Tavares as an Early Adopter of Digital Optimization Solutions

The City of Tavares has paced its adoption of smart technology in tandem with its citizens’ evolving expectations and the emergence of new technologies.

“We’ve been an early adopter of new communication technologies emerging for citizen engagement,” said a representative of Tavares. “From the time the Internet became widely available, we’ve always looked ahead—to our website, to social media, to mobile—we’ve been extremely forward-thinking in how we have embraced new technologies.”

Tavares’ strategy has revolved around diversification of its solutions to maximize adoption and access. As a result, a core component of Tavares’ software stack is the CivicPlus^® Civic Experience Platform and the solutions that comprise its unified service center, including the CivicEngage^® website solution, the SeeClickFix 311 and citizen relationship management solution, and the CivicClerk^® agenda and meeting management solution.

Eliminating Barriers to Citizen Service Using Technology

Tavares implemented SeeClickFix to elevate its citizen request management capabilities. The City’s decision to implement SeeClickFix represented a smart and well-thought-out approach to using technology to improve citizens’ lives.

“Before SeeClickFix, if a citizen had a request or concern, they’d come into City Hall, or call, or email,” said the representative from Tavares. “We were risking citizen requests getting lost in the mix. In addition, we didn’t have a dedicated funnel to receive and distill inquiries. SeeClickFix has since become the vehicle for complaints management. When we implemented the solution, the improvements were instantaneous. As a result, our customer experiences improved, and our internal staff experiences improved too.”

Amplifying Access to Public Meetings Using Live Video Streaming Tools

In 2021 the City migrated to online meetings quickly; leaders quickly identified a need for software designed with functionality specific to the needs of public sector meeting management.

“CivicClerk allows us to live stream directly to our website and tie bookmarks between our agenda and our recorded videos,” they said.

Tavares used CARES Act funds to help pay for its investment in the CivicClerk agenda and meeting management.

“When we decided to integrate and upgrade everything, the CivicPlus Civic Experience platform was the perfect solution,” said the representative from Tavares.” We have an important responsibility in local government to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. We are always re-evaluating our solutions to ensure we are choosing the best software that we can get for those dollars.”

The Value of a Single Platform from a Trusted Partner

Planning the future of the City’s innovation roadmap is impossible without reflecting on the past year. To Tavares, a multi-solution partnership with CivicPlus has been a valuable investment.

“Our City understands the value of a good relationship,” they said. “We recognize this is a strong partnership with valuable solutions backed by amazing technical support. We have smart people supporting us, and there’s comfort in knowing we have that support.”