How to Use Building Department Services to Improve Community Satisfaction

Everything you do as a municipal leader impacts resident satisfaction. So, engaging your community is critical to ensuring transparency within your community.

When residents feel involved and valued, they’re more likely to support local projects and initiatives. Building Department Services — like permitting, inspections, and code enforcement — play a key role in residents' daily lives and how they view their local government.

Help residents understand building department responsibilities

Building Department Services quite literally shape residents' daily lives. From issuing permits for home renovations to ensuring new construction projects are up-to-code, they directly impact the quality of life, safety, and economic growth at every level of your municipality.

Even if community members don’t know exactly what Building Department Services are by name, they are keenly aware of the impacts of how well or poorly they are impacting them. When residents can easily navigate the permitting process, receive timely inspections, and obtain quality customer service from municipal staff, it has a positive impact on their attitudes toward their local government.

Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Streamlined processes and responsive customer service are two areas that any department can improve upon, even in small ways, to demonstrate that you value residents' time and are committed to supporting their needs.

?? Tip: Even if you don’t get a bunch of glowing reviews or positive feedback right away, by prioritizing the connection between your department and your community, you’ll likely find the number of unhappy community members is dramatically reduced.

Foster open communication channels

Making the switch from monologue mode (talking at) to dialogue mode (talking with) ensures that residents feel heard and valued by your building department.

But how do you really create opportunities for open, productive, two-way communication? Consider the following strategies:

●??????? Establish user-friendly platforms, such as online portals, mobile apps, or dedicated email addresses that invite residents to easily voice concerns, ask questions, and provide feedback.

●??????? Host regular public meetings or town halls where residents can connect directly with experts and officials on project updates, address concerns, and gather input.

●??????? Respond promptly and thoughtfully to feedback, thereby demonstrating that resident opinions matter and that your team is committed to addressing their needs.

These open communication strategies, combined with incorporating feedback into your decision-making processes whenever possible, build trust, increase transparency, and show your commitment to serving the community.

Promote transparency and accessibility

It’s no secret that clear, accessible information and staff engagement make residents feel valued.

That’s why it’s so important that your processes and procedures are easy to understand from the public’s perspective. Remember to:

●??????? Use plain language and avoid technical jargon, especially for tasks like obtaining permits or scheduling inspections.

●??????? Provide clear, timely updates on building projects and municipal initiatives through progress reports, notifications of potential impacts, and announcements of key milestones.

Public forums, workshops and town hall meetings offer excellent opportunities for real-time dialogue, allowing your team to address community concerns and feedback directly.

?? Tip: Use your website, newsletters, and social media to disseminate information and maintain interactive platforms for two-way communication.

Engage the community in decision-making processes

Resident involvement in the fledgling stages of projects increases community engagement and a shared sense of ownership in the project and partnership with your team.

But keep in mind that your residents and the experts involved in a given project will approach a project from different angles; therefore, it’s critical to take a measured, strategic approach to how you engage your community and to what degree.

Host and lead focus groups

Citizen advisory committees or focus groups can be more efficient than soliciting broad feedback from the community at large. They can help gather diverse perspectives from within the community in an organized, manageable, and effective way. By creating and facilitating these groups, your team can establish a clear line of sight into your community's unique needs, preferences, and concerns related to specific projects or topics.

As an added benefit, those involved in these groups often experience—and demonstrate—a heightened sense of community pride and engagement over the project's duration.

Go beyond listening: incorporate community feedback

Going beyond listening and incorporating this feedback can ensure that your projects align with the community's vision and values — and even improve your project exponentially. Don’t write off strange, controversial, or “bad” ideas, or clashing opinions — rather, work to understand why the suggestion was made so that the project team can consider it when finalizing the project and strategy.

Make processes easier for residents to navigate

We all know by now that technology alone isn’t enough to solve all our problems. In fact, the wrong technology can create a whole mess of new challenges we were better off without.

However, the right technology, in the right hands, for the right reasons, can truly be a game-changer for building departments set on improving resident satisfaction. This is especially true for:

●??????? Increasing efficiency and productivity within your building department, leading to quicker turnaround times and reduced backlogs.

●??????? Enhancing accessibility for residents who can access services and information at their convenience without the need for in-person visits.

●??????? Improving transparency as residents can easily track the status of their applications and stay informed throughout the process.

●??????? Cost savings for both your municipality and residents thanks to reduced paper usage, reduced travel costs, and optimized staff time.

Introduce user-friendly portals

Online permitting systems and self-service portals offer two-fold benefits. Residents can submit permit applications, track progress, and access information 24/7. At the same time, your team can streamline the permitting process, reduce paperwork, and achieve faster application reviews.

Provide more convenient services

Mobile applications and virtual inspections enhance convenience for residents and your team alike. Mobile apps allow residents to schedule inspections, view results, and communicate with inspectors directly from their smartphones, while Remote Video Inspections (RVI) minimize the need for disruptive on-site visits, free up your senior staff for more complex projects, and tackle your backlogs more quickly.

?? Tip: Technology specifically developed for building departments can take your resident satisfaction even further.

Collaborate with local businesses and organizations

Building strong partnerships and collaborating with local organizations, businesses, and community groups is another vital strategy for building community engagement and resident satisfaction. These partnerships provide different perspectives, insights, and advantages than those provided by individual residents.

For example, partnering with a local housing advocacy group can help identify challenges faced by residents in accessing affordable housing or navigating the permitting process; partnering with a local, sustainable technology company could influence how a project is powered or located.

Educational workshops and volunteer events are also good ways to show your commitment to and prioritization of the members of the community you serve. Furthermore, these engagements can provide valuable information and resources to residents and foster a sense of shared responsibility.

Step into greater resident satisfaction

To truly level up your building department, you must evaluate what stands in your way of delivering excellent customer service. Then, you must address the issues in front of you. Whether it’s insufficient technology, expertise, or simply not enough hands to go around, we’re here to support municipalities like yours.

Let’s bring your vision to life!

Simplify your building department with electronic permitting

PS: We’ve helped hundreds of communities simplify resident experiences and boost satisfaction. Subscribe to this newsletter for more updates like this to level up your community management.