Ararat Rural City has a population of over 11,000 and is situated 198km west of Melbourne on the Western Highway which connects the region to Adelaide.
Overview
Client since 2022.
Ararat Rural City has a population of over 11,000 and is situated 198km west of Melbourne on the Western Highway which connects the region to Adelaide. It is a major regional service centre in Victoria’s mid-west and is supported by a number of small rural townships.
Requirement: Connecting to Customers
Using our DIY Website and DIY forms solutions, the Communications team at Ararat built their own council website and online forms solution. This was done with minimal support and training from Symphony3.
The Challenge
- Ararat’s existing website was outdated and needed a refresh.
- The communications team were keen to continue working with the Drupal CMS and in particular Drupal 9/10.
- The council had limited budget and needed to get a new website up and running quickly.
Solution Symphony3 Delivered
- Symphony3 launched its secure digital platform within 48 hours of acceptance of quote.
- Ararat were presented with a basic DIY website solution. The website was configured to match the Ararat style guide (with logo, colours and fonts) and generic council navigation and some sample pages.
- With limited training and support, Ararat staff were able to build a complete corporate website that is highly searchable and simple and easy for residents to use.
- The DIY forms solution was enabled after three months to allow Ararat to build their own digital forms.
Client Benefits and Outcomes
- Superior customer experience: Residents can easily find information and access services on the new website.
- Rapid deployment meant the old, outdated site could be taken down and replaced quickly and efficiently.
- Leveraging of platform community. Ararat were able to re-use templates and styles from other council clients saving time and money.
- Modular solution: As Ararat’s needs grow, they can add additional tools. They have already used this modular approach to add integrated online forms to their platform.
- Pay-as-you-go affordable solution: With no large upfront fees and an affordable monthly fee Ararat are maximising taxpayer money.
- Use of online training and support: Ararat staff used the online training videos and webinars provided by Symphony3 to its client community.
New secure website built within 48-hours.
“The DIY website solution makes it affordable and easy for councils like Ararat to build their own great-looking website. We have control of our structure and content like never before and can sleep easy knowing our site is on a highly secure SaaS platform. Most importantly residents can now access our information and services much more quickly and effectively than before.”
- Melanie Roberts. Organisational Transformation Lead, Ararat Rural City Council.