News

The SDS blog

We provide support and guidance, external challenge, sharing good practice, industry knowledge and practical insights as well as being a valuable resource for councils on the next stage of their digital journey.

Training

Usability Testing Training

Smarter Digital Services hold a series of workshops every year, and on request, to share our knowledge and help local authorities be more efficient and customer focused. A popular training session that we have been delivering is usability testing. Continuously...
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Digital solutions Service design

IVR messaging for new waste service

We are assisting Tunbridge Wells Borough Council with IVR messaging for their new waste service which will be starting at the end of September. As the calls to the Council will be substantially higher during the initial period, SDS have...
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Website redesign

Redesigned SDS Website

This summer we decided to redesign our website and freshen up its look and feel. Why not visit the website and let us know what you think: https://smarterdigital.info
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Digital solutions Training

Google Analytics Training

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have a new waste contract with some key changes happening at the end of September. The TWBC Communications Team asked SDS for some Google Analytics training to enable them to understand the traffic through the TWBC...
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Understanding your users

Tandridge Usability Testing Online Waste Forms

SDS have completed the user testing of Tandridge District Council’s new online waste forms prior to going live. The user test focused on the ‘Report It’ function leading to online waste reporting forms including fly-tipping, dead animals, assisted waste collections...
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Digital solutions Research

Skype for Business Research and Focus Groups with Stakeholders

SDS have reached the half-way point in the Skype for Business project for Mid Kent Services. The key aim of the project is to capture and analyse feedback from staff and other data sources to assess how well the partnership...
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Digital solutions Research

Telephone Contact Centre Best Practice Research and Workshop

SDS carried out research into contact centre best practices and alternative customer service channels as well as a review of Gravesham Borough Council’s IVR telephone system. The research involved a comparison of IVR menus with other councils, a list of...
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Understanding your users

Website content analysis user testing

Dartford Borough Council wanted to gain user perspectives about their website. SDS tested the website with live users for ease of navigation, user-friendliness, the language and tone as well as the look and feel of the website. SDS engaged with...
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Understanding your users

Housing Register – User Research

The SDS team have been working with the Local Government Association (LGA) in order to deliver six workshops (ranging from user research and user testing to developing a comms plan) to benefit five of their partners who have received funding...
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Understanding your users

Web pages and forms user testing

SDS were asked by three partner authorities in Cambridge (Cambridge City Council, South Cambs District Council and Hungtindonshire District Council) to test the most used web pages and forms on their websites to explore how users interact with the website...
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Understanding your users

Council letters user testing

In order to improve communications with residents and reduce avoidable contact, SDS were asked by Tandridge District Council to usability test 6 of their existing revenues and benefits letters with users. During the usability test, SDS suggested an alternative for...
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Understanding your users

Customer Account user testing

In October, SDS conducted a day of user testing at Sevenoaks District Council, exploring residents’ views of their website and My account function. This involved residents attempting to complete various scenarios leading them to either set up an account or...
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Digital solutions

LGA Case Study – Digital Housing

The Local Government Association (LGA) have published a case study of work Smarter Digital Services undertook for Kent Homechoice to deliver the online housing pre-assessment form, full application form and homelessness triage tool.
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Understanding your users

Focus Groups in Tandridge

Tandridge District Council (TDC) invited Smarter Digital Services to deliver a series of Focus Groups with residents to capture the voice of the customer and gain a better understanding of customers priority needs when contacting, interacting and transacting digitally with...
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Training

LGA Digital Housing Programme

The homelessness triage tool has been updated to comply with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and is now being used by all local authorities in Kent.
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Understanding your users

HEF cover letter user testing

After attending our Behaviour Change workshop in May, Maidstone Borough Council put what they had learnt into practice by redesigning their Household Enquiry Form cover letter. SDS were asked to deliver user testing with 7 residents to review the letter...
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Understanding your users Website redesign

Website Information Architecture

SDS have been using a range of tools to assist Tunbridge Wells Borough Council with their website redesign project. Starting with a first click analysis, followed by a card sort analysis and finally a tree sort analysis. These tools helped...
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Service design Understanding your users

Identifying Customer Demand – Folkestone & Hythe DC

Smarter Digital Services have been working with Folkestone & Hythe District Council to identify the customer demand broadly across all services, but specifically within Council Tax.
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Service design Understanding your users

Preparing for the Homelessness Reduction Act

On the 13th February, we facilitated a workshop with Ashford customer services and housing options officers to agree and map out the required process that will meet both user needs and the needs of the new Homelessness Reduction Act legislation...
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Service design Understanding your users

Behaviour Change Revival

At the beginning of January, Dom delivered a series of five training workshops for customer services staff in Swale, outlining the need to shift the way we provide services and interact with our customers, encouraging self-service wherever possible.
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