Best use of social for community experience
For a successful migration of their digital contact management system (live chat), which improved the experience for both community members and contact handlers.
The challenge
Derbyshire Constabulary’s former contact management system was complicated to navigate, difficult to log onto, and experienced frequent service interruptions. Contact handlers regularly turned off the system entirely because it wasn’t working, causing disruption for the team, and also for local communities who needed to contact the police.
Additionally, contact handlers had no easy way to hand over a chat to a colleague, resulting in staff unable to escalate issues nor take a break. Due to issues with the former system, teams often missed notifications. Community members’ text was also often incorrectly translated – resulting in a poor experience for citizens attempting to report a crime.
The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that the demand for live chat had significantly increased. Comparing 2022 with 2023 data, live chat volume had increased by an average of 50%. Given that a large proportion of community members were increasingly favouring live chat as a communications tool, the team at Derbyshire Constabulary needed a long-term solution to their system issues. They wanted to implement a more responsive and user-friendly contact management system, with more visible and audible notifications. They were also looking for functionality that would prompt the user to input a phone number before starting the conversation – for following up with the user in case of service interruptions. Furthermore, Derbyshire Constabulary’s comms team wanted to work with a platform with an IP Address listed, an option to translate text, survey functionality, and consistent reporting methods.
The solution
Derbyshire Constabulary’s comms team was already working with Orlo for its social media activities, and so migrating the force’s contact management system to the platform seemed like a natural step. However, it was setting a precedent in the force and Derbyshire became a pilot case for full migration of contact management from the former provider to a different tool.
As well as launching the new live chat, Derbyshire Constabulary’s comms team also worked on strengthening relationships with their colleagues in Contact Management. They increased their visibility in the control room and provided direct training on the new live chat functionality, including working with individual team members at key points of product implementation. The team also introduced new ways of working during significant incidents and improved direct communication between departments. Finally, the comms team played a crucial role in the introduction of new Digital Contact Handler positions: outlining role requirements; providing input on job description development, and working closely with newly appointed team members.
The results
Derbyshire’s new live chat is quicker than the former system, easier to log in to and doesn’t time out, and no notifications are missed. Contact Management teams report positive feedback around the new tool, noting that it’s much more user friendly. Workloads are streamlined and contact handlers can now ensure a consistent user experience by handing over and escalating chats. Migrating the system has even allowed contact handlers to schedule their breaks, thus improving staff wellbeing.
The comms team is also now able to access deep insights and metrics, boosting the accuracy of contact management reporting. For example, the team can analyse the level of live chat demand on any given day, giving them the ability to pinpoint their busiest days and hours – and plan their resourcing effectively.
Live chat also eases the demand on the force’s 101 telephone service, allowing contact handlers to easily respond to simple queries and signpost individuals to where they can access support. Qualitative feedback from community members further reflects this positive experience, with individuals noting that they prefer to use live chat to contact the police rather than making a telephone call. The number of monthly live chat conversations between 2023 and 2024 rose by 61%, highlighting an increasing demand for the service. As a result, the team is now introducing 24/7 cover so that live chat is available to the public on a constant basis.
Furthermore, Derbyshire’s comms team has noted that live chat has proved invaluable for community members requiring an alternative method of contacting the police to disability, illness or domestic abuse situations. For some individuals with hidden disabilities (for example with autism or dyslexia) live chat opens up a more accessible and less daunting channel of communication with the police. The implementation of a seamless translation tool also empowers community members who don’t speak English with an easy way to make contact. Direct messages are translated into English, with replies from the force’s contact handlers automatically translated into the person’s chosen language.
“Working in policing can often feel like a tough gig, so having our hard work recognised by an industry leader who works with such a breadth of fantastic organisations feels like a real achievement that reminds us why we do what we do.”
Rebecca Malpass | Derbyshire Constabulary
On awarding Derbyshire Constabulary’s comms team with this Golden Ele, the judging panel said:
“Through adopting a new system for contact management, Derbyshire Constabulary found the perfect way to embrace their communities and make it easier for them to seek help.”
Congratulations to the whole comms team at Derbyshire Constabulary.
ON DEMAND
Orlo’s BIG Social 2024
At BIG Social 2024, we explored the essential building blocks for successful community engagement and looked at how collaboration across the public sector can foster stronger, more resilient communities through brilliant conversations.
We were joined by fantastic speakers from right across the public sector and by some of our incredible Orlo Partners including Luan Wise, Nextdoor, LGcomms and Participation People.
