About Somerset LMC
Somerset Local Medical Committee (LMC) is an independent representative body for General Practitioners (GPs) across Somerset, UK.
Somerset LMC offers support and guidance to ensure opportunities for continuous education and professional development for GPs.
After being told that their current CRM system will shut down, they needed to find a replacement. They chose Douglass Digital to create a brand new website and CRM to replace the old setup.
Main Project Objectives
Somerset LMC were using an outdated website and CRM built specifically for the LMC sector and included custom features.
One of the key challenges was to keep some of the previous functionalities in the new CiviCRM system, which meant Douglass Digital had to customise and expand the new one.
Somerset LMC had two separate websites:
- The main site, which included sign-ups and event bookings
- SGPET (Somerset General Practice Education Trust) website used for handling training for GPs and nurses.
As part of the project, Douglass Digital combined both sites and booking systems into one simple, easy-to-manage platform.
Outcome
The new website successfully met Somerset LMC’s objectives and helped further its mission of offering support and guidance to GPs across Somerset on an open source platform while retaining custom functionality available on the old legacy database.
CiviCRM WordPress Integration
The collaboration aimed to transform Somerset LMC’s website into a modern and easy-to-manage platform. We integrated CiviCRM, an open-source CRM solution created for non-profits and membership organisations, which allowed us to:
- Merge the SGPET and Somerset LMC websites into one.
- Replace the old membership system with CiviCRM, while keeping some key features from the legacy system.
- Migrate all existing data, related to contacts, companies, roles, and permissions, into the new system, including around 600 guidance pages from the old site.
- Set up event booking with different prices for members and non-members.
- Use different Stripe accounts for event payments to keep revenues separate between the two systems.
- Create private areas for members and committees based on CRM permissions.
- Add a company admin dashboard so Practice Managers can manage staff, training, bookings, payments, job adverts, and a staff register.
Significant Features
Tool Integration
We integrated two Stripe accounts for secure event payments
Email system integration for faster and more efficient bulk email sending using Smart Groups that dynamically update based on a set of search criteria.
Resource Library
This section is an extensive repository of documents, guidelines, and resources accessible to members. It was imported from the old system with a new way to search and bookmark results to the users dashboard.
Events Calendar
- Event Booking and Payments
The event calendar feature has an interactive calendar showing upcoming events, making it easy for contacts to register and book. We have also included an automatic event payment handling based on membership level and a member-only pricing, with the system applying the correct fee during booking based on user membership
We built a new company booking limit into CiviCRM where admins can set the total number of places a company can book per event that will work with the existing CiviCRM waitlist.
A customised events dashboard was created in CiviCRM showing bookings, waitlist users, available spaces, plus attendee names and their organisations.
- Event Communication and Visibility
The custom event calendar that can be added to newsletters, showing how many places are left for each event along with an event sponsorship feature where event sponsor details are automatically added to the event page and sign-in sheets.
- Event Materials and Resources
With the new CiviCRM, admins can upload files to an event and give access based on the user’s role. In most cases this feature will be used for training materials, uploaded for event participants.
The new system will also create a custom sign in PDF form of all users who have been booked on to the event and will auto-generate PDF attendance certificates available in the member area.
- Event Feedback and Reporting
For constant improvement and participant engagement, we added a custom event feedback questionnaire where the System admin can set a number of questions and question types, such as free text, multiple choice questions, which will be sent to the participants after the event.
All the responses will be stored and used as a report to share with event trainers or as a way to understand participants’ thoughts and experiences.
We included an option to record logistics and event costs for each event
Job Vacancies
As part of the project, a job vacancies area was added to the site for sharing and browsing job opportunities within the Somerset healthcare community. Practice Managers can easily post job openings for their practices, and locum members can add their profiles to a register showing their availability for work.
To keep things organised and professional, every job posting goes through a final approval by the system admin before it appears live on the site.
Design and Layout
To create a simple and engaging layout we used Somerset’s brand colours, blue and green. The design focuses on a white backdrop with green and blue buttons and nature-related images that match their modern and welcoming style.
We designed their event cards in blue to show what would have been the legacy Somerset LMC events and green to highlight what would have been the SGPET events.
Conclusion
This project showcases the importance of aligning digital platforms with organisational goals.
By adopting a modern design and integrating CRM features, Somerset LMC offers a platform that helps its members and streamlines member-related operations.
