Constituent engagement via text
Washington, D.C, Dec 21, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic has presented unique challenges for elected officials. With staff working remotely, traditional communication curtailed, and information rapidly changing, elected officials struggle to connect to constituents. Telephone town halls are popular but costly and limited in size and duration. Email is another popular communication method, but 75%+ of the 25 million emails that the House of Representatives receives are canned messages facilitated by associations and nonprofits, drowning out critical messages of constituents in need of help. Constituents want to know that their representatives are listening. They want to feel that there is someone interested in their thoughts, feelings, and concerns. They want to know that their representatives wish to understand what they are trying to say and not merely repeat what they hear.
iConstituent has developed new tools to allow personalized, one-on-one dialog with constituents and their elected officials. With iConstiuent's tools like GovText for outreach and the Smart Messaging feature for inbound texting. The platform is utilizing SMS technology to allow for rapid communication with constituents. With a 93% read rate within 5 minutes of delivery, text messages are a game-changer in speed and engagement. An iConstituent customer recently compared district survey response rates when sent out via email and GovText. The comparison showed that the 160,000 surveys sent via GovText had a 1,100% higher response rate than the same surveys sent via email. This shows the power of text messaging in ensuring that critical communication with constituents happens.
SMS messaging has also proven to be a "game-changer" in making it easier for constituents to contact their elected officials. The Smart Messaging feature for inbound texting allows offices to set up local numbers for inbound text messages from constituents. This will enable constituents to communicate with their elected officials easily, removing barriers to access, and increasing engagement. Staff can quickly read and respond to condensed messages, improving the speed of communication. Elected officials can take their constituent engagement to the next level by combining outreach and incoming messages with the power of text.
iConstituent has been delivering cutting edge tools to enhance governmental communication with their constituents for the past two decades and believes that the interactions constituents have with their elected officials make for a better democracy.
Media Contact
Maria Ochoa
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Source :https://iconstituent.com
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
