Accenture Interactive helped Pearson consolidate more than 400,000 pages of content and 15,000 domains and sites

Creating great digital experiences for students and educators:
Accenture Interactive boosts Pearson’s online service

Students and educators gain a simpler route to online resources

LONDON, 09-Aug-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Accenture (NYSE: ACN), together with Pearson, the world’s learning company, has created and launched a new digital customer experience which will simplify and improve the user experience for students, educators and job seekers looking to access Pearson’s learning materials and services.

The new website and content publishing platform will give users a single “front door” to access Pearson’s education products and services more easily and intuitively than ever. The new digital learning experience, designed, built and delivered by Accenture Interactive, will boost Pearson’s mission to improve access and outcomes in education.

Accenture Interactive helped Pearson consolidate and reduce by half more than 400,000 pages of content and 15,000 domains and sites, to help students and educators find information more easily. It also cut publishing time by 50% to ensure product and service information are available more quickly.

The new digital customer experience is part of a single global program, called OneDotCom, to transform Pearson into a digital business. The program consolidates 30 different systems using the Adobe Experience Cloud integrated with Salesforce.com and SAP Hybris technologies, all aligned to user centred design principles, to improve Pearson’s return on investment globally.

Kate James, Chief Corporate Affairs and Global Marketing Officer, Pearson commented: “We operate in a world where students and educators want to quickly access and use our products and services through digital channels. We are on a continuous mission to transform our business to meet these demands and developing OneDotCom is an important step in designing a more relevant experience for learners and educators.”

Simon Nixon, Global Product Owner, Pearson added: “OneDotCom ensures we better serve the needs of our customers and learners and keep those needs central to our vision. It has simplified our business, improving the ROI we see from marketing and informing richer conversations with customers. Accenture Interactive has been a critical partner for Pearson to achieve our vision.”

The need for transformational change is being driven in large part by the growth in on-line learning. For example, Pearson’s university customers have shown that digital course materials can support as much as 85-90% of undergraduate study¹.  Pearson has seen its digital services revenue rise to more than two-thirds of its overall business.

Bernie Segal, managing director, Accenture Interactive, added: “What’s unique about the Pearson OneDotCom program is the creation of an inspiring digital brand experience that people love to use. This new global commercial digital organisation and new digital technology platform also creates significant productivity savings. Accenture Interactive’s fusion of creativity, business consultancy and technology shows what the new breed of experience agency looks like. We’ve been a transformation partner on Pearson’s innovation journey and improved its productivity and cost base.”

To learn more, a short video is available here: https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/interactive-index?src=SOMS

About Pearson
Pearson is the world’s learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit www.pearson.com and follow us on @Pearson.

Source: ¹  Pearson 2016 annual report, Page 16 Digital services
https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/standalone/annual-report-16/01_Pearson_AR16_FULL.pdf

About Accenture Interactive
Accenture Interactive helps the world’s leading brands transform their customer experiences across the entire customer journey. Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, we create new ways to win in today’s experience-led economy. Accenture Interactive was ranked the world’s largest digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report. To learn more follow us @accentureACTIVE and visit www.accentureinteractive.com.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 411,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the company’s profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

# # #

Contact:

Duncan Burford
Accenture
+ 0208 6114826
duncan.burford@accenture.com