For government organisations, citizens are an integral part of the system as they are your key stakeholders. By engaging citizens, governments can learn about what their citizens aspirations, barriers and grievances are in addition to their feedback on government decision-making. While some may argue that implementing online citizen software is not essential, in reality, it opens up the conversation to a broader group of stakeholders who have an interest key role in many government plans and strategies.
By creating a collaborative environment between citizens and the governing bodies, both can work together towards quadruple bottom-line improvements. For example for many proposed projects and strategies, Government and citizens share a common interest – community, economic and infrastructure development whilst mitigating environmental issues. It is logical to create an ecosystem where the two can make their thoughts known.
Here are 3 ways online citizen engagement applications can help governments:
- Maintain Transparency: Transparency is key for developing trust with the governing body and their elected officials. In the past, the general consensus was enabling citizen involvement created headaches and issues – shared decision making actually creates better outcomes and in turn present shared-ownership (as it should). As a part of the community, citizens tend to feel valued when they are involved in major discussions that directly impact them. Citizens can provide important and creative feedback on government strategies that the authoritative members might miss. These insights can help governments make informed decisions while avoiding costly mistakes. Furthermore, online citizen softwarecan help specially-abled citizens to be as involved in the community as everyone else.
- Data Security: In the highly advanced cyber world that we are living in today, the safekeeping of information has certainly changed. Many governing bodies still use outdated systems to safeguard citizen information which, in simple words, is not safe anymore. It can easily be replaced or lost which is a cause for concern since citizens’ data is confidential and the government’s responsibility to be kept safe. This can easily be fixed with online citizen engagement software where data security is foremost. With the latest technology, data is not only stored safely but it is also ensured that it is backed up regularly so that there is no loss of data at any stage.
- Easy Interaction: By creating a clear line of communication, you instil a sense of security and trust in your community. An online citizen software can help you do that. Gone are the days when community members had to make appeals for physical interaction in order to be heard. Today, everybody has a mobile phone which has removed the need to be physically present. Citizen engagement applications make information accessible anywhere and anytime which is precisely what a community expects from its government.
To know more about online citizen software, get in touch with us. Visit engagementhub.com.au to talk to our experts.
