IAMU Informer
Follow IAMU!
  • Informer News Feed
  • IAMU Website

Communications Corner: Open Your Doors to Your Customers

6/30/2021

0 Comments

 
When is the last time that you invited the public into your facilities to get a glimpse of what being in the utility business is really like? Have you ever? Holding an open house and/or facility tour is a way for you to connect with your customers and help them to have a better appreciation for all that goes into making sure they have clean water to drink, electricity to charge their numerous devices, natural gas to heat their homes, and/or cable and high-speed internet to connect to the world.
 
When planning an open house or tour, here are some things to keep in mind:
 
  • Setting a date: Find a date and time that will work best for most people or piggyback off an already planned community event. People tend to have more free time in the evenings or on weekends. And if something else is already going on in the community, people will be out and about, and may swing by when they check out the other activities going on for the community event.
  • Getting the word out: Plan to invite your customers using various outlets. Create a Facebook event on your utility/city page and encourage employees, family, and neighbors to share the event on their personal pages. Make a simple flyer that you can post around town, including your own office, city buildings, parks, places of worship, businesses, and other locations where people gather. Be sure to let the local media know, too. Send out a simple media release to the newspaper and radio stations.
  • Planning the events/activities: With an open-house style event, people come and go. Some may be there for a few minutes; others may stay for the entire event. Have activities for both types of people. Have multiple tours that start every few minutes or when you hit a certain number of people who want a tour. Staff the event with various individuals from different areas with whom customers can chat to learn more about a particular area of the utility if they want. Have refreshments. They can be as simple as cookies and water/coffee/tea or more elaborate like a meal. Nothing fancy, think hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

      Subscribe To The Informer

      You can subscribe to The Informer by adding the RSS feed to your feed reader. Or, to request to be added to our weekly email blast, provide your information below.  NOTE-you must be an IAMU member (utility, affiliate, or associate) to receive the email blast.
    Submit

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

Picture

Copyright 2018 Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities