The Digital Solution Transforming Comment Management
Thomas Mullen
May 6, 2015
Hello there.
As far as introductions for a new blog go, “Hello” is pretty simple. But, let’s be honest. Hello is kind of hard to screw up. Much harder to manage are the multitude of steps that come after introductions and ultimately go into making a relationship successful. There’s listening, building trust, understanding — all while avoiding the situational stumbles, crossed wires, and unintended slights that can derail human connection from even the smoothest of starts.
Successfully navigating all of this should not be taken lightly by anyone interested in developing a healthy, connected partnership — but especially by agencies, developers and engineering firms involved in public engagement.
Because that’s what public engagement is, after all — a relationship.
We at SmartComment create public comment software and strive to keep the relationship between citizens and the builders of tomorrow on a steady, open path — from the initial engagement, through public hearings and comment collection, and on to the finished Environmental Impact Statement.
Look at us like a partner in public engagement. We’ll help open lines of communication, provide new levels of transparency, and make sure no part of the dialogue falls through the cracks — so that both sides can benefit. For citizens, our public comment software ensures a transparent engagement period where input from concerned community members is accounted for, listened to, and analyzed like never before. For project teams, we offer an unassailable process for boosting efficiency, managing construction timelines, and seeing the impact of your projects in a whole new way.
At SmartComment, we’ve had the privilege to manage the public comment period for some of the largest construction projects in the world — from the $330 million Centennial Corridor Project to the $5.4 billion 710 Corridor Project in Los Angeles, an 18-mile stretch connecting the ports of Long Beach and the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60). Our easy-to-use software has become an integral part of these and other public comment periods for agencies and private firms on the cutting edge of transportation innovation — and we’re just getting started.
So now that introductions are out of the way, we look forward to turning this blog into a relevant voice in the public engagement discussion, weighing in on trends and topics — from transportation innovation to construction efficiency to public outreach, and beyond. We invite you to get to know us a little better, too. Poke around the site. Comment on our blog. Tweet us. Maybe even request a free live demo. And who knows? Maybe you’ll let us help you build a whole new relationship with your various publics.