Steinberg

Starting point

All product and company-relevant data were stored on a file server with a high number of folders and subfolders. The complex structure ensured that employees sometimes searched for a very long time until they got to the information they needed. Various modules for product and customer data management have been developed for the website. The webshop was preceded by a backend in which product features were maintained manually and thus largely redundantly.

Goals

• Create a central infobase for employees, partners and dealers

• Build a scalable, reliable product data structure

• Error-free and always up-to-date product data for employees, customers and partners

• Making it easier to find products, multimedia data and retailers

• Optimize website infrastructure

• Minimization of time-to-channel

• Improve/individualise target group approach

Challenges

• Manage the different channels such as Homepage, Webshop, Product Factsheets, Press Releases, Social Media (e. g. (B. YouTube). . .

• Content efficiently and individually for target groups (product data, performance data, media data, texts, etc.)

• Avoid consistent data across all channels

• Consolidation of product data/removal of data silos and redundancies

• Minimization of system breaks/interfaces

Realization

With the introduction of censhare, the maintenance of product data was significantly simplified and partly automated. The SKUs flow directly into the censhare system via an interface of SAP. They are assigned to a product and, for the most part, are automatically enriched with additional data through inheritance of characteristics (such as general product characteristics and system requirements).

The data is then checked. The data is only transferred to the shop system after the completeness check has been completed. To this end, censhare automatically checks whether all the relevant characteristics required by the shop have been maintained. The transfer takes place via REST interface to the shop service provider. In case of an error message, the Shop Manager automatically receives a notification.

Translation Memory function automatically generates translation variants and jobs in English and up to six other languages. A complex keyword simplifies the care and search of your own stock material.

1. Product Manager maintains characteristics at the product generation level (e. g. Cubase 9) and product level (e. g. Cubase Pro 9).

2. Nightly, automatic import of SKUs from SAP generates SKU (Product Item) in censhare (e. g. Cubase Pro 9 update from version 8).

3. Product Manager establishes the relationship between product and SKU. SKU inherits characteristics of product generation and product.

4. Product Manager maintains other characteristics on the SKU.

5. Shop Manager maintains shop-specific features at the SKU.

6. Shop Manager passes on to Online Shop via workflow.

Selection of system and integrator

Steinberg worked with the consulting firm Xtentio to select the right system. The requirements analysis focused on core functions, costs, the future viability and performance of the technology, and the mapping of process workflows, among other things.

The analysis revealed that the censhare data model with its asset structure and semantic network provides an optimal basis for managing the very extensive and detailed content. All data can thus be related to each other and result in new, semantic information levels. In this way, for example, the high proportion of text in the form of reusable and combinable modules for website, webshop, product factsheets, etc. , can be reduced to a minimum.

The early involvement of the project team in the selection and design phase as well as the user-friendliness of the censhare web client made training on the system superfluous.

Results

• More than 200 users use censhare as a central information platform

• Product data is maintained centrally, consistently and in part automatically

• Product Marketing Managers have current SKUs and data aggregated from all systems available

• Easy search for contacts, media, dealers, distributors and training centers in the different sales regions

• Only two interfaces left (SAP x censhare | censhare x shop provider)

• More efficiency and freedom for creative tasks

• Secure and transparent processes

• Optimization of cross-selling

• Relevant and individualized information and recommendations for Steinberg customers