Digital Communications

People have things going on. We’re all busy – sometimes things can slip your mind like a meeting or an upcoming event coming up. Missing an appointment isn’t the end of the world, but it does waste time and can be inconvenient for everyone involved.
Reminders are a powerful tool that can help us avoid the consequences of missing something important and they are an encouraging action. They can also make sure your citizens keep their appointments with your agency or government service. With the convenience of online communication, reminders can help your audience follow through on things they have already committed to.

Thankfully, GovDelivery’s guide, 5 TYPES OF REMINDERS ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SHOULD USE, tells us five reminders we shouldn’t forget.

1. Customer Service. Customer service is constant. It starts with a welcome email or call, but doesn’t end there. It’s about giving proactive notice for anything that might be changing soon. It could be detailed information about a deadline or an opportunity to provide additional details to clear up any confusion ahead of time.

2. Event Connections. Email reminders for events are a great way to inform citizens they have an event coming up. A strong event connection will provide additional reasons for why attending an event will be worthwhile. You don’t want to bombard guest with emails, but starting a week out you can send them information about what they should expect to hear or learn. Then closer to the event you can send them more logistical information such as directions, parking and general updates.

3. Appointment Reminders. With citizen’s hectic schedules, appointments and meetings can easily get lost in their calendar. Not only are missed appointments inconvenient and problematic, there is a high cost associated with them as well. Whether it’s a doctor’s appointment or reminder to send in a contract – reminders are a great way to increase revenue and help people meet deadlines.

4. Abandoned Cart. Abandoned cart emails are sent to members who have performed a specific action, like filling out a grant application or survey, but never followed through. The people that abandon carts are high converters. “Nearly half of all abandoned cart emails are opened and over a third of clicks lead to actions taken back to their website.”

5. Text Messaging. Most people have a mobile device with access to text messaging. On the other hand, many people do not have smartphones with access to their email or Internet access. This means that text messaging is a good way to send out reminders when email, web and social media fall short.

To learn more about using reminders to enhance audience engagement, click HERE.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  Katarina Hong.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  Katarina Hong.