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Council Websites 2012 ~ What’s in store

by Peter Jones on January 4, 2012

 

As we move into 2012, I think it’s safe to say that although Councils are facing budget constraints and cut backs their on-line presence will always be at the top of the agenda as a cost effective way to communicate information to the public. So what’s in store for Council websites in 2012?

From speaking to a number of different Councils, improving their website(s) design and usability is key, this also includes removing complex and misleading  jargon from their website, whilst reducing the number of pages and content within the pages to improve information access.

User centric design has also taken front of stage in the approach to re-designing a potentially complex and cluttered Council website home page. In order for the site to be successful, users must visit the site and find information or accomplish tasks no matter what objectives or task they are looking to accomplish.In our experience we have found that usability testing usually uncovers the basic issues within the site fairly quickly into the user sessions. This can include both navigation and signposting of information as well as certain terms that are people still use when looking for information. A recent example was during a session an elderly gentlemen was searching for “community charge ” rather than ” council tax ” Another example being when a user highlighted that a phrase, “coping with retirement” could well be changed to deliver a more optimistic outlook !

What are the main areas to consider when testing the website

Efficiency: Once users have arrived on the website how quickly can they perform tasks

Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design

Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they re-establish proficiency

Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors

Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design

If you would like more information about real life examples, then please see the contact us page

 

 

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Channel Strategy for Councils?

by Peter Jones on November 22, 2011

What are the key factors to develop an effective channel strategy?

 

Detail – the deliberate design of the channel strategy for each type of service, bearing in mind the level of human interaction required and the needs of the targeted customer base

Flexibility – the constant reviewing of the effectiveness of the channel strategy for each type of contact bearing in mind changing technologies and changing customer habits

Simplicity – the optimum channels for the organisation should be the easiest to use for the customer to drive a shift in customer behaviour

Inclusion – no group should be denied access to a service because of disability, language or cost of the access channel (e.g. mobile phone costs, broadband access). Options should be made available other than the organisation’s preferred method of contact.

Cost effectiveness – particularly in the current economic climate, finding ways in which to deliver services effectively but at lower cost will be increasingly important.

If you would like to learn more about how we help Councils develop their on-line channel strategy please get in-touch Contact

 

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Councils responding to positive news

October 24, 2011 News

When it comes to using email as a means of communicating services to the public many Councils are still not convinced about it’s relevance. However a reecent survey carried out by the DMA look pretty positive overall, with consumer approval ratings of email marketing having risen dramatically over the last 12 months. For example, the [...]

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Could Councils use behavioral tracking?

August 19, 2011 News

Could Councils use behavioural tracking to understand what individuals are looking for? How could you Council improve their communication channels to serve up relevant and timely information? Digital marketing of products and services at a B2C level is common place.However, could G2C work in the same way? The best example of implementation of behavioural tracking of [...]

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Council Intranets – Let us help you develop a business case?

July 13, 2011 Government websites

The most difficult part about trying to justify the existence of an intranet is that you’re trying to get management to invest hard cash for mostly soft returns. These soft returns come in the form of improved employee productivity and self-sufficiency, higher staff morale, a higher level of inter-departmental collaboration and communication. However this does [...]

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Councils – your contacts,your customers,your reputation

June 1, 2011 News

Emails and E-newsletters are now accepted by many people as the most cost effective and efficient way of receiving information. Marketing & communication departments within Councils are now looking to email marketing software as a solution to provide accurate and timely information to the public. Why would Councils use email marketing? 1. Maintain Council brand [...]

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Could the Public Sector use Social CRM?

May 9, 2011 Government websites

When we talk to some Councils about Social Media they invariably think that having a Facebook or Twitter account is the answer to this form of communication. However, many Councils now realise that social networks and communities will influence customer perceptions and relationships. The future for Council websites sites is being able to recognise social [...]

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Government Website “Red Tape” Challenge

April 7, 2011 Government websites

What is Red Tape Challenge about? “It’s about harnessing the experience and ideas of those who deal with regulation day-in, day-out to help us cut red tape.” say the Government The website will gather the publics thoughts on which regulations can be scrapped so Ministers and government officials will then use this information to help them [...]

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Crowd-sourcing for Councils

March 22, 2011 Interact

Interact Intranet, version 4.8, continues to lead the field in intelligent intranet software – now with intelligent crowd-sourcing and peer-to-peer recognition features. What is Crowd Sourcing? Interact Answers is an innovative and unique crowd-sourcing feature which drives productivity and improves the collective knowledge of your organisation by allowing Council staff to post questions on the [...]

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It’s “Good to Talk” – say Councils

February 22, 2011 News

Having met with a number of Council recently there is a clear message that staying informed and having good internal collaboration tools is of paramount importance. What is also key is the need to have accurate information delivered to the desktop as it happens, which supports sharing and internal collaboration across the organisation. We’re also [...]

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