NEW WHITE PAPER, “e-CONSTITUENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT FOR STATE LEGISLATORS,” REVEALS TOOLS AND TACTICS FOR HANDLING CONSTITUENT REQUESTS ON STATE LEVEL
Washington,
Aug 1, 2008 -
WASHINGTON - A white paper released by GW’s Institute for
Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI) and the Council of State
Governments-WEST (CSG-WEST) looks at adopting corporate “customer relationship
management” principles and practices on a state level, to help legislators
better manage constituent email, phone calls, and requests.
“Most state legislators realize how valuable building
relationships with their constituents is,” said Julie Barko Germany, director of IPDI and
author of the white paper. “However, things like resources, staffing, and
technical support vary by state, and not every state legislator has access to
the same tools and technology. This white paper was designed to help
legislators from all background use technology to manage those contacts and
build relationships with constituents in a more efficient, effective way.”
"State legislators are hungry for ways to bring
constituent communications into the 21st Century," said Mary Lou Cooper of
CSG-WEST. "This report will help
lawmakers do just that."
Among its many findings, the white paper recommends that
state legislatures address their philosophy about handling constituent requests
and building a strategy before thinking tactically about different tools and
applications. It includes sections on:
It includes practical case studies and advice on
- What
to consider before you begin to implement any CMR tactics.
- Principles
of constituent relationship management for state legislators.
- Case
studies on building better programs, managing constituent email,
developing a data strategy, and proactively using communications.
- What
to look for in a technology system.
- Data
privacy.
- Transitioning
from elected office to the campaign trail.
- Managing
constituent casework.
- Sorting
through from third party organizations.
The white paper includes interviews with state legislators
and IT staff, including Representative Janice E. Arnold-Jones (New Mexico State
House), Ric Cantrell (Chief Deputy, Utah State Senate), Representative Mike
Doogan (Alaska State House), Lee Harris (Legislative Data Center, California
State Legislature), Kevin Hayes (Session Information Office, Montana Sate
Legislature), Paul Mouritsen (Constituent Services, Nevada State Legislature),
and Bud Richmond (IT Analyst, Oregon State Legislature). It also includes the
advice and recommendations of CRM experts and inside-the-Beltway strategists,
including Daniel Bennett (Practitioner-in-Residence, IPDI), Peter Churchill
(Center for American Progress), Paul Greenberg (The 56 Group), Jeff Mascott
(Adfero Group), Chris Massicotte (NGP), Nick Schaper (Office of House
Republican Leader John Boehner), Thomas VanderWal (Inforcloud Solutions), and
Ken Ward (Adfero Group).
The report is available online at www.ipdi.org, the website
of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet.
The Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet
(IPDI) is part of the Graduate School of Political Management of The George
Washington University. Its mission is to promote the use of the Internet and
new communication technologies in politics to enhance democratic values,
encourage citizen participation and improve governance, at home and abroad; in
short, to “democratize democracy.”
IPDI conducts research that anticipates and interprets
trends; publishes studies and guidelines that that show candidates, public
officials and activists how to make the best use of the new communication
tools; and holds seminars and conferences that advocate best practices, teach
new skills and allow for the national and international exchange of ideas on
the democratizing uses of the Internet and other new technologies.
For more information
about IPDI, visit www.ipdi.org.
For more information
about GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, visit www.gwu.edu/~gspm.
- IPDI -
