Government offices aren’t known for being first-adopters of cutting-edge technology. However, as technologically savvy citizens look for more ways to engage with their city officials, it’s become a necessity for local and state offices to adopt and implement tools that will help them to keep track of conversations and incoming requests. Luckily, there is a solution to help build better relationships with constituents. Public-facing government offices are finding value in using customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to help manage citizen interactions and manage incoming projects.
Doing more with less
In an age of stripped-down budgets, government officials and employees are looking for the most cost effective solutions. Thankfully, there are CRM options available that have all the functionality and capabilities of a fancy, enterprise CRM but without the high price tag. And for those agencies that might not need all the bells and whistles of an enterprise-grade CRM, there are solutions that offer a plug-and-play experience so companies can find out which tools work best for them.
Making real connections
Employees of government offices need to be able to keep track of contact information and reference relationship details. It’s critical they have access to historical knowledge of interactions between government officials and citizens, and a CRM database is an easy way to save this information. Being able to reference this historical knowledge is what builds relationships between local offices and their citizens. It gives users a clear picture of problems or issues citizens may have called about in the past and cuts down on callers having to re-explain a problem or issue every time they speak to the office.
A real-world example
Chief of Staff Scott Esty immediately recognized the need to implement a system that would keep track of constituent conversations, concerns or proposed legislation (Tweet this!). More than 18,230 people and 5,200 organizations have contacted the New York State Assembly office since assemblyman Christopher Friend was elected in 2010, and the team needed a simple way to keep track conversations with these contacts and groups.
Since tracking all of its work with constituents, organizations and lobbyists, the office is much more effective in how it assists each of those groups and assesses legislation before the assembly. Every team member can quickly pull up the contact’s record when answering phone calls, which allows them to address their constituent’s needs effectively. Correspondences related to legislative issues are tracked according to bill number, so when it comes to a vote or debate in a committee meeting, Assemblyman Friend can quickly present constituents’ positions on each bill. Whether it’s getting tax refunds, sorting out DMV issues or getting new legislation passed, the New York State Assembly office can manage all of the conversations and subsequent progress with constituents, which helps them to solve the problems of the people in their district.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
