Your organization went through a CMS selection process a few years ago. All things considered, your system is handling your needs pretty well. So, is now the time to think about updating your system? Maybe. Technology continues to develop rapidly, which necessitates the need to update and change digital strategies to meet the demands of new technology. When it comes to selecting software, implementation, or design vendors for major technology upgrades such as a content management system (CMS), there’s a lot on the line. Even small healthcare organizations may have to pony up hundreds of thousands of dollars; for larger organizations, it could be in the millions. We talked to clients from healthcare organizations that have evaluated their CMS in the past year or so to get their input on how their organizations realized it was time to update or replace their CMS. Q: What were five signs that indicated your organization needed a new CMS? We interviewed Holly Smith, Director, Strategic Planning and Marketing, at St. Mary’s Health in Evansville, Indiana, for her input.

1. Our site was not responsive. I would go to meetings and national conferences and talk about the importance of digital and they would ask how important a responsive site is. My response was “critical,” yet I knew that we did not have one. We knew we needed to move to a new design.


2. CMS was SLOW. Our current site on the CMS side is extremely slow and not efficient. It was really just not an optimal working environment for our team. We are really looking forward to having a CMS that is immediate and that has the flexibility to support what we know is a critical part of our marketing strategies.


3. We needed a home page redesign. We certainly could have worked with our current CMS to do a redesign, but honestly, there was no one out there willing to listen or interested. We wanted to find a CMS vendor that was more than just a vendor, but also a digital partner to help guide and support our strategies. We also wanted a CMS vendor that would stay current with the environments and trends and make sure we are relevant.


4. Culture. We wanted a CMS vendor that supported us in a way we needed to be supported, with easy access to team members. We needed a team that understood us and were more like us. We didn’t want to call a call center and put in a ticket. We really were looking for a personalized approach.


5. Understanding of healthcare. We wanted a vendor that understood and supported our need to see value and a return on investment in our website, but also all our overall digital footprint. That meant a vendor that understood healthcare. We were actually asked at one point why we would need quality data on our website. They didn’t understand what HCAHPS was. That was frustrating, and we really just didn’t want to educate someone on healthcare.

We also interviewed Lynne Pinnick, Web Marketing Coordinator, Marketing and Planning, at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana, who was kind enough to give us feedback.

1. We had never done a comparison of CMS platforms to determine what functionality was available.


2. Our CMS platform was moving in a direction that we and our IT team did not support.


3. We needed to do a redesign of our site but did not want to do a redesign without looking at the bigger picture.


4. The platform was not very user-friendly for non-technical content administrators.


5. Responsive design was not available at the time.

If any of the points made by Holly and Lynne have you wondering if a new or updated CMS is something your organization should consider, Greystone can help you figure it out. The organization works with the Greystone consulting team to customize the requirements, sometimes adding new ones that are specific to the client. By assessing your current system and needs, as well as your future plans, we can save you time you don’t really have. And if you do decide a new CMS is the way to go, our Vendor Selection Process can help to ensure that you find the best CMS platform and implementation vendor for your organization’s goals with an aligned corporate culture. For more information about CMS and your organization, contact Greystone.Net at 770-407-7670, email us at info@greystone.net or fill out our online information request.