How a 70% increase in reports led to 93% less work per Snap and an 18% increase in customer satisfaction for the City of Swan.
With over 163,000 residents and 1000 sq/km to look after, the City of Swan is one of the largest and fastest-growing councils in Australia. It’s also one of the most future-focused with an agile, customer-centric approach to solving community issues. And few digital solutions have made a bigger impact than Snap Send Solve.
Since our partnership began, the City of Swan has gone from getting 200 reports a month through traditional channels to 1,400 with Snap Send Solve.
“I’ve worked in lots of councils. One of the biggest fears around digital technology is the idea that the easier we make reporting issues, the harder it is for us to manage the increase in volume of work. At the City of Swan, we’ve seen the complete opposite.” - Alyce Higgins, Acting Manager Communication and Engagement
While some might see an exponential increase in reports as a bad thing, the seamlessness of Snap Send Solve has not only helped them manage the rise in reports, but also helped boost them to some of their highest customer satisfaction scores to date.
A shift in strategy
Up until a few years ago, 89% of City of Swan’s reports were handled over the phone and their satisfaction rate was flat at 66%.
Their customer base was growing and the demographics were shifting. People were asking for more seamless self-serve options—ones that didn’t require them to pick up a phone or write a lengthy email.
“Face to face and phone interaction have their place for technical and specialised advice. But for something simple like a broken tree or an illegal car park, it’s easier for customers to navigate through a self service channel. They don’t want to spend time on the phone or be transferred or have to document everything.” - Alyce Higgins
If the City of Swan wanted to stay ahead of the curve, business as usual wasn’t going to cut it. So they set an ambitious new goal to achieve a 70.9% customer satisfaction rating and turned to Snap Send Solve to help them achieve it.
Controlling the shift
The City of Swan’s partnership with Snap Send Solve began back in 2020, with council CRM integration going live in 2021. Despite the quick implementation (which took about a day) they knew change wasn’t going to happen overnight. The job they needed to do was two-fold.
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“We needed to manage the cultural change internally to make sure the organisation could travel along with the change and embrace the technology. For customers, we needed to shift the way we communicate and build confidence within the community. You don’t want to do things too rapidly. You want to organically grow your base, be agile and understand the benefits people get out of it.” - Alyce Higgins
By showing Snap Send Solve’s value, they built momentum inside and out. And with the wind at their back, further integration works took things to the next level in 2022. The council's systems now communicate with our platform in both directions— updating the app for residents, closing the loop and building trust with each Snap.
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Customer satisfaction soared with each integration.
2-way integration gave them the ability to communicate directly with customers, receive feedback, provide updates, close the loop and provide personalised follow ups. It built confidence in the platform both internally and externally. So, with everything in place and everyone onboard, Swan went all-in on promoting Snap Send Solve across the community.
By focusing the narrative away from their own accomplishments, and instead thanking community members for doing their bit, they’ve received 85% positive feedback. That’s almost unheard of for a metro council of their size.
Their patient approach paid off with the City of Swan winning the 2023 Solver of the Year.
Swan’s Success
“Once they saw the benefits, it went tenfold. Everybody wanted it. The delayed shift actually delivered us better outcomes because more people were invested in it and more people were confident in what it could deliver.” - Alyce Higgins
The City of Swan has transformed the way it engages with its community. By shifting from 89% phone-based reporting to a seamless digital experience, they’ve empowered residents to take action while giving staff the capacity to focus on what matters most—solving problems.
Taking it step by step ensured that Snap Send Solve wasn’t just another tool—it became part of how Swan works. This patience paid off with a smoother rollout, higher adoption, and lasting community trust.
Since their partnership with us began, the number of requests they get over the phone has dropped from 89% to 50%.
“As calls go down, Snaps go up,” Alyce explains. “We don’t have more workload across the month, it’s roughly the same. We’re shifting to a more cost effective and productive channel. So rather than $15 to action a phone call it’s 60 cents with Snap Send Solve.” This transformation wasn’t just about saving time or money. With Snap Send Solve’s embedded tools like photo attachments and GPS data, reports are more accurate - dropping manual data entry time from up to 10 minutes to just 40 seconds per report. The council’s staff can now prioritise functions that deliver faster, better resolutions.
“It’s not about not needing staff. It’s about increasing the capacity and capability of our staff to focus on the functions that deliver quality outcomes, not wasting time on manual admin work.” - Alyce Higgins
After embracing Snap Send Solve, the City of Swan has improved the customer experience at every level. Team members are empowered to deliver better outcomes, and residents feel heard and supported.
It’s no wonder customer satisfaction has jumped 18%, even with a 70% increase in reports.
The City of Swan has proven that when councils and communities collaborate, everyone wins.
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