Municipal Purchasers

How User-Friendly Online Services Drive Citizen Satisfaction

September 12, 2023

Citizen satisfaction is not just a buzzword; it’s an essential metric for evaluating the performance of local governments. Research indicates that a staggering 72% of citizens are interested in utilizing online government services. Despite this interest, over half abandon their attempts due to difficulties in navigation and access. The implications are clear: providing user-friendly online services is not a luxury but necessary for increasing citizen satisfaction and fostering trust.

Citizen Satisfaction: The Cornerstone of an Effective Local Government

Citizen satisfaction serves as a barometer for the effectiveness of local government. A satisfied citizenry is more likely to engage with the community, trust their local government, and participate in civic responsibilities like voting. According to a study by Pew Research Center, 71% of Americans who have a favorable view of their local government are also actively engaged in their communities, compared to just 28% who have an unfavorable view.

The Challenges of Simple Online Services

While the advent of online services opens doors for more efficient and streamlined government-citizen interactions, it’s not without its challenges. One of the most significant obstacles is the complexity of user interfaces. In an environment where many citizens are already hesitant to engage with governmental systems, a convoluted or unintuitive interface can serve as a formidable barrier.

Moreover, the issue of accessibility remains a pivotal concern. This isn’t just about having access to a computer or the internet. It is also about how easy the system is for people who may not be digitally literate. Aging populations combined with a constantly changing technological environment create a level of complexity that some people cannot navigate.

The Ripple Effect of User-Friendly Online Services

The benefits of enhancing the usability of online government services extend far beyond mere convenience. They directly impact the quality of governance and citizen satisfaction. For instance, efficient problem resolution is a tangible outcome of a well-designed interface. When citizens can easily report issues or request services, it expedites the government’s ability to address these concerns and creates a positive feedback loop.

Additionally, the usability of online services directly correlates with government transparency and civic engagement. A system that enables straightforward access to information or services naturally encourages citizens to interact more with their local government. This fosters a culture of transparency, as citizens are more likely to be informed about government initiatives and spending. Therefore, investing in the usability of online services can be a strategic move that pays dividends in multiple facets of governance and citizen satisfaction.

Blueprints for Success

Leveraging a sophisticated case management system can significantly elevate the quality of citizen engagement for local governments. This sets the stage for a more streamlined and user-friendly online experience. One of the most crucial features of such a system is an easy-to-use, citizen-facing web form. Local governments can ensure that citizens can effortlessly report issues or request services by providing a straightforward and intuitive form. This streamlined approach can significantly improve problem-resolution efficiency, enabling government agencies to promptly and accurately collect all necessary information. Mobile capabilities further extend this accessibility, allowing citizens to engage with their local government whenever and wherever it’s most convenient.

Another standout feature of a robust case management system is automated communication. This functionality ensures that citizens are kept in the loop about the status of their issue or request, from initial receipt to final resolution. Such automation not only reduces the administrative burden on government staff but also enhances the transparency of the process. Furthermore, citizen outreach can be integrated into the system to periodically update the community about new initiatives, upcoming events, or important announcements. By combining these elements—accessible web forms, mobile capabilities, automated communication, and citizen outreach—local governments can create a holistic, user-friendly online experience that meets and exceeds citizens’ expectations, thereby fostering higher engagement and satisfaction levels.

AccessE11 is a solution that can tackle all these issues, while being affordable and easy to implement for your municipality. By offering automation, citizen outreach, and an easy to use citizen facing webform, AccessE11 gives local governments of any size the chance to bring easy online access to their citizens. You can do the same in your municipality.

In Conclusion

Driving citizen satisfaction is no longer just ‘nice-to-have’; it’s a necessity for the overall health of local governments. Investing in user-friendly online services can significantly elevate citizen satisfaction, engagement, and trust. As we move deeper into the digital age, the governments that prioritize these aspects will be the ones to set benchmarks in effective governance.

Transparency Made Easy: How Municipal CRM Software Improves the FOIA Request Management Process

May 23, 2023

Municipalities face a complex challenge in FOIA request management (Freedom of Information Act). To find the pertinent information, staff must carefully sift through the vast amount of documentation and data, further complicating the task. Fulfilling these requests involves not only locating the requested data but also scrutinizing it for any redactions or exclusions mandated by law. As a result, the fulfillment of such requests entails a significant investment of time and effort. This effort may divert resources from other critical responsibilities.

However, the fulfillment of FOIA requests is an essential element of government transparency. It empowers citizens to access public records and ensures accountability from their government. Thus, it is imperative for municipalities to prioritize the adoption of a solution that can streamline the FOIA request management process. Ultimately, building trust with their citizens and better serving their communities. This is precisely where a municipal CRM (Citizen Relationship Management) software comes into play, revolutionizing the processes of a municipality.

Centralized Request Management

The number one benefit of utilizing a CRM software is the ability to establish a centralized platform that manages all customer interactions, including FOIA requests. Through this platform, municipalities can consolidate all FOIA requests into one centralized system. A centralized system provides a comprehensive overview of all requests received. This efficient tracking and documentation method ensures that every request is accounted for. As a result, no citizen concern or request falls through the cracks. Outdated systems (or a lack of system entirely) significantly increase the likelihood of missing issues. The outcome of missing issues can result in legal troubles for municipalities.

Secure Document Management

Security and confidentiality are essential considerations when looking to protect the information of citizens. By utilizing a CRM platform, municipalities can ensure that they securely store and manage public records. Additionally, they can restrict access to authorized staff members only, and protect against unauthorized access or disclosure.

Choosing a system that offers trusted and secure document management tightly controls access to records and documentation of who accessed them. Staff can easily fulfill FOIA requests without being concerned whether they will violate the privacy of a citizen or accessing something they weren’t authorized to. Additionally, CRM systems track every time a record or document is updated or changed, providing an extra level of security. This ensures that specific documentation is available showing who made changes to those documents and when it happened, in case of any future concerns.

Automated Request Processing

Another key advantage of utilizing a CRM platform for FOIA requests is the automation of manual processes. The result is an efficient and streamlined FOIA request process. Upon receipt of a FOIA request, the system will automatically generate a confirmation email to the requester, confirming receipt of their request and outlining the next steps of the process. This automated response ensures timely communication with the requester. It also reduces the burden on staff to manually confirm receipt of the request, while still keeping the resident satisfied that their issue is being looked into.

The CRM software can also automatically assign the request to the appropriate staff member or department. This eliminates the need for manual assignment and reduces the risk of miscommunication or errors. To lower the risk of delayed responses or missed deadlines, the system also configures reminders and alerts. Thereby ensuring that the request is processed and fulfilled within the required time-frame.

Real Time Status Updates

One of the most frustrating aspects of a citizen request is often the lack of transparency around the status of a request once it’s been made. Offering real time updates and status look-ups give citizens the comfort in knowing that their concerns are being taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

CRM software can provide these updates to citizens automatically. Whether it be through a self serve portal, or through email and phone support, municipalities can improve transparency and accountability of FOIA requests. The result is an increase in trust and confidence in their community.

Analytics and Reporting

Finally, adopting a CRM platform for your municipality will provide you with a powerful tool that enables departments to access valuable analytics and reporting capabilities. With a CRM platform, municipalities can gain a deeper understanding of their performance over time. It also allows staff to identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to streamline their FOIA request process. For instance, they can see which types of requests are most received, which departments are responsible for fulfilling the most requests, and the average time it takes to process a request. Armed with this information, they can tackle bottlenecks head-on. They can also allocate resources strategically, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their FOIA request process.

In Conclusion

The Office of Government Information Services examined the significance of collaborating with technology experts and tools to manage FOIA requests in a study. The study found that only one out of every five organizations was engaging in such a partnership. Adopting a municipal CRM software solution for managing FOIA requests is crucial for government transparency and accountability. CRM software provides a centralized request management system, automates manual processes, ensures secure document management, offers real-time status updates, and provides valuable analytics and reporting capabilities By streamlining the FOIA request process, municipalities can better serve their communities, build trust, and improve their overall performance over time. Ultimately, the adoption of a CRM software solution is a wise investment for any municipality looking to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in managing FOIA requests.

AccessE11 is one such solution. Able to securely manage documents and citizen records while being affordable to small & mid-sized municipalities. Request a demo today and discover the changes you can make to your citizen engagement process.

Canadian Construction Procurement

WORKSHOP DATES:

February 22 – 10:00AM – 2:00PM EST
February 23 – 10:00AM – 2:00PM EST

LOCATION:

Zoom Virtual Platform

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

This one-day course will provide an overview of the project and procurement models used in construction, the procurement processes, an evaluation of the contracting options and trends emerging for the future for construction in Canada.

The course is designed for those both new to Construction Procurement and for those wanting to learn best practices in order stay ahead of the curve in this complex area of procurement.

PRICE:

Early Bird Registration until January 22, 2023

Members: $535.50 + Tax
Insider: $670.50 + Tax
Non-Members: $805.50 + Tax

Regular Registration

Member: $595.00 + Tax
Insider: $745.00 + Tax
Non-Member: $895.00 + Tax

Corporate Price: 20% off for a team of 4 and customized pricing for a team of 5 or above. Please contact Alisha Seguin at [email protected]

Click here to register for the event.

Procurement Through the Lens of Cyber Security

DESCRIPTION

Join our discussion as we explore how current increased cyber risks have demanded increased awareness, and consideration in everyday procurement processes. Learn how to mitigate those risks from peers in the MUSH sector and cyber security experts.

Choose to join us online in ZOOM, or in-person at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga. The last half hour of the event will be for networking and for those at the live location, hot hor d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served during the networking.

This ticket is non-refundable unless the event is cancelled by Supply Chain Canada Ontario Institute. In-person ticket includes hot hors d’oeuvres and refreshments during the networking, following the panel discussion.

AGENDA

5:00 pm – Panel
5:45 pm – Q&A
6:00 pm – Networking

SPEAKERS

BOBBY MAHAL, CSCMP

PROCUREMENT CATEGORY SPECIALISTCITY OF VAUGHAN

Panelist

DEBBY SHAPERO PROPP, LL.B., CSCMP

LAWYER AND SCMAO INSTRUCTORDEBBY SHAPERO PROPP, LAW OFFICE

Panelist

MITCH KELSEY

CYBER SECURITY ADVISORCDW

Panelist

JOHN MACDONALD

MANAGER, LOSS MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE SERVICESREGION OF PEEL

Panelist

ROBIN GALLO, CSCMP

SUPERVISOR OF PURCHASINGTOWN OF INNISFIL

Moderator

Accessing Municipal Compensation Information Just Got Easier

May 27, 2022

INTRODUCING THE MUNICIPAL COMPENSATION DATABASE

Every municipality needs to undertake periodic compensation reviews to keep their compensation current and attract talent.

Municipalities generate vast amounts of compensation data that other municipalities need, but there is no easy way to access or share it.

Engaging third-parties to conduct a review is expensive and the day the report is presented, the data is already outdated.

Conducting your own compensation reviews is not efficient and results in a duplication of work. How many times last year, were you asked your salary and benefits information, by comparator municipalities conducting their own compensation reviews?

The Ontario Municipal Administrators Association (OMAA) and muniSERV have once again partnered to bring a new tool to Ontario municipalities to address these issues. Along with support from the Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association (OMHRA), the Municipal Compensation Database (MCD) was developed under the guidance of a joint CAO/HR Advisory Committee.

The MCD is a cloud-based platform to collect and aggregate current municipal compensation and human resources information. It revolutionizes the ease at which municipalities share and access compensation and human resources data, when and how they need it.

Benefits for Municipalities:

Single source access to improved municipal salaries & benefits data and HR information
Comprehensive, Convenient, Collaborative and Confidential
Easy access 24/7 right from your desktop or device, from any location
Access to real-time, statistically valid information
Includes Council Compensation, Job Descriptions and Organizational Charts
Enhances efficiency – eliminates duplication
Guarantees measurable cost savings
Real-time reports created in a matter of minutes

The Province of Ontario encourages municipalities to work together and share services and the MCD fits the bill.

Learn more and participate in the Municipal Compensation Database, or to request a demo, email [email protected] or call 705 538 0176 or 905 459 9200.

By: Susan Shannon, CEO, muniSERV.ca

Canadian Construction Procurement

The course is designed for those both new to Construction Procurement and for those wanting to learn best practices in order stay ahead of the curve in this complex area of procurement.

Date & Time: May 31 & June 1, 2022 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM EDT

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Procurement/Sourcing Managers with or without procurement construction experience
Owners, Project Managers/Property Managers and who want to learn about how improve procurement for your construction projects

Individual Member Price: Early Bird (until April 25, 2022) – $536 + HST | Regular: $595 + HST

Individual Non-member Price: Early Bird (until April 25, 2022) – $806 + HST | Regular: $895 + HST

Group Price (for a team of 4 or more): 20% off regular price for members and non-members. (Cannot be bundled with other offers)

CPD: 5 CPD Points

REGISTER HERE

If you are thinking of a corporate training session (for a team of 10 or more) with the above topic or any other topic that is relevant for your organization, please review this Supply Chain Canada Training Brochure – Public Sector.

How To Manage Your RFP Process

Join our panel discussion to learn about how to assess your situation and determine the best process to use to achieve your goals. We will explore different perspectives from practitioners, vendors, consultants and others.

Date and Time: May 17, 2022 | 4.30 pm to 6.00 pm EDT

Price: Members: $10 + HST | Non-members: $15 + HST

Panelists:

Victoria Mirlocca: CPPB, C.Mgr., C.I.M., NIGP-CPP, CMM II, Procurement Manager, Client Relations & Category Management
Lori Jackson, BSc., CPPO: Buyer, York Regional Police
Hugh Lawson: Director, Business Development, Canada
Chris McLeod: CEO, NVision Insight Group Inc.
Sandra Lisi, Director Purchasing, Client Services, City of Toronto
Greg Dadd, Principal, Procurement and Fairness Advisory Services, Industry & Public Sector Group

REGISTER HERE

UCaaS is critical for any authority service improvement

March 23, 2022

what is UCaaS?

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a network of cloud-based telephone system that controls the flow of calls coming in and out of your organization. We replace your on-premises PBXs, as well as your SIP, PRIs, and POTS lines. UCaaS enables you to use a variety of hosted programs and services (including instant messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and email) over the Internet from any location and at any time. In addition, UCaaS provides security, allows flexibility, and integrates well with your other software applications including MS Teams. UCaaS systems are updated frequently by the provider ensuring that your communication methods will always be up-to-date in our ever-evolving world.

Why UCaaS is critical for all customer-guided corporations?

GUARANTEES YOUR BUSINESS CONINUITY & SECURITY

Experteers can easily answer this for all municipalities and companies who care about their customers.

First of all we have to emphasize about the importance of continuity in all circumstances, UCaaS provides the best option to avoid your business any hiccups along the road because of any reasons. UCaaS is available on any communication device, laptop, or PC anywhere at anytime to be able to efficiently communicate with your customers.

Security is another crucial requirement for all connected networks, voice calls, video conferencing, and instant messaging are parts of all departments communications to enable them to work properly and deliver services. Experteers, as part of security provider, enable first layer of security by having all our servers in Canada, maintaining 100% availability by having four communication centers in main four cities in Canada in Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto, and to maintain the second layer of security by having all SOC certified centers.

INCORPORATES THE LATEST FEATURES

When you have UCaaS, you’ll be able to use all the latest functions and features without any additional cost. You’ll also have the assurance that your information is kept safe and secure in a reliable data center. Having the ability to keep your communications up-to-date allows you to remain competitive and helps to increase your overall performance.

OFFERS FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY

UCaaS allows organizations to add and remove users (for example, temporary employees) without any significant infrastructure changes or capital investments. UCaaS also provides seamless work experiences for your employees since they are cloud-based and accessible from any location – great for those working remotely.

PROMOTES PRODUCTIVITY

By using a UCaaS system, your productivity increases. All of your employees have unified communications support that is sharable amongst all departments, and UCaaS integrates well with your other software applications (like CRM). UCaaS keeps communication lines open and provides ways for your employees to log into various devices to access their information (such as voicemails).

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

SAVES YOU MONEY

When switching to UCaaS, there are minimal upfront hardware costs – you only need phones. You will also have the ability to choose the services you need (and not waste money on the ones you do not). UCaaS allows you to concentrate on growing your business by decreasing your dependence on capital investments.

We at EXPERTEERS are helping municipalities, utility companies, and medical centers increase employee productivity by adding a state of the art Unified Communications Solution, enhancing collaboration and increasing employee efficiency.

Enable your team to work remotely (hybrid)
Train employees more efficiently with sentiment analysis
Monitor key performance metrics with automated reports
Boost company performance through detailed analytics & collaboration
.. and more

Let us help you improve your client experience, call us at EXPERTEERS to learn how we can help enable your business for success in 2022.

Experteers is a system integrator SI and managed service provider MSP for the following services:

– SASE / SD-WAN: to secure all ur networking between all branches.

– NGFW: Next Generation Fire Wall centralized to keep all networks secured in almost real-time updated system.

– NMS: Network Managed System to keep your visibility on all network elements and servers to improve your systems availability.

– Cyber-Security on all endpoints and servers

EXPERTEERS CORPORATION

WWW.EXPERTEERS.COM

Leadership Series 3.0: Sustainable Supply Chain

We are delighted with the roaring success of the first installment of our flagship offering, Leadership Series 3.0: Digital Transformation in Supply Chain, held on Jan 28, 2022. 500+ participants came together, to network and learn.

The Leadership Series 3.0: Sustainable Supply Chain session, which is to be held on February 24, 2022 via Zoom already has a stellar line-up of speakers from leading organizations such as The Kraft Heinz Company, OPG, Universal Health Network, LUSH, Mattel, BC Hydro, Telus and more. With a compelling agenda and powerhouse speakers, we are already at 400+ registrations with only 3 more weeks to go. We encourage you to attend with your teams, save up to 37% and maximize your learning. Learn more.

Group registration (4 or more): 125 pp. Save 37%

Individual registration: Member – $149 + HST | Non-member – $199 + HST (Get a 14-month membership valid until April 30, 2023, included with the registration. This is valid for Ont. Residents who have not been members in the past 18 months.)

REGISTER HERE

Our powerhouse line-up of speakers include:

We look forward to seeing you on Feb 24, 2022. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding registrations please reach out to Katie Cheshire at [email protected]

Complimentary Webinar – Indigenous Procurement – Getting to know Indigenous Business Leaders

Meet Indigenous Business leaders and learn about resources available to you to help find and qualify Indigenous Businesses that you can engage with today, in your current state. Also, learn how to build on your Indigenous Procurement strategy and engagement plan to support growth in Indigenous Businesses and return value to your organization.

AGENDA

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Panel Discussion
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM – Question and Answer

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Anyone who would like to learn how to start including Indigenous Businesses or build on their existing Indigenous Procurement strategies should attend to expand their knowledge and connections.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Interesting and great approach using the resources we now have to keep the networking and learning initiatives on a continuous path.

CLAUDIA LEVIEN, CANADIAN BEARINGS

PRICE

EVERYONE$0