Project Overview

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, social media has become an indispensable tool for modern enterprises. For the City of Sydney, it stands as our third-largest engagement channel, after our website and call centre. We have successfully fostered a thriving online community with an impressive outreach of over 700,000 followers, including 292K on Facebook, 274K on X (formerly known as Twitter), 202K on Instagram, and 50K on LinkedIn.

Last year alone, we proudly engaged in more than 35,000 interactions, showing the power and influence of our social media presence. To ensure seamless management and unparalleled customer service, a dedicated team of 20 skilled professionals from Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications, and Customer Service oversee all community inquiries and publish content through our social media management platform.

Recognising the significance of continuous improvement, our 2020 Social Media Service Review led us to an important revelation. The City of Sydney needed to invest in reengineering its social media engagement business processes and updating our technology, which had become outdated and limiting.

Thus, the visionary Social Media Platform project was born. Our goal was to revolutionise the way we connect with our community and elevate our social media presence. Through meticulous planning and collaboration, we delivered a cutting-edge, centralised social media platform that offered a "Software as a Service" (SaaS) model.

Organisation

City of Sydney

Team

Project Sponsor
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Change Manager
Customer Service Manager
Executive Manager, Strategy and Communications
Digital Content Manager
Technical Services Manager
Digital Development Manager
Tech Lead
Enterprise Architect

Project Brief

We wanted to move beyond simply responding to incoming inquiries and publishing content and ambitiously seek new ways to proactively foster a genuine connection that would transform our engagement results. In doing so, we sought to set a new benchmark for effective social media management and the provisioning of community services.

We conducted a Request for Tender (RFT) process to procure top-notch software and implementation services to ensure we had the best solutions. The result was a game-changing platform capable of seamless operation across all our social media channels. Our new tool empowered us to swiftly monitor and respond to incoming inquiries, publish captivating content, and even perform insightful community sentiment analysis.

Perhaps most importantly, our enhanced capabilities allowed us to truly listen to our community, fostering a genuine connection that has transformed our engagement results. Our Social Media Platform has boosted our efficiency and responsiveness and deepened our bonds with our city residents.

Project Innovation/Need

The City of Sydney’s aspiration to reinvigorate our social media presence and services was achieved by partnering with Sprinklr to deliver a highly sophisticated social media management platform under a "Software as a Service" (SaaS) model.

This cutting-edge technology has allowed us to achieve our ambitions to evolve beyond reactive responses and generic posts to one where we use:

- Real-Time Community Trend Monitoring
Using advanced sentiment analysis tools to proactively track ongoing trends, issues, and crises within the community. This enables swift and informed responses for more relevant and targeted messaging.

- Seamless Cross-Channel Engagement
Implementing a unified system empowering staff to efficiently manage and respond to inquiries across various social media platforms. Ensuring no query is left unaddressed, providing a cohesive user experience.

- Personalised Community Understanding
Analysing interaction history and social behaviours to create personalised interactions. Tailoring responses based on individual needs to foster a deeper and more meaningful connection with the community.

Design Challenge

We gained valuable insights and key learnings as we sought to meet challenges along the way. These learnings will serve as valuable guiding principles for future initiatives and endeavours:

- Continuous Improvement is Vital: The project was born out of the need for continuous improvement in Social Media engagement. Embracing change and investing in updating technology and business processes is essential to stay relevant and meet the evolving needs of the community.

- Collaborative Cross-Functional Teams Excel: The dedicated team comprising professionals from Marketing Communications, Corporate Communication, Customer Service, and the Office of the Lord Mayor showcased the power of collaboration. Breaking down silos and fostering cross-functional teamwork ensures seamless management and unparalleled customer service.

- Data-Driven Decisions Enhance Performance: Armed with cutting-edge reporting analytics, data became a cornerstone for making informed decisions. Measuring and analysing the impact of Social Media campaigns allowed for continuous fine-tuning of strategies and elevated overall performance.

- Proactive Crisis Management Matters: In the digital age, protecting and enhancing the council's reputation is crucial. The adoption of an enterprise-grade governance system and proactive crisis management ensures the community feels supported and valued during challenging times.

- Listen, Respond, and Engage: The core principles of the Social Media Platform project involved actively listening to the community, promptly responding to inquiries, and engaging with personalised interactions. These actions build trust and foster a thriving community environment.

Future Impact

The profound impact of our Social Media Platform project extended beyond business outcomes and has allowed City of Sydney to provide highly advanced and innovative social media management in the public sector.

Since its implementation in February 2023, our Social Media Platform has transformed content distribution, and unlocked powerful insights through cutting-edge capabilities:

- Soaring to New Heights
Managing inbound social media activity has become more efficient and simplified with the new technology allowing us to rapidly consolidate, triage and manage responses across our key social media channels - Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

- Powerful Insights: The Key to Proactive Engagement
By identifying key themes and measuring community sentiment, we prioritise tasks and proactively respond to potential concerns before they escalate. This foresight has been invaluable in nurturing a positive and thriving community environment.

- Amplifying Our Voice with Outbound Content
Utilising powerful listening and sentiment analysis capabilities equips us across all social media channels to proactively identify and respond to trending topics, staying ahead of the curve.

- Showcasing User-Generated Content
We have unlocked the potential of user-generated content and made it easier to share and promote authentic content from our followers.

Our journey has taught us invaluable lessons in continuous improvement, collaborative teamwork, data-driven decisions, and the significance of genuine community connections.