Over the past 10 years, 101 has been instrumental in BADS' digital evolution, creating a strong online presence for the charity and significantly streamlining membership processes.
Background
Established in 1988, the British Association of Day Surgery (BADS) is a multidisciplinary organisation dedicated to promoting excellence, enhancing education and maximising the delivery of day surgery in the UK. With a focus on bringing together a diverse community of healthcare professionals, including surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, allied health professionals, and managers, BADS fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing. BADS' strategic objectives centre around achieving national influence, sharing the concept of excellence in day surgery and expanding their reach within the UK.
A Decade of Successful Collaboration
Over the past ten years, BADS and 101 Websites, Apps & Email Marketing have worked together to drive significant digital progress for the Association. This ongoing partnership has led to a range of digital initiatives, including:
- Designing, developing and optimising the Association’s website
- Delivering a dedicated event app for BADS’ flagship annual conference
- Streamlining CPD certification through a digital CPD certificate generator
- Devising an effective social media strategy to extend BADS' presence
- Simplifying admin with an automated membership registration and renewals system
- Enabling effective communication through 101's Smart Messenger Email Marketing platform
David Bunting, President of the British Association of Day Surgery, explained:
“For the past decade, 101 has provided practical digital solutions and strategies that have significantly strengthened BADS’ online presence, improved processes and added value for our members.”
Challenges
Throughout their relationship, BADS' brief to 101 has been to use digital marketing tools and innovative solutions to create a strong, cohesive online presence for the Association that supports their goals of advancing day surgery within the UK's healthcare system. Specific project requirements have included:
- Enhancing Online Presence and Accessibility: BADS’ website needs to present a wealth of content in a logical and easy-to-navigate format that matches their values and aims. They also understand the potential of using digital tools such as apps and automated processes to streamline administration, making resources and services easily accessible to their multidisciplinary community of healthcare professionals.
- Moving Resources Online and Improving Efficiency: BADS recognise the importance of making their resources easily accessible to members and others with an interest in day surgery. They required a digital solution that removed the need for printed materials and instead provided publications online, through their website. This would make it easier to keep resources updated, add value to membership and reduce administration and production costs. They also wanted to make their online publications available for purchase by non-members.
- Maximising Influence and Reach: With the potential for 95% of all surgical procedures in the UK to be carried out as day surgery, the Association’s work is relevant to a significant proportion of healthcare workers. In addition, resources compiled by BADS – such as the National Dataset, which compares day surgery performance and outcomes across different trusts – are increasingly in demand from a wider audience. With this in mind, BADS turned to 101 for help in identifying and harnessing further digital opportunities to broaden their reach and increase membership.
Solutions & Benefits
- Creating A Digital Hub
BADS tasked 101 with developing a website that serves as an engaging digital hub for members, stakeholders and anyone with an interest in the field of day surgery. The result is an attractive, user-friendly platform that brings together news, conference and event information, publications and member-specific content. The considerable amount of information available on the site has been carefully organised and clearly signposted, making it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.
“I’m delighted with the website. 101 delivered exactly what we needed: a smart, well-organised and content-rich digital hub that supports our aim of fostering engagement and promoting excellence in day surgery,” David commented.
- Improving Access To Resources & Adding Value
i) A Digital Library For Publications
In response to BADS' desire to make their publications more accessible, 101 digitised them and created a dedicated Publications library on the website. Resources that were previously limited to print, such as the BADS Handbooks, BADS Directory of Procedures, and the National Dataset, are now available for free to members and for digital purchase by non-members. This digital transition provides healthcare professionals with instant access to essential reference materials. It has also led to substantial savings on print and postage costs, significantly reduced the Association's administrative workload and introduced an eco-friendly alternative to printed documents. Publications containing statistical data are now more easily updated and BADS has enhanced their membership by offering complimentary access to these valuable resources.
“We’re always looking for ways to add value to the services we offer to support members and to encourage more health professionals to join us. The website enhancements have enabled us to make more free content available to members. Membership is flourishing and the immediate access to valuable resources through our website has undoubtedly contributed to this success,” David continued.
ii) BADS Annual Conference App & CPD Certificate Generator
101 provides BADS’ Annual Conference App, a comprehensive event support platform. This app, created by 101’s experts, enhances the conference experience with features such as detailed programmes, abstracts, speaker bios, exhibitor profiles and a post-event feedback survey.
An important feature of the app is the built-in CPD Certificate Generator, which enables attendees to create their own CPD certificate immediately after the conference. This streamlined process offers a significant improvement over the previous time-consuming method, where the BADS admin team manually produced certificates for each participant. Now, access to the certificate generator is unlocked once delegates complete the app’s event feedback form. Conference attendees input their details and a digital CPD certificate is instantly generated. This new approach reduces administrative time and expenses, while also minimising the issue of misspellings on certificates. In addition, delegates can conveniently regenerate misplaced certificates eliminating the need to contact BADS each time.
David added: "The conference app works smoothly. It’s an excellent example of how, with 101’s assistance, we use technology to improve efficiency and offer better support to members. The built-in CPD generator is very helpful for delegates and saves us considerable time. Thanks to the app, certificate administration is now fully automated and neatly concluded at the event.”
You can find out more about 101's app-building expertise in our Conference App Blog.
iii) Efficient Communications
BADS has been using 101's Smart Messenger Email Marketing platform for several years to communicate efficiently with members. Regular emails keep members informed about events and BADS recently introduced a new monthly newsletter to encourage more engagement.
"The Smart Messenger email platform is a direct and effective way for us to connect with our members. With help from the 101 team, we've started a new magazine-style email newsletter that looks great and provides more opportunities for members to engage,” explained David.
iv) Automating Membership Management
Smart Messenger also simplifies and automates BADS' membership processes. Membership and renewal administration is handled through the BADS website driven by a seamless Smart Messenger integration which manages the whole process from sign-ups to renewal reminders. This coordinated approach significantly streamlines membership administration and ensures a straightforward and efficient renewal procedure.
Read our Email Marketing Case Study to discover how enhanced member services and efficient communications enabled by Smart Messenger are helping BADS to achieve their goals.
- Extending Influence and Engagement Through Social Media
Recognising the importance of engaging a broader audience, BADS employed 101's social media expertise to establish an active presence on LinkedIn and Twitter. 101's strategic approach to social media management has allowed BADS to regularly share updates, thought-provoking content, and relevant news. This active online engagement has amplified BADS' voice and expanded their reach, helping the Association promote excellence in day surgery to a wider audience.
Looking back over ten years, 101 has played an important role in driving BADS’ digital progress and supporting the Association’s objectives. With this solid foundation, both partners are enthusiastic about future opportunities, using technology to further advance day surgery practices and encourage collaboration.
What Our Client Said
"The 101 team is always ready to assist and they excel in generating ideas to support us in ways we hadn’t previously considered. It's a partnership where we identify the challenges, and 101 provides effective solutions!"
David Bunting, President of the British Association Of Day Surgery
Visit BADS to explore their website and discover their passion for promoting excellence and enhancing education in the delivery of day surgery in the UK.
