Our research shows that social media has been incorporated into the activity of almost all councils, with blanket bans on access being replaced by more considered approaches. But, as social media goes mainstream, is there a danger that its game-changing potential might be lost?

The take-up and usage of smartphones demand attention from web managers at organisations that serve the community. The commercial world is setting the pace, increasing community expectations of the public and voluntary sectors. These organisations need to invest in mobile access to online information and services in order to reap the financial rewards of channel shift by addressing this changing profile of customer behaviour. Does your organisation monitor access to its website from mobile devices and develop it appropriately?

How effective is your website in supporting self-service? How well does it meet customer needs? How well does its technical platform support the functions you need for service delivery? Organisationally, is the website delivering what is expected of it? We can answer all of these questions in a short, focused review, offered at a fixed price.

The review comprises three separate components, presented in a single report that details the customer perspective,  the technical perspective, and the organisaitonal/strategic perspective.

The Oxford Internet Institute has just published its fifth biennial Oxford Internet Survey (OxiS) into internet use in Britain. This latest piece of research identifies one major new shift in the way in which users access the internet with the arrival of ‘next generation users’. It also highlights a number of other developments about internet use, which all local public service decision-makers should understand in assessing how people access and use their services.

“Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives.”

“But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hardto-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all. We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age.”

Are you clear about how social networking can deliver value and reduce cost for your organisation? If not, you may not be benefiting to the full.

Having a customer service strategy is something that most customer-facing organisations accept as a necessity - but how far does it go in terms of specifically identifying the role of the web, the role of social networking, and taking account of access from smartphones? Currently few councils address these issues either in their strategies or in the practical reality of their websites.

The second of our two briefings on ‘Digital by default’, (July 2011) focused on the need to get the supply side right by optimising the online customer experience. This Briefing focuses on the demand side. Encouraging takeup of the online offering has, in turn, two aspects: ensuring that people have access to public services online and persuading people to use them.