How local authorities can unlock meaningful community engagement

Local authorities and councils have a core responsibility (and in many cases a statutory duty) to respond to citizens and the wider community on a daily basis, across a variety of subject matters. Whether its responding to a specific enquiry or engaging residents in the latest council-wide initiative, the importance of using the most efficient and effective communication medium is crucial.

But what solution and approach should local government adopt to target a wide range of demographics and diverse opinions amid the arrival of a new government aiming to deliver on its wider plans for the public sector? In a digital first (but hybrid) era, councils are under increasing pressure to enhance  engagement with residents, businesses and visitors  at pace, in a more personalised and relevant manner.

Strategic engagement is transformational for local authorities

Local authorities and councils would benefit from a holistic point of view when it comes to engaging with citizens. It’s not just about replying to queries and responses, it’s about going on a journey with them to achieve better outcomes. Providing an end-to-end engagement service for the general public is key to successful communications, whether it’s digital or face-to-face.

While digital communication and engagement solutions offer a number of advantages such as the ability to ask questions and raise concerns 24/7 from any device or computer, it should not be seen as a tick box exercise. The strategy behind this needs to be thought through. It’s vital for local authorities to apply the key principles of service design and user experience for citizens when designing any given service. What does the customer journey look like? How can we make this more engaging and have all the necessary resources nearby to help them and make their lives easier? Sending out an online survey for feedback alone is not enough. In fact, it’s quite transactional and provides no dialogue for a resolution or outcome to be met with the end user. Going beyond the survey and using multiple engagement tools as well as face to face workshops around a topic will improve the experience, drive awareness and enhance the engagement experience. As a consequence, the data produced off the back of it will also be more effective and insightful.

Is a hybrid approach to engagement key?

There’s no doubt that there are varying levels of digital maturity within the general public when it comes to engaging with online and digital services. It’s about recognising that there are people who can’t engage digitally for a variety of reasons, such as financially or due to lack of digital literacy. But the reality is most people can and are wanting to embrace the digital world and digital first is fundamental to capturing diverse public opinion. So by its very nature, effective online engagement promotes inclusive and diverse opinions, by reaching more people at the right time, in the right way.

However, simultaneously it will always be about understanding that while digital will work for most, the necessity to offer face-to-face communication for those unable to digitally connect also holds importance. That’s why hybrid engagement is an approach that councils and local authorities are already implementing, but it’s about getting the balance right.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the need for local authorities to move from traditional face to face and often paper-based community engagement to online communications at pace. Now on reflection it is clear that there is still a way to go to truly embrace the digital capability that online engagement brings – especially two-way dialogue and rich data insights.

In addition, and perhaps most importantly communications and engagement ‘as a service’ needs redesigning for the digital age. Many ways of working remain unchanged, processes lifted and shifted, with the administrative burden of engagement left untouched. Incorporating human-centred design into the way community engagement and public consultation operates is not happening. Service design and customer experience still remain alien concepts to many professionals in this field.

Yet how else can we completely transform the experience and impact of engagement, rather than just moving one aspect to an online domain, without introducing these concepts? This links back to redesigning the service that best identifies the needs of citizens. Despite the uptake in online engagement from local government, the wider transformation piece is still yet to be seen from a strategic sense. As a result, some councils have taken a step back and overbalanced the hybrid communications scale on what they offer, with a return to face-to-face meetings.

While they have their place, this approach should be minimised and chosen on a case-by-case basis, because, does the general population really want to engage this way? The truth is, the average person is busy, time poor and for a variety of reasons the practicalities of visiting in-person can pose more challenges. The argument is not, are we doing too much online engagement but how do we do it better and leave no one behind.

Building trust through communication

The end goal of utilising digital engagement for local authorities and councils is about building trust. Providing reassurance that their input and suggested improvements to a public service are valued, will go a long way to enhancing the relationship. It’s essential to use an effective digital engagement solution to provide a safe platform for these discussions to happen, away from the electronic graffiti of social media. Taking the citizen on a journey with you is essential for building productive connections for the long term.

Against the backdrop of a new government coming into power and taking on the challenges of its predecessors, as well as balancing the finances post-pandemic, building trust is more important than ever. Changing and influencing the public perception of technology and digital solutions will become ever more important in the months ahead. Bringing the citizen on a journey and showing how they can become part of the solution, rather than the problem, is a fundamental part of effective engagement at scale.