pricing structures and models
- Maximizing content exposure and sales opportunities (SEO and discoverability).
- Improving the content conversion and upload / acceptance processes with their typesetters as well as the platform vendor itself.
Maverick provided consultancy as to how these areas could be addressed, culminating in a number of new promotional and revenue generating initiatives being rolled out and subsequently increasing sales. We also provided outsourced content and production management resources and continue to manage the delivery of their publication to the web, liaising with the platform provider and ensuring the whole process runs smoothly and on time.
As well as continuing the strategic and operational support as outlined above, Maverick’s sales associates have also been retained to represent the publication on a worldwide basis, generating new sales and securing renewals from both consortia as well as individual institutions.