An Introduction to Virtual Town Hall

1. An Introduction toVirtual Town Hall Bill Letsky Vice President 07-26-10

2. The Evolution of Town Services • Now: Significant Constituent Interactions • Information Dissemination • Budget Reports, Committee Meeting Minutes • New Business, New Resident, & Visitor Information • Updated Calendars & Agendas • Access to Property Data & Maps • On-Site Search Engines • Email Subscriber Services • Downloadable Content • Permits, Licenses, Applications • Rules & Regulations, Filing Procedures • Maps

3. The Evolution of Town Services • Now: Significant Constituent Interactions • E-Commerce • Property Tax Lookup & Payment • Utility Bills • Recreation Registration • Online Bidding • Miscellaneous Transactions • Citizen Engagements • Comment Forms & Request Tracking Services • Online Surveys & Polling • Participation/Volunteer Opportunities

4. Why Virtual Town Hall? • Well Qualified • Established 1998 • Sole Focus: Municipal Sector • 300+ Municipal Clients (~50 in NH) Headquarters: Maynard, MA Data Center: Portland, ME • Ala-Carte Menu of Modules to Expand Town Online Capabilities

5. A Sampling of NH Virtual Town Hall Clients Neighbors: Hampstead Lee North Hampton Plaistow Rye Seabrook Stratham Others: Bedford Belknap County Derry Hopkinton Lebanon Rochester Wolfeboro

6. VTH: Technology is Important • Content Management System • Feature Rich • Subscribable E-Alerts RSS Feeds • Dynamic Content Areas Intentions Navigation • Service Requests Surveys • Calendaring WYSIWYG Editing • Photo Galleries Minutes & Agendas • Google Search Google Urchin Stats • Version 10.0 release Spring, 2010 • Time Warner Data Center • Secure, 24/7, Redundant Hosting

7. VTH: Service Centric • Address the Realities of the Gov Sector

8. VTH: Service Centric • Address the Realities of the Gov Sector • Towns are short staffed

9. VTH: Service Centric • Address the Realities of the Gov Sector • Towns are short staffed • Varying levels of staff comfort with defining the appropriate web content

10. VTH: Service Centric • Address the Realities of the Gov Sector • Towns are short staffed • Varying levels of staff comfort with defining the appropriate web content • Varying levels of staff technical proficiencies

11. VTH: Service Centric • Address the Realities of the Gov Sector • Towns are short staffed • Varying levels of staff comfort with defining the appropriate web content • Varying levels of staff technical proficiencies • Lack of resources and time to keep track of evolving online technologies

12. VTH Service Centric Model4 Areas of Focus I. Content Development II. Content Management III. Quality Assurance IV. Technology Partner Network

13. VTH Service Centric Model4 Areas of Focus I. Content Development - Best Practices topics for each dept - On-Site Planning Meetings -each dept - No limit on # of pages built - Focus on Quick Access to Core Info - Tools to Solve Business Problems Burn Permits Harbor Moorings RFPs/IFBs Board/Committee Recruitment

14. VTH Service Centric Model4 Areas of Focus II. Content Management - Simple, Easy-to-Update CMS - On-Site Training of Town Staff - Sharing of Page Wizards across Clients - Unparalleled & Unlimited User Support

15. VTH User Support • Unlimited Access to our Customer Support Team: M-F, 9-5 • Phone • Email • Instant Message • Comprehensive Support Site • Monthly Online Tutorials

16. Examples of Unsolicited Client Feedback March 23, 2010 We have received many compliments on the website and so far everything is going very well. I will say the support staff has been extremely helpful to me when I have questions. They are all very knowledgeable and willing to assist. It is really great to have the back up support. - Julie Doucet, Town of Harvard, MA January 29, 2010 I am recently retired after 30 years working in an IT support capacity for a major manufacturing company. I know what serving a high tech customer base is like. The support that Middleton MA has received since go-live on Dec. 3 of last year, was as good an example of IT customer support that I can recall in my long experience. - Roger Talbot, Town of Middleton, MA February 23, 2010 I wanted to let you know how happy we have been with the support we have been getting through your Support Group.  Everyone response quickly when I need help. You have a great team! - Alison Kepple, Town of Moultonborough, NH

17. VTH Service Centric Model4 Areas of Focus III. Quality Assurance • Quality Assurance Staff Position • Periodic Client Reviews • Home Page Suggestions • Broken Links Report • Empty Links Report • Dept/Board Automation Script • Refresher Training • Regional User Group Meetings

18. VTH Service Centric Model4 Areas of Focus IV. Technology Partner Network Best of Breed Relationships CRM: GovQA Online Payments: Unibank, MCC Custom Payment Apps: Meerkat Video Streaming: Earth Channel GIS Online Mapping: PeopleGIS, Cartographic Associates

19. Service Requests Surveys & Polling Online Payments New Website Video Streaming GIS/Maps Online Rec. & Events Registration Email & Intranet Services Database Access

20. Lets Look at Some Sites

21. Implementation Schedule • Phase One: Homepage Design (3 weeks++) • Strategic Goals & Objectives • Design Element Preferences • Prototype Development & Selection • Phase Two: Site Development (9 weeks) • Planning Meetings by Department • VTH Best Practices Load • Data Gathering by Department • Full Site Development- No Content Limits • User Training • Testing & Sign-offs • Website Launch (& SEO, PR Kit)

22. VTH Website Ballpark Costs • One-Time Charges • Complete Site Graphic Design & Architecture • Complete Content Identification, Dept. by Dept. • VTH Best Practices • Complete Content Load • Requirements Analysis by Department • On-Site for Individual Meetings with Key Depts. • User Training Sessions (5 Primary Users) • On-Site for Group & Individual User Training Cost: $3,995 • Annual Cost • Secure Hosting, Ongoing Support, Application Upgrades Cost: $2,750 3 Year Spread Option Available Hold Annual Cost Fixed & Spread One-Time Charges across three years: $4,082 per year.