The benchmark for local government service isn’t set by other councils; it’s set by the private sector.
In an era where we expect a photo of our doorstep delivery as standard, a simple text update for a customer request is increasingly insufficient. To maintain trust, frontline teams need the tools to provide that same level of visual proof.
In this edition of the Scoop, we are looking at how to meet this new standard by bridging the gap between your community and the field. We are focused on empowering your frontline teams to close the loop with customers and turn every Solve into a moment of transparency.
In this edition of the Scoop we’ll explore:
○ The evolution of community expectations
○ How Burnie City Council empowers field teams with Manage Works
○ Empowering your teams with the Solve App
○ Celebrating excellence in the field
The evolution of community expectations
Recent industry insights highlight a significant shift in community expectations driven by the digital customer experience provided by platforms like Amazon and Uber. In major 2025 state-wide surveys, only 52% of residents were satisfied with the information they received from their council, while nearly half explicitly stated they wanted more proactive updates. This data suggests that residents now expect the same real-time tracking and visual confirmation from local government that they receive from private sector delivery services. In this environment, a simple text update is increasingly considered a legacy approach. Modern communities now look for evidence of progress to feel a sense of transparency.
Data cited from Salesforce reveals that 75% of people expect government digital services to be as seamless and responsive as the best private sector experiences. They want to know if their request was received, if it’s being actively addressed, and exactly when it’s finished.
The emerging benchmark for this trust is the after photo. Much like a photo of a package on a doorstep, visual proof of a completed task has become the primary way to confirm a service has been delivered, turning a standard update into a moment of community connection.
How Burnie City Council empowers field teams with Manage Works
As an early adopter, Burnie City Council implemented our Manage Works module to create a direct link between customer reports and their Vegetation team. By putting digital tools directly into the hands of staff on the ground, the Council removed manual handovers and allowed technicians to manage their work queue from their mobile devices. This shift enables teams to investigate, Solve, and close the loop with a photo right from the field.
"The idea is to be able to send high quality community reports directly to the people that fix them," explains Joshua Bell, Business Analyst at Burnie City Council.
"That way, they can do all the solving on their tablets and mobile devices: they can investigate, they can do the work, and they can close the loop with the customer right there with a photo."
The results highlight the value of this mobile connection. Reports closed via Manage Works received 5% higher satisfaction from residents, and the rate of community feedback jumped from 14% to 24%.
By using these tools to capture after-photos, Burnie has simplified the routine for their crews while providing the visual transparency that builds immense community trust.
Empower your teams with the Solve App
Give your crews and contractors a dedicated tool built by the same team behind the award-winning Snap Send Solve app.
The Solve App provides an easy-to-use mobile interface for technicians to view their daily work order queue. Whether they are leaving for a site, arriving, or completing relevant checklists, the app simplifies activity every step of the way.
By replacing legacy technology and manual paper-based processes with smart digital tools, your team can focus on what they do best: Solving issues in the community.
The most important part of any Solve is letting the customer know it is sorted. The Solve App allows your field teams to capture and add after-photos the instant a job is complete, passing status updates back to the Snapper’s timeline to provide the digital transparency modern communities expect.
You can also hard-wire compliance into every job. Use the Work Order Builder to ensure that mandatory pre-work and post-work checklists are a standard part of every task. With these digital audit trails, you can monitor compliance and support your team in delivering consistent service across the council.
Celebrating excellence in the field
We love seeing our Solvers celebrate the people who make it all happen. The City of Perth recently hosted a morning tea with cupcakes for their field crews to celebrate their success at our Solver of the Year awards. As the winners of the Responsive Solver award for Western Australia, these teams are proof of what happens when you empower your frontline.
By providing consistent status updates, these field teams have directly improved the resident experience, earning stellar communication ratings across their community. This win highlights that when your crews have the power to keep residents informed, they aren't just fixing issues; they are building the trust that makes a city thrive.
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