Strategic communication — Technology

Technology is a powerful force in today's public sector. You may be able to provide better and timelier customer service through the use of electronic tools.

Streamline communications within

As these questions illustrate, a good place to start is to ask who needs or wants information from you.

• Do your vendors still call you for bid results or can they get that information online?

• Are your field personnel equipped with handheld devices to access technical manuals, contracts, specifications, inventory lists, etc. that reside on your intranet?

• Do you know how many customers go to your website to find out when their taxes are due, what time the municipal pool closes, why their water was shut off or when their power might be back on?

Vendors can visit your website where bid results could be made available. You can also give them detail that would be quite time consuming when handled through a phone call.

Travelers and field workers could save time and give answers more quickly if they had access to resources on the intranet. Teleworkers would benefit by getting internal communications at the same time office workers do. They can use the same networking tools and database as those on site.

Both the public website and the intranet offer opportunities to deliver in-depth information 24/7.

Customer needs

Are you wondering about those customers who go to your website to find out how long a power outage will last? How can they do that if they don’t have electricity? They are finding ways…

• browsing the web on cell phones and PDAs,
• using battery-powered laptops with a dial-up Internet connection…
• finding a wireless connection at a nearby coffee shop where they wait out the outage… and,
• if all else fails, calling a friend or relative who has power and asking them to check the utility website.

If you provide utility services and don’t display outage information on your website you might want to think about doing so!

Knowing the right questions to ask is our expertise. We're here to help if you are uncertain about how to use technology to improve your communcations. We invite you to contact us with your questions.

A strategic communication approach involves more than technology. You may find the discussion on special audiences helpful, as well as those on choosing the appropriate media and planning for growth.