Bridging cultures
Background
Southampton City Council are a leading unitary local authority in the South of England providing a wide range of services to over 260,000 people.
Ben was tasked to help them better engage with their wider audience following a series of negative press stories. They wanted a new perception to be built showcasing how their staff work passionately with local people to build a better community. Ben was tasked with overseeing a diverse team and quickly uncovering hidden local stories as well as building better relationships with local media.
Overall Impact
Using local heroes to tell powerful stories about what Southampton and the support of the Council meant to them changed the perception of the council. In fact, a 26% positive shift in supportive comments, feedback and press coverage.
It also enabled a change in the way services were seen – no longer arm’s length but staffed by real people who went the extra mile with many people across communities to make Southampton great.
The most powerful element was the long-term connection between customers and teams to create a really powerful shared culture.
So what was done:
Issues and opportunities
Ben sought to understand from users, the press and council staff many of the issues causing the negative perception of the council. He then identified common opportunities to bring together the positive work of the council in conversation with delivery teams and those they worked with.
Learning positive culture
Ben identified several key figures in each of the service teams to learn more and showcase how & why they go the extra mile – he then tied this into people receiving these services and why they value this extra effort.
Long-term cultural legacy
In telling these stories everyone needed to have a voice beyond the campaign, so contacts were shared and regular open events were held to continue the positive connections.
Conclusion
With a breakdown in understanding between customers and service providers, this case study highlights the importance of hitting reset and working together to share positive stories.
In this case, the positive work done helped balance the impact of some wider negative stories in the months after where the heightened goodwill to the council helped reduce the volume of negative reactions. It is this goodwill, which is essential when things go wrong, that keeps long-term loyalty.