Oh, hi!
Last week, I wrote about Denver’s decision to reject a nearly $4 million contract extension for its AI chatbot and why implementing technology doesn’t necessarily mean improving the resident experience.
But there’s another part of this conversation we need to have.
You can invest millions in the best technology available, but if you don’t have the right people, the right teams, and the right mindset behind it, none of it matters.
Improving the resident experience starts with people, not platforms.
Who’s actually thinking about the resident?
When I became Chief Digital Officer in Gilbert, Arizona, I built a digital communications team from the ground up.
I wasn’t just looking for people who could manage a website or post on social media. I wanted people who understood audiences, knew how to tell stories, could interpret data, and weren’t afraid to challenge how government had always done things.
We hired creative thinkers, digital strategists, and even one of the first data storytellers in local government.
Because the goal was never simply to have better technology.
The goal was to make government more accessible, responsive, and relevant to the people we served.
Meet residents where they are
Cities spend a lot of time thinking about how they want to communicate with residents instead of how residents actually want to communicate with them.
We build websites and expect people to visit them.
We launch apps and expect people to download them.
We hold public meetings and wonder why the same handful of people show up.
Meanwhile, residents are busy living their lives.
They’re scrolling Instagram, watching YouTube, checking text messages, getting their kids to school, going to work, and trying to get dinner on the table.
They aren’t waking up wondering what’s new on their city’s website.
And they shouldn’t have to.
Meeting residents where they are means designing communications and services around their lives, not asking them to organize their lives around government.
That might mean a text instead of a mailed notice. A short video instead of a lengthy press release. A simple online interaction instead of another phone call.
The point isn’t to push everyone toward the newest technology. It’s to understand what works for the people you’re trying to reach.
Build teams that think differently
As cities invest in AI and digital transformation, they also need to rethink the skills and perspectives represented on their teams.
Technology expertise matters.
But so do communications, storytelling, design, data analysis, community engagement, and an understanding of human behavior.
And those skills can’t operate in separate silos.
Your IT team might know how to implement a new platform, but does someone understand how residents will actually use it? Or why they would want to use it?
Your communications team might know how to promote a new service, but were they involved in designing the experience in the first place?
Your data team might know how many people used a service, but is someone asking whether those people actually got what they needed?
The best resident experiences happen when these teams work together from the beginning, not when communications is brought in at the end to announce what everyone else built.
Invest in the people, not just the platforms
AI has enormous potential to make government more responsive, efficient, and accessible.
But AI won’t fix a broken resident experience if the people implementing it don’t understand what needs to change.
And a new platform won’t suddenly make departments collaborate if they’ve spent decades working independently.
That takes leadership. It takes the right talent. And it takes a culture where everyone, regardless of department or job title, understands that serving residents is the reason they’re there.
So I’d challenge local government leaders to look at the next big technology investment they’re considering and ask:
Are we investing as much in the people responsible for the resident experience as we are in the technology?
And before asking, “What technology do we need?” maybe the first question should be:
Because the technology will keep changing.
The need to understand and serve people won’t.
Talk soon,
Dana
About Dana
Former Emmy-winning television producer and Chief Digital Officer. Built Gilbert, AZ's national award-wining Office of Digital Government. Now helping city communicators tell stories that build trust.
Oh, hi! Stories Podcast: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Trusted by city leaders, PIOs, and civic innovators across the country.
{{rp_refer_url}}