My cell phone contract ended earlier this month, and I find myself debating about whether I should move up to a full smartphone.  I currently have what I tongue-in-cheek refer to as a "lite-smartphone."  It does some of what I need it to do, but certainly not everything.  Before purchasing a new phone, I really need to sit down and think about what all I need a smartphone to do for me now and possibly in the future.  For example, I’d like to be able to read e-mail attachments from work and have a GPS application that allows me to find my way around when I’m on travel for work.

For local governments, conducting a community readiness assessment before going out with a request for proposals for a constituent relationship management (CRM) system is similar to me needing to better define what it is I want a smartphone to do for me.  I can look at the features on the different makes and models of smartphones, but unless I take the time to define what I want the phone to do, I may or may not end up with the right product for me.

In purchasing a cell phone, all I need to do is consider what I want.  In selecting a CRM product, local governments need to consider the needs of all the different departments and agencies in the organization.  It’s a time-consuming task, but ultimately, if a local government wants a 311/CRM system that has the buy-in and support of those different departments and agencies, it’s a very necessary step.

A well-designed community readiness assessment should include a systematic review the people, processes, technology and facilities at play in the local government.   Essentially, a local government should have a thorough understanding of its “As Is” scenario before creating its new “To Be” scenario.  For example, here are just a few of the questions that should be answered through a community readiness assessment:

• Does the local government as an organization generally embrace change and want to improve service to constituents?
• How many phone calls, e-mails, texts, and other forms of communication are departments receiving on a day-to-day basis?
• What is the nature of those calls and are they being logged in any way?
• What are the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) each department has?  
• What steps must a department take to fulfill all of their different service requests?
• Who is answering constituent questions and service requests? And what other tasks is that person(s) responsible for?

Taking the time to find the answers to these and other relevant questions will make for a smoother and successful transition to a new 311/CRM system that does everything the local government needs it to do.  Now, if I can just decide everything I want to do with a smartphone.  :-)