Flexible and Forward Thinking
How Handelsblatt Fortified Their Editorial Workflows With Livingdocs Paving the Way for the Future
When Düsseldorf-based news giant Handelsblatt realised they needed a new content management system to meet the evolving needs of their editorial staff, they looked to Livingdocs. With over 8 million readers across print, online and mobile channels per month – and the title of being the most widely read newspaper in the financial sector – their former CMS was too outdated and cumbersome to accommodate the speed of delivery and volume of content required to serve such a large audience. They needed a modern, flexible, intuitive system that could be easily integrated and connected to other systems in their ecosystem. And that’s why they chose Livingdocs. But don’t take our word for it. Get the story direct from the customer below, in Handelsblatt’s words...
Goals
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Introduce a new, flexible, modern content management system
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Significantly increase job satisfaction in the newsroom while increasing efficiency
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Seek to reduce system complexity
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Take advantage of new technologies to support newsroom workflows
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Go from on-prem to cloud
Results
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Adoption of a new CMS that meets the evolving needs of a major modern newsroom
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Editors work enthusiastically and more efficiently thanks to intuitive, user-friendly system
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A streamlined, dynamic system regularly updated in order to stay lean and reduce complexity
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System with open architecture allowing for continued innovation
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A CMS that is cloud-hosted by Azure
After more than a decade of using our previous content management system (CMS), the time had come for a change. The requirements for a CMS serving a modern newsroom had evolved significantly in recent years and our old system could no longer meet the current demands of our editorial team. The rigid link between the CMS and the frontend restricted our flexibility considerably. At the same time, dissatisfaction was growing in the editorial offices, as the system was cumbersome and the interface was outdated. Moreover, operation in the on-premise environment was complex and costly. These factors made us realise: A new system was needed.
A new system for a new way forward
After a joint evaluation phase involving colleagues from development, product and both editorial teams, Livingdocs was chosen. The project started in November 2022, and we went first live with the article editor in the editorial department in November 2023. It was particularly important to us that the new system offered an intuitive user experience that would enable the entire newsroom to work more efficiently and in a more user-friendly way. Thanks to its headless approach and the flexibility to easily connect to existing systems such as Kordiam and HuGo, Livingdocs was the CMS choice for Handelsblatt. Moreover, Livingdocs’ focus on the actual needs of newsrooms – from workflows to user-friendliness – is a perfect fit for our needs. In addition, Livingdocs is intuitive to use and is already being used successfully in other major newsrooms; Livingdocs’ user-friendly UX and successful track record helped confirm our decision. Another important point was that the new CMS significantly reduces the maintenance effort compared to the previous system. Livingdocs has also fulfilled our expectations here. Looking ahead, Livingdocs is based on a modern technology stack that paves the way for the future, and is also cloud-ready.
What makes Livingdocs the clear choice?
For a long time, the Handelsblatt editorial team was very worried about introducing a new CMS. ‹Too complex›, ‹too time-consuming›, ‹too little customised to our individual processes›, to name but a few concerns. The editorial team was therefore delighted with how quickly we were able to introduce the Livingdocs Editor thanks to highly professional interdisciplinary collaboration. The design is intuitive and can also be used by our reporters on the move to make quick changes. Our digital-first approach at Handelsblatt has taken a big leap forward thanks to the introduction of Livingdocs.
Charlotte Haunhorst, Head of Digital, Handelsblatt Editorial Team
Since the introduction of Livingdocs, working in the editorial department has changed noticeably. There is a real enthusiasm for the new system, which significantly increases job satisfaction for the roughly 275 Handelsblatt editors who are working with Livingdocs. The processes and workflows have become simpler and more transparent thanks to the integration of Kordiam and Livingdocs. We are experiencing a new dynamic in the team: challenges are being tackled and solved.
We would say Livingdocs’ particular strength is its strong focus on editorial processes. The modern and user-friendly UX makes our daily work easier, and the integration of interfaces such as Kordiam ensures that existing workflows are not only seamlessly continued, but also significantly optimised. The connection between Kordiam and Livingdocs has significantly improved the transparency and efficiency of our workflows. This integration enables us to control editorial processes centrally and to plan and implement content more easily and quickly. In addition, The training process for our editorial teams was extremely smooth; after just a few hours of training, the editors were able to work productively with the system.
The collaboration with the Livingdocs team is based on an extremely close, direct partnership. From day one, we were supported by a clearly structured onboarding process, and the team was also on hand at all times during the evaluation phase. The regular dialogue, which has continued after the initial implementation, is particularly valuable. Our suggestions and proposals for improvement are not only listened to, but often also find their way into new releases. This close co-operation has contributed significantly to the success of the project.
During the transition phase, we are still using our previous CMS in parallel. As soon as all content types and functions are fully mapped in Livingdocs, we will make the complete switch.
In the meantime, acceptance of the new system is high throughout the entire editorial team; our IT department has also been convinced by the new Livingdocs solution. Together with internal and external development teams, we were able to organise the transition smoothly. Our experience with Livingdocs so far has already led to new ideas for features and workflows, which we are developing further in close collaboration.
The rollout of Livingdocs will take place in several phases. Livingdocs was well equipped to accommodate our transition approach thanks to their experience in supporting a variety of different system replacement strategies. We have already successfully introduced Livingdocs for article creation in the Handelsblatt editorial department. We are currently working on converting the page management, and in the next phase WirtschaftsWoche will also be converted to the new system.
We really appreciate the flexible architecture of Livingdocs. It also allows us to quickly integrate the ‹next ChatGPT› and benefit from it.
Jens Küsters, Director Technology & Development
The road ahead
With the introduction of Livingdocs, we have also paved the way for further technological innovations. The integration of Kordiam into the CMS has considerably simplified the planning and implementation of editorial processes. An interface to the print system is also planned for the future in order to further optimise print production and reduce manual processes.
A look into the future shows us that Livingdocs not only fulfils our current requirements, but also offers numerous potentials for future developments. This project has impressively demonstrated how important it is to rely on a flexible and future-orientated CMS solution in order to survive in the dynamic world of journalism.
