Effective Communication Solutions for Local Authorities

During these unprecedented times, budgets are tightening, and many services may be affected. Local authorities require new ways to reduce costs while maintaining a high standard of service. With more and more people utilizing online services, there is also a pressure to migrate to new technologies and adopt a more digital approach to communication. Mobile messaging offers ideal communication solutions for local authorities, as it is one of the most cost-effective means of communicating with people on a large scale. Since around 95% of UK households have a mobile phone, it is also one of the quickest and most reliable ways to ensure that your message is received.

There are a number of ways in which mobile messaging can be implemented by local authorities to enhance communication with residents and improve overall satisfaction.

Deliver appointment reminders via mobile messaging

Missed appointments can be a major issue for local authorities. However, with appointment reminders, you can easily notify members of the public of any upcoming appointments. With SMS reminders, receivers even have the option to confirm, cancel, reschedule, or speak to a member of staff via the message.

With Rich Media Messaging (RMM), local residents can even be given the option of using the “save the date” feature, which automatically adds the appointment date to the calendar on their phone. This can help to greatly reduce the number of missed appointments.

Sending reminders via Interactive Voice Messaging (IVM) is another great option to allow customers to self-serve and confirm or reschedule their appointments. Validation and identification checks can be performed before any interactions with booking systems, to help ensure that the right information is received. If an appointment is confirmed or altered in any way via IVM, an confirmation SMS can be sent straight to the user’s phone after the call.

Thanks to VoiceSage’s appointment reminders, one of our clients successfully enhanced customer engagement, optimized productivity and efficiency levels, and increased their first appointment access rates.

Send important notifications and emergency alerts via SMS

During emergency or crisis situations, local authorities may need to quickly communicate with a large number of local residents, and contacting each member of the public individually can be a tedious process.

However, sending mass communication via Interactive SMS is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to communicate with a large group. With SMS response rates being 209% greater than phone calls and email, it is a surefire way to engage residents.

Our SMS Campaign Builder is straightforward and simple to use, and ensures that the right message is being sent to the right person at the right time. SMS can be used by local authorities to alert residents of situations such as:

• Road closures or scheduled road works
• Traffic incidents or road accidents
• Extreme weather (e.g. flooding or ice and snow alerts)
• Disruptions to the water supply (e.g. contamination notices or burst pipes)
• Other important notifications (e.g. urgent local news, parades or festivals)

Conduct satisfaction surveys to gain important insights

Once a case is closed or an appointment has ended, automatically following up and sending a satisfaction survey is an excellent way to gain valuable feedback, which can be easily analyzed and interpreted on our detailed analytics dashboard. This timely feedback allows local authorities to monitor satisfaction levels, and promptly identify and address any issues that members of the public may have.

With Interactive SMS, you can instantly send satisfaction surveys straight to the participant’s mobile phone. This gives them the freedom to respond easily at a time that suits them.

You can even make your surveys more engaging by sending them via Rich Media Messaging (RMM). These surveys are fully personalizable and allow you to add features such as rating faces, rating sliders, checkboxes, paragraph boxes, and radio buttons.

Alternatively, Interactive Voice Messaging (IVM) allows automated surveys to be conducted via voice. Participants can conveniently provide feedback via self-serve options, and those with low scoring surveys can be given the ability to be transferred to a member of staff.

Sending satisfaction surveys not only helps improve local authorities’ level of service, but it also helps them to maintain their personal touch and connect with the public. With the help of surveys, one of our clients was successfully able to improve customer satisfaction, optimize staff time and reduce their complaint escalations.

It is crucial for local authorities to prioritise security and ensure that all the information they collect is safe. Voicesage is ISO 27001, ISO 27018, and PCI Level 1 compliant, so that all the data we handle is secure, and safeguarded to the highest standard.

Get started with communication solutions for local authorities

We would love to discuss more about how VoiceSage can help provide effective communication solutions for local authorities. To find out more about how we can help you manage appointments, send important notifications and emergency alerts, and conduct satisfaction surveys, contact the team today.