Qualtrics , the leader and creator of the experience management (XM) category, announced Community Pulse, a new way for state and local governments to use technology to understand and respond to the experiences of their constituents.
Strong community engagement programs combine a culture of listening to residents, best program practices and accessible technology to meet people where they are
Local governments have survived a myriad of challenges over the past two years, and the pandemic prompted many residents to expect a digital way to connect with city, county and state leaders. Community Pulse provides an accessible, inclusive solution for gathering and acting on resident feedback, improving trust and transparency and helping government officials build more equitable, inclusive and welcoming communities.
Community engagement is critical to governments’ ability to empathetically develop policies, plans and programs that make the best use of taxpayer money. But reaching a representative sample of residents is challenging. And understanding and analyzing community needs, sentiments and expectations strains agencies’ already limited resources.
The Community Pulse solution makes it easy for governments to understand how their residents are feeling when it comes to trust and satisfaction in their government; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB); and quality of life – and understand the drivers behind them.
“Residents have opinions about the government programs that affect them,” said Sydney Heimbrock, chief industry advisor for government at Qualtrics. “Gathering a wide range of community input and directing resources to the activities that meet real needs helps build a healthy feedback and action loop.”
Building public trust by listening to residents and taking action on their feedback
Community Pulse is a 27-item question set built by government industry experts and XM scientists. It includes a pre-configured dashboard to display metrics that matter to government agencies. With six pre-designed views – Executive Summary; Community Needs Analysis; Satisfaction with Public Services; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Text Topic Analysis; and Respondent Demographics – the Community Pulse dashboard delivers insights in real-time, making gathering and acting on feedback easier than ever.
For government agencies undertaking strategic planning, the solution helps them model how the resident experience might vary depending on location, age, ethnicity and other key demographics. With the ability to capture responses to open-ended questions and apply smart analytics, leaders can see trends and take action on what matters most to residents.
By enabling governments to effectively engage the community and build resident-centric policy, plans and programs, leaders are better able to drive meaningful, positive, long-lasting impact:
- Improve resident trust of government
- Enhance government transparency
- Increase adoption of equity and inclusion best practices
- Build relationships with community leaders and the community overall
- Ensure an inclusive and welcoming community
“Strong community engagement programs combine a culture of listening to residents, best program practices and accessible technology to meet people where they are,” Heimbrock said. “The Community Pulse solution was built for the government with industry-validated methodology and best practices.