Hume’s Smart Approach to Issue Reporting

Located in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Hume City Council serves a rapidly growing population of over 260,000 residents. With a diverse demographic, including a significant number of young families and culturally diverse communities, Hume is dedicated to enhancing public spaces and ensuring accessible, user-friendly services for all.

Award-Winning Success

At the 2024 Solver of the Year Awards, Hume’s dedication to the community earned them the Snapper’s Choice Award in Victoria, standing out among 90 councils as a leader in enhancing local infrastructure and community experience.

Hume City Mayor Councillor Jarrod Bell said: “Thank you to our community - not only for using the Snap Send Solve app to report issues but also for recognising the hard work Council does in delivering on the Community Vision to create a thriving community with a strong sense of belonging for everyone.”

Complex Reporting Means Less Visibility

Hume City Council wanted to improve the way residents reported faulty or dangerous public assets, particularly playground equipment. Traditional reporting methods—such as calling the council, filling out lengthy forms, or visiting in person—are cumbersome and time-consuming, often discouraging residents from submitting reports. This complexity leads to fewer reports, which in turn reduces visibility on issues within the community. For the council, a lack of reports means limited insight into the performance of the infrastructure they’ve invested in, making it harder to address problems proactively. They needed a more accessible, fast, and efficient solution to capture detailed, accurate reports.

Solution: Asset-based reporting

To address this, Hume Council introduced 50 QR codes on their playgrounds, making issue reporting detailed and maintenance trackable over time. By scanning a QR code at each entrance, users can launch an instant form on their phone without needing to download the Snap Send Solve app or remember the name of the park. Once submitted, reports are instantly integrated into the council’s CRM system, and routed to the dedicated works teams, allowing for swift resolution.

Snap Send Solve data shows that QR code reports are 37% faster to complete than standard reports from first-time app users. With precise asset locations, QR codes align with known addresses, and increased use will improve accuracy and reduce Solver triage time.

Enhanced Accuracy and Tracking

QR code reports provided a dual advantage: not only were reports faster to submit, but they were also more precise. Each QR code is location-specific, ensuring that reports contain exact asset details. Additionally, council staff could track QR code scans, as well as associate Snaps with assets, providing insights into community engagement and identifying the most frequently reported issues.

Smarter Reporting for Faster Action

But the QR codes aren't the only updates Hume Council has made—they've also customised their Snap Send Solve form to ensure reports capture essential details for prompt action. Structured fields for specific issue types, such as syringe collection, improve accuracy by categorising reports appropriately. Additionally, pre-filled key data points reduce manual handling, allowing teams to triage and respond more efficiently.

And its not just Council teams seeing the benefits, local Snappers say:

“I have only put in a few snaps, but each one was solved within 48hrs.”

“Super impressed with the swift response. Also the action to get these snaps solved. Once solved I was sent a message to say the snap was actioned.”

“Speedy and high quality work.”

Community Impact and Future Expansion

Since 2023, Hume-based Snap Send Solve users have increased by 129%. More community members using Snap Send Solve means councils receive clearer, real-time reports, helping them address issues faster and improve local spaces efficiently. With such positive results, the council is eager to expand QR codes to more public assets, continuing to enhance community satisfaction.