Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) is a non-profit organization that has been helping employers and employees maximize the value of their health care benefit spending for over 25 years. The organization now provides services to over 75 member companies employing over two million workers.
The mbgh.org website had been in existence for several years, as a static site with a significant amount of periodically updated information spread over dozens of publicly accessible pages. MBGH became interested in enhancing their website with several goals in mind: simplify content/structure updating, provide access controlled premium content to members, and automate event registration. Intechnic Corporation assessed the goals of MBGH and proposed and delivered a dynamic website with several core features:
Intechnic deployed an intuitive Administrative Console which is utilized by designated MBGH personnel to maintain content on the website and access other site management features. Intechnic added a Content Management System (CMS) – a mechanism that allows the designated personnel to update site content (text, images, internal/external links, documents, etc) without having to do know any coding or programming. An interface similar to Microsoft™ Word™ makes it simple to make changes and offers pre-defined styles so that consistency is easy to control. The mechanism also provides a means for the personnel to control the structure of the site: add/remove pages, group pages in sections and subsections, rearrange section/page hierarchy, and designate sections as member-only making them visible only to authenticated users. The CMS made it possible to offer premium content which made the website more appealing to current members and acts as means to attract new members.
Intechnic developed a module which allows MBGH members and other site visitors to browse through a list of upcoming events, then register for an event and pay for it by credit card. An administrative interface allows MBGH staff to create, modify, and delete event records; configuring various parameters/options including who can register, what are the options and fees associated with them, and what should appear in the details page (front end) for this event. The module also generates a Calendar of Events page on the front end, using the data in the event records. Event Management reduces the time and effort required to maintain the event calendar section and completely automates the registration process. Furthermore, it provides a single point of event administration; MBGH staff can even export a list or registered attendants to an Excel file.
Since the release of the new website, MBGH is committed to continually advancing their website by offering their members more and more web-accessible resources. The near future may hold features such as a cataloged and searchable Archive of Events as well as Newsletter signup and distribution.