Feature Spotlight: CRM Communications Tools
One of the most critical components of a citizen relationship management (CRM) solution is its communication abilities. At its core, CRM solutions are all about facilitating the relationship between local government agencies and their citizens – and any good relationship building starts with good communication.
By responding to citizens in a quick, consistent manner, local government agencies can improve their customer service, better meet citizen expectations and ultimately build a higher level of public trust in their agency. Here’s a look at some of the communications features available in Comcate’s CRM/311 solution!
The Benefits of CRM Communications Tools
The citizen journey begins in the customer portal. We believe that asking citizens to download an app in order to submit a request or complaint throws up one more barrier to citizen participation, so unlike other CRM/311 solutions, our customer portals are available via web browser for an app-like mobile experience.
Often, the citizen journey ends here, as many municipalities lack the ability to effectively follow-up with citizens or keep them in the loop on the status of their request. With a 311/CRM solution like Comcate, however, communicating with the citizen every step of the process is easy thanks to built-in messaging tools.
Messaging Center: Keeping track of individual messages within a traditional inbox can be overwhelming. That’s why we organize messaging in our CRM within individual cases/submissions. Just click on the Messages tab within the case overview dashboard to review the existing communication history on this case, or send a new message. No more remembering citizen names or key terms and plugging them into your email’s search bar!
SMS Texting: Local government CRM is all about meeting citizens where they are – and for many citizens, that’s on their phone. Did you know that 90% of smartphone users will open a text message within 90 seconds of receiving it? In comparison, email messages typically have just a 20% open rate. Our experience with our clients has been that citizens engage more with follow-up on their submissions if contacted via text, which is why we offer all clients the option to turn on SMS texting.
Citizen Communication Preferences: We all have preferred methods of communication – which means we all have an optimal way for someone to get a hold of us in a way that ensures we respond. With Comcate’s CRM, citizens have the option to select whether they prefer to receive updates via email, text message or both.
Message Templates: With pre-uploaded templates, staff can increase efficiency and minimize errors while standardizing responses for a more consistent customer experience across the board. Create multiple templates for different situations, and our staff will take care of setting up the workflow necessary to send out the proper template based on category or trigger.
Citizen Surveys: Once their submission has been closed, municipalities have the option to send citizens a customer satisfaction survey, thanks to an integration with Survey Monkey. With the survey, municipalities can measure how well they are performing in the eyes of their citizens and identify any areas that need further improvement.
Interested in improving your agency’s ability to communicate with your constituents? Contact us today to learn more about the communication capabilities of our citizen relationship management software!
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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