Do you work in stakeholder engagement? Tick. Do you enjoy gifts? Tick (who doesn’t). Well, to be honest, that’s all you need to get some joy from this festive round-up of practical gifts your stakeholder engagement team definitely need.
We all know that stakeholder engagement is the gift that keeps on giving: you get to understand who your stakeholders are, unlock the voices of the minority, gain insights and feedback into what you are doing right, or perhaps what you might be doing wrong… it’s exciting, fulfilling, and crazy!
Even though your stakeholders are a wealth of knowledge and expertise on project matters, sometimes, you just need a little help and support to really make the most of your engagement efforts.
5 Gifts Your Stakeholder Engagement Team Need
So, we thought we would wrap up the top five gifts you should really consider purchasing before this year is over.
- One Time Machine
- Two System Integration
- Three Christmas Cards
- Four Magical Elves
- Five Thousand Ready-to-Engage Stakeholders
1. One Time Machine
We know time machines aren’t entirely accessible, yet. But, we do know how beneficial one could be to your team. Just imagine having the ability to alter time!
Time is one resource we can all agree is lacking. Whether it’s the amount of time we have available to plan, design, and launch a new engagement project or perhaps just the quick turnaround of stakeholder comms – it can go by, very fast. So we need to make sure we make the most of it!
Okay, so a time machine might not be feasible but, saving time searching for that one very specific spreadsheet is definitely a reality. A stakeholder management platform that has easy-to-use and customisable data capture tools to record and analyse a rich history of stakeholder interactions should do the trick.
2. Two System Integration
Want to automate your data flow for enhanced stakeholder engagement? Well, say goodbye to manual data entry and hello to automated efficiency. Both Social Pinpoint and Consultation Manager share a common purpose to engage with and better understand the perceptions of their stakeholders and community members, to improve decision making and collectively create a better future for people and place.
By integrating these platforms together, you can seamlessly transfer your stakeholder and engagement data from Social Pinpoint to Consultation Manager, all within a controlled and tailored framework. With this synergy, you gain the capacity to streamline processes, boost efficiency, and enhance stakeholder engagement strategies.
3. Three Christmas Cards
We know Christmas cards are considered a tradition. But, why three? One you can email, one to send via sms, and one that’s public facing, to ensure comprehensive communication and outreach to every stakeholder!
Every stakeholder is unique and they possess each of their own specific needs, concerns, and requirements. This can also extend to their preferred communication methods. Therefore, it’s important to understand what are the best communication channels to connect with your stakeholders, as this can greatly affect your team’s engagement efforts. With a stakeholder relationship management platform, you can inform, consult, and engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way across multiple channels by utilising methods such as email and SMS tools. By using platforms such as Social Pinpoint, you can also utilise content tools such as a follow button to understand your stakeholder groups interests.
These tools can keep your stakeholders in the loop by delivering the right message with confidence by segmenting your stakeholder groups and reading the room before you hit send.
4. Magical Elves
This is simply a no-brainer. We all need magical elves to help review feedback, tag common themes, analyse sentiment and package up our data into tidy reports. I suggest you track down at least four to help.
If you aren’t able to find any magical elves, however, ensuring your stakeholder management platform has 24/7 support, live chat, and access to a dedicated customer success manager will definitely help.
5. Thousand Ready-to-Engage Stakeholders
In an ideal world, all of our stakeholders would be motivated to engage and contribute their insights at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Whether it’s a time commitment, inaccessibility, poor communication, or lack of trust, there are a few pivotal factors that might be inhibiting your engagement.
Our stakeholders’ time is incredibly precious, so we need to make sure our projects are transparent and our stakeholders feel valued. With Consultation Manager, you can account for a wide range of perspectives from your stakeholders and honestly communicate how they have impacted your decision. By connecting with these stakeholders, your openness will in-turn lead to increased engagement and feedback.
We hope you enjoyed our take on the top 5 gifts for your stakeholder engagement team. Stakeholder engagement can be fun, rewarding, and busy, so having a time machine, some magical elves, or even just a robust, centralised source of information with Consultation Manager will make your life a lot easier (we swear).
Reach out to our team today to understand how Consultation Manager can empower your engagement strategy and take your stakeholder management to new heights.
This article has been updated from 2021.
