What really speeds up request resolution with City of Darwin

What really speeds up request resolution with City of Darwin

Background

City of Darwin previously managed fault reporting through a mix of web forms, phone calls, and emails. While functional, these channels created duplicated effort, inconsistent report quality, and added admin work for staff.

To modernise and simplify reporting, City of Darwin adopted Snap Send Solve, introducing a mobile-friendly, unified platform. This move aligned with City of Darwin’s strategic goals: creating a safe and liveable city, supporting a smart and prosperous city, and delivering on its customer-first strategy.

The Transformation Journey

Keith Whannell, Manager Digital Innovation and Records at City of Darwin, explains:

“Our journey started by recognising the need to improve how faults were reported… We looked to introduce Snap Send Solve to bring everything into one mobile-friendly platform that helps us work smarter, not harder, not only for our community but for our staff.”

The team also tailored the platform with customised incident types with required questions, and specific alerts, ensuring every report captured the right information from the start.

Delivering High-Quality Reports

From the outset, City of Darwin prioritised accuracy and completeness in reports.

“An accurate report gives us everything we need to be efficient without needing to chase more info from our Snappers or to send someone to investigate it,” said Bern Howison, Supervisor Records Management at City of Darwin.

What makes a high-quality report?

• Accurate location
• Clear description
• Photos showing the issue and context
  
  

City of Darwin also developed tailored questions for each report type. For example, for illegal parking: they ask for the vehicle’s registration, whether it’s obstructing, and a supporting photo. This guided input means reports arrive ready to action, increasing first-point resolution.

Overcoming Challenges

Like many councils, Darwin initially had concerns about an increase in workload from an increase in community reports. Keith addressed this directly:

“The work is already out there, it’s just the channel of approach that was refined. For us, Snap Send Solve actually reduced workloads because the information we now receive is accurate and complete, enabling the operations team to act rather than chase missing details.”

City of Darwin also manages overlapping responsibilities with the Northern Territory Government. Snap Send Solve helped here, too:

“With Snap Send Solve we’re able to quickly identify and reassign reports when they fall under NTG responsibility instead of Council… It’s a small detail that has a big impact.” — Keith Whannell

Closing the Loop with the Community

City of Darwin’s communication with residents are a priority:

“It’s improved immensely. A lot of people now are just putting in a report… and we write back to the customers too. We message them to advise them if there’s a better incident type for next time. Communication is key.” — Bern Howison

And visibility remains key to building trust:

“It’s not just about receiving reports, it’s about empowering the community, improving our response times, and aligning with our strategic priorities.” — Keith Whannell

That focus on responsiveness and connection shows in the numbers: City of Darwin has achieved an 82% customer satisfaction rate; well above the national average.

Results and Next Steps

City of Darwin’s commitment to inclusive, high-quality service hasn’t gone unnoticed:

Inclusive Excellence Award – With an impressive 85% solve rate, City of Darwin leads the way in resolving overgrown vegetation/trees, footpaths, and accessibility-related issues. Their efforts are making public spaces safer and more inclusive for everyone.

Top 5 Councils Award – Recognised as one of the highest-rated councils across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, City of Darwin consistently delivers outstanding service and community satisfaction.

Since adopting Snap Send Solve, City of Darwin has achieved:

• Thanks to accurate, structured reports, the rate of first-time resolutions has increased from 20% to 90% of all reports.
• As residents increasingly use Snap Send Solve, there has been a 90% reduction in email volume.
• By aligning with task management systems, internal workflows have been streamlined, saving 5–10 minutes per report in both time and money.

Next steps include:

• Rolling out QR code stickers on public assets to make reporting easier
• Promoting ongoing education, awareness and before/after photos through marketing and social media
• Sharing quarterly reports with Elected Members for increased transparency
  
  

Conclusion

City of Darwin’s adoption of Snap Send Solve marks a shift from fragmented, manual processes to a smarter, mobile-first system, one that benefits both the community and council teams.

As Keith and Bern summarised:

“Snap Send Solve has helped us deliver a simpler, smarter process for everyone… We’ve come a long way from the basics, and it’s exciting to keep improving the way City of Darwin connects with the people that sustain us.”

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