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CCM, from the data to the doormat

We build and look after customer communications on the platforms you already have, move them when it's time to move, and write the software around them. You deal with the people doing the work.

CCM development

This is where we started and it's still most of what we do. We design and build customer communications on the major platforms: new documents, rebrands, regulatory changes with a hard deadline, accessible formats such as large print and braille, and HTML email for paperless customers. We've worked with Exstream since version 3, so there isn't much in a document estate that surprises us.

  • OpenText Exstream, Quadient Inspire, Messagepoint, DOC1 and PReS
  • Billing, renewals, statements, policy packs and regulatory letters
  • Large print, braille and colour requirements for accessibility
  • HTML email and paperless programmes

Migrations and print

Platform migrations are where a lot of document projects go wrong, usually because nobody knew everything the old system was doing. We've moved estates from DOC1, PReS and Papyrus to Exstream and from PReS to Inspire, designed AWS set-ups for Exstream, and run print tenders and moved work between print houses without customers noticing. We check every migration with ByteCompare, our own comparison tool, so old and new output are compared letter by letter, not by sample.

  • Platform migrations with like-for-like output checking in ByteCompare
  • Print tenders and print house moves
  • AFP, indexing and metadata for mail matching and inserting
  • Composition on AWS, designed for throughput

Data and pre-processing

Most document problems are really data problems. We write the pre-processing and orchestration that sits in front of composition: reading the feeds, cleaning and enriching them, splitting and sorting the output, and moving files to where they need to go. Perl, Python, Go, PL/SQL and plenty of shell, mostly on Linux.

  • Pre-processing in Perl, Python and Go
  • XML, JSON and CSV feeds, and database extracts in PL/SQL
  • Job orchestration and scheduling on Linux
  • Sorting and splitting output for print and mail

TypeScript and React

We build web applications in TypeScript and React: customer self-service portals, internal tools, and the front ends that let business users manage their own documents. We built a pension scheme's member portal this way, with a Go and MongoDB back end, and we build our own products the same way.

  • React and TypeScript, written to be maintained by someone else
  • Portals and self-service, with Go or Node back ends
  • Clickable prototypes early, so the right thing gets built
  • Tested, documented and handed over properly

Reviews, standards and training

Sometimes the most useful thing is an honest review. We look at document estates, coding standards and processes, write down what good looks like, and train teams in it. We've written and delivered Exstream training, set standards for onshore and offshore teams, and helped businesses decide which platform to move to and why.

  • Estate and code reviews with a practical action list
  • Development standards and version control
  • Training courses for developers and business users
  • Support for offshore teams and suppliers

How we work

Real output early, no surprises late

Whatever the project, you see real documents and real screens from the first weeks, checked against what you have today.

  1. 01

    Understand

    We start with your documents and your data as they are today, not as the specification says they should be.

  2. 02

    Show

    You see real output early: a document for a real customer, or a screen you can click, so problems surface while they're cheap.

  3. 03

    Build

    Small steps, checked against the old output where there is one, with progress you can see every week.

  4. 04

    Hand over

    Documentation, standards and training, so your team can run it after we leave.

Have a project in mind?

Tell us what you're trying to do. If we're not the right fit we'll say so, and usually point you at someone who is.

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