Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for meeting strategy and commitments on London’s transport. The organisation manages the day-to-day operations of the city’s public transport network and main roads by using technology and data to make journeys easier for people. TfL has been using EngagementHQ by Granicus, a dedicated digital public participation platform, to best engage with all of London’s diverse communities.
Prior to implementing EngagementHQ about two years ago, TfL was using a different platform and wanted to develop how they engaged with Londoners. As they began to consider new opportunities to reach people following the COVID-19 pandemic, TfL realised there had been a shift in people’s perceptions about working and engaging online. Fraser MacDonald, the Strategic Consultation Lead at TfL, states, “We’re passionate about working in inventive and new, productive ways. We wanted a platform that would support the entire engagement life cycle and would work with colleagues across the business.”
Since implementing EngagementHQ, the TfL has:
With so many initiatives underway to improve the tube, rails, trams, roads, and buses, the customer experience can be forgotten. TfL’s tagline “Every journey matters” emphasises that getting people from point A to point B safely and efficiently is at the heart of everything the organisation does. To make these journeys as seamless as possible, the organisation looks at the overall experience as well as key performance indicators. “We want to make sure the experience is robust,” states MacDonald. “I’m passionate about improving the customer journey and using the customer base to connect regularly.”
TfL’s goal is that each of the 130 consultations it has launched in the last two years has helped benefit the customer experience and ensured public feedback is understood in its decision-making process. The organisation keeps inclusivity and accessibility at its core and wanted to digitally connect with all communities. The clarity and quality of the feedback the organisation has received has been instrumental in supporting its inclusion and accessibility work.
EngagementHQ has helped TfL effectively connect with people from across London. Specifically, EngagementHQ is helping the organisation build new connections with disabled Londoners, older demographic groups, and seldom heard groups, by helping them implement British Sign Language (BSL) videos, creating easy-to-read surveys, and translating information into other languages.
There are many factors to consider when adopting an online consultation process. MacDonald offers four key points for organisations to be mindful of as they start their journey:
Click here to check out the podcast, featuring Fraser MacDonald of Transport for London (TfL), alongside Granicus hosts Karen Steel, Customer Success Manager, and myself Jonathan Bradley, Head of Business and Practice at Granicus Experience Group (GXG).
