Good communication is essential to securing and maintaining resident trust and engagement. In today’s increasingly digital society where attentions are short and divided, communicating with residents is both easier and more difficult: more channels and opportunities than ever, but with more distractions, resident attention is harder to secure – making it easy for information to slip past.

Good communication is one part strategy and one part execution – but if you don’t have proper tools in place, your strategy can be undermined in its execution. For government communicators tasked with managing resident engagement, CRM/311 solutions can be an indispensable tool. These solutions have the power to break down communication barriers between residents and agencies, streamline management of internal requests, facilitate feedback collection, and make the jobs of government communicators a little bit easier.

Here’s a look at how CRM/311 software can benefit public information officers and similar professionals to boost local government communication strategies.

1. Enhanced Feedback Collection

Collecting feedback from residents is essential. Real-time insights help agencies to identify and address issues before they escalate, and shape policies and programs that genuinely reflect public opinion.

Rather than scouring social media comments or manually taking phone calls and compiling email messages, CRM software provides agencies with a public portal to easily direct residents to submit their feedback. Comcate’s CRM/311 also features customer satisfaction survey tools that allow agencies to collect feedback from residents who have already interacted with them to evaluate their customer service and find areas of improvement.

2. Streamlined Workflow for Internal Collaboration

The work of government communicators often involves a high level of collaboration among multiple team members and departments. CRM software streamlines workflows by enabling task management and progress tracking within the system. Comms professionals can assign tasks related to communication initiatives or open records requests, share notes, and keep everyone on the same page. This collaborative environment enhances productivity and ensures that communication efforts are cohesive and well-coordinated.

3. Improved Resident Customer Service

Managing resident-submitted issues is an essential service for local government agencies, and engaging with those residents to ensure a positive experience can often fall to communications positions. CRM software facilitates this by providing streamlined workflows for collecting resident issues, assigning requests to the appropriate staff member, and automatically updating the resident every step of the way, ensuring timely responses and outstanding service. This proactive approach to public engagement helps build trust and demonstrates a commitment to addressing community needs.

4. Centralized Contact and Message Management

One of the primary advantages of CRM software is its ability to centralize and organize contact information. For government communicators, this means having a comprehensive database of residents, internal stakeholders, and other relevant parties at their fingertips in an accessible way that protects against institutional loss in the event of an agency reorganization or employee departure.

5. Data-Driven Insights and Reporting

Data analysis is a powerful tool for refining strategies. CRM software aggregates resident request and maintenance data into one-click reporting to provide insights and analytics local officials need to understand trends in everything from resident engagement to maintenance issues around the community.

Comcate: CRM/311 Software for Government Communicators

Having the right tools can make all the difference in effectively engaging and communicating with residents. Comcate’s CRM/311 software for local government agencies can boost resident engagement and customer service through:

• Public-facing portal for feedback collection and issue reporting

• Built-in messaging center with email/text capabilities

• Customer satisfaction surveys to measure resident experiences

• Customizable automated messaging

• Customizable automated workflows to streamline work orders

As a company founded by local government leaders, Comcate believes in better government for all – and that software has the ability to take us there. That’s why we developed affordable, flexible CRM software for municipalities of all sizes. If you would be interested in learning more about our capabilities, fill out the form below and a representative will be in touch!

Schedule a Meeting with Comcate Today!

Learn how Comcate can help make government delivery simple, and offer a modern digital experience to help you increase transparency, efficiency, and performance across your departments. If you have any questions about implementing our software, please fill out the form below or call us directly at (415) 632-1248.

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