SITUATION
Balancing privacy while improving user experience
The City of Seattle has strict privacy policies and is committed to providing transparency in its data collection policies. To keep user privacy top of mind while creating a positive user experience (UX), the city recognized the importance of using a digital platform rather than email marketing tools and Outlook to deliver its communications strategy.
“Some departments were using Mailchimp and Constant Contact, but the problem is those are marketing tools that aren’t government-focused, and you don’t know how the data is being used,” said Seattle’s Digital Engagement Senior Manager Michal Perlstein. “govDelivery is made to be used by government agencies and it fits our privacy policy.”
"[govDelivery] centralizes data in one tool and provides a consistent experience. It’s an important tool for sharing what’s new and gives users the sense that the messages are legitimate and official."
Michal Perlstein
Digital Engagement Senior Manager, City of Seattle, Washington
SOLUTION
Digital tools help create consistent communications
The city understood that to create a strong government experience, users would need to make the choice to opt in to communications, and messages coming from every department should have a consistent look and feel. Creating trust and transparency in its communication is a priority for the city, and using govDelivery across all departments helps the organization achieve this goal. The platform centralizes data in one tool, giving users the sense that messages are legitimate and official.
As part of its digital strategy, the city’s digital services team created a set of communications templates within govDelivery and requires employees to complete a training program before using the tool. The training curriculum — which includes a user guide and hands-on practice exercises — ensures that people understand the policies behind the templates and design strategies.
“govDelivery gives city departments a platform for distributing newsletters and press releases. They are the subject matter experts, but they are not required to do a lot of extra design work,” said Perlstein.
RESULTS
Efficiency improves digital accessibility
The training curriculum and adherence to data privacy policies are clearly paying off for the city.
Moving from email marketing tools and Outlook to the centralized govDelivery platform has given the city access to robust delivery and open rate analytics, allowing for greater list segmentation and targeting. Nearly 450,000 subscribers — which represent about 60% of Seattle’s population — are actively engaged in the city’s communications efforts. Additionally, the city has experienced a 137% increase in subscriber growth in the last five years. More than 200 content creators have been trained to work in the city’s govDelivery platform, improving digital accessibility for subscribers.
Furthermore, the capability to segment lists in govDelivery has proven critical for the city in improving access to information for as many people as possible. The govDelivery platform is pivotal in helping the city reach non-English speaking residents participating in the Seattle Fresh Bucks program, which provides food vouchers to those who qualify. Messages to customers are professionally translated into 10 different languages and then distributed through govDelivery according to language preferences.
“We are responsible for educating our staff on taking a human-centered and inclusive approach to everything they are doing in digital communications.”
Michal Perlstein
Digital Engagement Senior Manager, City of Seattle, Washington
