Technical communicators or managers are often tasked with researching the benefits of converting to structured content and using a component content management system (CCMS) to manage and produce their business information. But finding solid information on the benefits can be difficult. Join this discussion moderated by Data Conversion Laboratory and Vasont Systems about the return on investment of a content management strategy. For more information, visit www.vasont.com or www.dclab.com.

1. Roundtable Discussion:
The ROI of a
Content Management Strategy
Linda Cassola, Data Conversion Laboratory
Suzanne Mescan, Vasont Systems
@VasontSystems @dclaboratory @LavaCon

2. Suzanne Mescan
VP of Marketing
Vasont Systems
We Help You…
• Organize Your Business Assets
• Manage Your Productivity
• Disseminate Your Information Through Component Content Management
Solutions
• Over 60 years in the information management and publishing industry
• Named four times to the EContent 100 list of the most important companies in
the digital content arena

3. Linda Cassola
Senior VP of Sales/Marketing
Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.
• One of EContent Magazine’s Top 100 Companies in the digital content space
• More than 30 years of experience providing electronic document
conversion services meeting the needs of technology…today & in the
future!
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Audio/video transcription
Composition
Consulting
Content Reuse Analysis
Digital Publishing
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Document & image conversion
eBook production
Project set-up/management
Quality Assurance
Workflow analysis

4. How do you get information from other
departments to create an ROI for a CMS strategy?
Use the “buddy system.” Find a co-worker in each department
who is willing to provide information and metrics that you can
work with. This co-worker may also be able to set up tracking to
gather information that currently doesn’t exist.

5. How do you convince management to make the
move to a CMS?
• Present information in their language: high-level details, ROI
metrics, etc.
• Present the cost of doing business using the current methods
vs. the cost of doing business using the CMS strategy and
show the comparison.
• Show how much it will cost by doing nothing vs. making the
move now and improving the processes sooner.

6. What are the top 3 areas where a CMS strategy can
show the biggest improvements?
• Translation costs will decrease dramatically from content
reuse.
• Production cycle times will decrease due to automation of
processes.
• The reusability of content will multiply efficiencies across the
organization.

7. What is the best way to begin a CMS
implementation?
• Start with one department or division and get the
implementation working smoothly. Then, expand the CMS to
other departments or divisions.
• Prioritize your legacy content and convert only what is
important to the business long term.
• Convert the content during the implementation process
rather than as an afterthought.

8. What do you measure to justify a CMS for
management?
• Measure everything:
– Hard costs (e.g., translation costs, publishing costs)
– Soft costs (e.g., the time it takes writers to write, editors to
edit, etc.)
– Consider what is broken in the current process
• Don’t try to measure every project you produce. Take one
representative project and measure every step from
beginning to end, through every department. Use these
measurements as an indicator of your overall performance.

9. Where can I find metrics that show how much ROI
is possible for a CMS implementation?
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Search online for ROI statistics from analysts, consultants and vendors.
Metrics from a 10-year survey of Vasont Systems’ client base show on average:
– Cost Savings:
• 52% savings in editorial and content development costs
• 58% reduction in production costs
• 78% savings in translation costs
– Process Efficiencies:
• 59% reduction in editorial cycles
• 85% reduction in production cycles
• 80% reduction in translation cycles
• 55% less resources produced the same volume of work due to content
reuse rates of 62-93%
– Consolidation of IT and operations resources

10. Contact Information
Information
Linda Cassola
SVP Sales & Marketing,
Data Conversion Laboratory
LinkedIn
Email
Web
Twitter
http://www.linkedin.com/company/data-conversion-laboratory
LCassola@dclab.com
http://www.dclab.com/
@dclaboratory
Join the DCL Learning Series Group on LinkedIn
Suzanne Mescan
VP of Marketing,
Vasont Systems
10
LinkedIn
Email
Web
Twitter
www.linkedin.com/company/vasont-systems
smescan@vasont.com
www.vasont.com
@VasontSystems