Pushing government communications through the clutter
What makes it challenging to effectively reach and serve constituents? Let’s start with the inundation of messages.
Constituents are bombarded with information each day from a variety of sources. Whether it’s the school PTO seeking volunteers or a local retailer announcing a sale, the amount of email and SMS messages people receive can be overwhelming. Users often miss important, deadline-driven information from government agencies, resulting in a staggering $140 billion in unclaimed benefits each year.
Additionally, the user undertakes the burdens of navigating the process, understanding the program, and learning how to pull together the necessary documents. It takes more than communication to improve experiences, and no number of well-intentioned messages will result in an improved CX on their own. Making the process easy to follow, direct, and customized with a user’s preferences can make all the difference.
Using data and empathy to enhance communication
Effectively reaching people and driving them to action requires a deep understanding of the audience’s needs and behaviors. Having a better understanding of constituents’ needs can lead to more effective communication and help government agencies reach users with the appropriate messages at the right time.
Simply collecting data is not enough; its true value lies in the insights it provides when used to gain a deeper understanding of the audience. Communication channels should be used not just to get information out, but to get information in. Putting incoming data into context where it is used to understand people and change the way agencies interact with users is key. Data becomes useful and meaningful when it helps create experiences and guide constituents through the process.
Applying technology to gather advanced insights about who users are and how they engage with specific campaigns and messages year after year takes time but provides valuable measurable results. This data can help agencies understand how changing messages or performing A/B testing can help drive conversion or further action.
Data-driven insights and empathy together should form the foundation for effective communication strategies. Data is cold and unfeeling; bringing empathy to the analysis ensures you’re using the data to surface valuable insights that speak to and improve the experience.
Agencies must consider the “four Rs” to enhance the communication cycle and improve experiences:
- Respect users by understanding who they are and what information they want.
- Remember their preferences.
- Respond to users to make them feel heard.
- Remind them of the next steps in the process.
Government agencies must adopt a digital-first approach that prioritizes the needs and preferences of their audience. For example, using an overlay, the National Center for PTSD segmented its audience into categories including: Veteran, family member, and provider. Information is then tailored based on the audience, and includes different customized subjects, headlines, imagery, and calls to action. This thoughtful communication approach led to a 480% increase in pledges of support from individuals and businesses to raise awareness of PTSD.
By analyzing data, agencies can tailor their communications to address specific needs and guide constituents through complex processes. This shift is not just about employing technology but about a fundamental change in approach to understanding the user’s needs and improving the government customer experience.
A structured framework for effective communication
The Granicus Experience Group’s four stages approach ensures communication is not just a one-time general effort but a continuous process of personalized engagement and support. The GXG approach outlines the goal and context of every touchpoint with the user:
- Goals: Determine what success looks like.
- Audience: Identify key segments, including needs, motivators, and barriers.
- Journey: Map the steps audiences take across multiple channels.
- Content: Access and create content needed at various touch points.
Granicus employs a structured approach to communications focusing on goals, audience understanding, and delivering the right content at the right time. We apply the four stages framework during each of the four stages of communication:
- Awareness and Opt-In: Capturing data to personalize experiences and be responsive to individual needs.
- Trust and Consideration: Creating user-centered segmentation based on preferences, needs, interests, and behavior.
- Decision and Action: Aligning multitouch campaigns to customer journeys to drive action.
- Management and Engagement: Leveraging data across the enterprise for continuous customer understanding and engagement.
Effective communication drives positive outcomes
This comprehensive approach to communication can significantly drive improvements in public service outcomes. When the District of Columbia’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services was experiencing a record number of calls to their emergency line — many of which were non-emergencies — the District worked with other agencies to redirect non-life-threatening situations.
By understanding the audience and providing targeted communication, D.C. successfully changed behavior, resulting in a 10% reduction in non-emergency calls to 911, thereby freeing up resources for actual emergencies.
Structured communication also helped King County, Washington, realize a positive outcome as it sought to increase transparency in its mail-in balloting processes. By mapping out and sending tailored communications, King County built trust in the remote voting system, ensuring citizens felt informed and confident in the process. As a result, the county saw a 67% greater cure rate among voters who opted in for alerts and a 91% greater turnout among opt-in voters in a special election.
Personalized engagement fosters transparency and a better CX
Effective communication is about building trust and transparency, not just delivering information. Government agencies can improve their services and public perception by engaging constituents early and often, understanding their journey, and providing timely, relevant information. This approach fosters a sense of responsiveness and reliability, which is essential for a functional and responsive government.
Transforming government communications is vital for ensuring constituents can access the services and benefits they need. By leveraging data and employing a structured, empathetic, and data-driven approach, government agencies can enhance their communication strategies, build trust, and drive better outcomes for their constituents.
Ready to transform your agency’s digital outreach strategy? Connect with us today to discover how Granicus can help you achieve your goals.
