Local Government organisations are finding themselves increasingly under pressure to not only deliver the very best services to their different residents, but to achieve efficiency savings and justify their public expenditure. It’s never been more important to ensure processes are optimised to improve outcomes and remove some of the unnecessary pressure on resources.
Hybrid communications is a way to optimise processes whilst reducing costs. It provides the opportunity to make a real difference to your organisation, both internally and externally.
But how can local authorities know what to look for when choosing a hybrid communications provider? We’ve put together some key points to consider for effective procurement.
Hybrid communications encompass all outbound and inbound communications, both digital and print.
It brings communication services together and puts processes in place that work across organisations, under a secure procurement framework, to offer a wider scope for organisations to reach people in meaningful ways that drive positive connections.
When these communications are managed by a professional provider with accredited experience, they become the perfect blend of media channels which engage with audiences in a clear, concise, and effective way to drive the desired results.
A managed hybrid communications service gives organisations the advantage of both expertise and an approach tailored to their goals. The right provider will work with you to understand what you need and recommend a way to make it happen in a completely seamless workflow.
When looking for a supplier remember to utilise frameworks. Frameworks not only help find companies who you can trust and have proven experience, but those partners who also meet your accreditation and security requirements. These approved suppliers are already helping other likeminded organisations and come with a wealth of experience and expertise in delivering the communication you and your organisation need.
You can find approved hybrid communication providers on frameworks such as CCS, G Cloud 12, and NHS SBS.
Adopting one supplier to manage all communication needs, including digital and physical, inbound and outbound, rather than numerous different solutions can leverage huge savings in terms of time and money, lower integration costs, reduce management time, improve consistency and reduce duplication.
By choosing such a partner you are removing communication barriers within your company, improving efficiencies and providing your audience with communication choice.
As public demand for data security increases, Information assurance (IA) is critical.
Public sector organisations need to ensure that security accreditations such as Information Security Management System (ISO270001) are met and that suppliers have the ability to provide a full breakdown of the way in which data is handled.
Look for a specialist provider that can offer a bespoke package of communication solutions built around your needs and the needs of your different audiences to drive the best response, optimising the use of your communication budget and delivering more for less.
Providers should be able to offer a comprehensive suite of reporting tools and dashboards for monitoring and reporting back to stakeholders. Giving full visibility and reassurance that budgets are being well spent.
With the focus being on greater efficiencies it’s important to make sure green procurement priorities do not get overlooked. Partnering with a company with sustainability and a green focus at the heart of what they do, ensures that this priority is not forgotten. It becomes an element of your communication strategy and feeds into your wider sustainability objectives.
Effective processes that lead to the successful outsourcing of hybrid communication providers can make a huge impact on the way you communicate with your audience as well as delivering impressive improvements in efficiencies both in terms of time and money. Finding a supplier who has proven experience in helping local government organisations deliver effective communications can make a real difference to your organisation and the outcomes you set out to achieve.
Why not find out more about CFH’s hybrid mail processes here?
First published in the IRRV Insight Magazine.
