Philadelphia Revolutionizes Ex-Offender Case Management with GovDelivery’s Interactive Text Platform

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 21, 2016 -- GovDelivery, the leading provider of cloud-based software solutions enhancing the citizen experience, today published a new case study highlighting the success of GovDelivery’s Interactive Text platform in improving results for Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Reintegration Services (RISE).  The success of RISE, which is tasked with facilitating the reintegration of Philadelphia’s ex-offenders, relies on its ability to communicate and connect with its audience. But with RISE caseworkers juggling nearly 100 clients at a time, meeting the needs of their stakeholders had become increasingly challenging.  To address this, the organization tapped GovDelivery’s interactive text capabilities to communicate with individuals on parole and/or re-entering society after being in prison.

Given that many of its clients don’t have Internet access at home, but that more than 90 percent of Americans own mobile phones, RISE turned to mobile technology to better reach and engage these ex-offenders. Using the GovDelivery platform, RISE was able to send reminders and updates to entire groups of program participants, as well as communicate one-on-one with individual clients via text, all from one central dashboard.

“This has revolutionized case management,” said Khalil Morrison, RISE Case Manager.  “People respond to a text much quicker than to a voice message.”

The solution enabled RISE to keep better track of clients, more quickly respond to high-priority situations, and better distribute their caseworkers’ time and effort.  The two-way nature of text also allowed for the collection of paystubs and other verification materials via photo message, negating the need for clients to appear in person or pay to fax these documents.  In addition to improving relationships and efficiency, RISE has seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in first-day-of-class attendance since the introduction of interactive texting through GovDelivery.

“Attendance has improved exponentially,” Morrison said. “Usually we enroll 60 people per class and 35 to 40 show up. In this round, we sent text reminders and had a full house,” Morrison said. “It shows the power of the right message at the right time.”

“With text messaging being the most-used digital communication technology in existence, interactive texting provides an easy and cost-effective way to foster greater engagement with the public and drive improved outcomes,” said Scott Burns, CEO of GovDelivery.  “Philadelphia is a city that’s very familiar with the power of technology to create a better citizen experience, so it was no surprise that RISE would leverage this nearly ubiquitous channel to not only better connect with but drive dramatically improved results for this group of citizens.”

For more information on the success of this program, please visit: https://www.govdelivery.com/blog/digital-outreach-2/philadelphia-rise-forging-a-better-connection-with-ex-offenders/.

About GovDelivery
Over one thousand public sector organizations use GovDelivery’s highly-secure cloud solutions every day to enhance the citizen experience for more than 100 million people. GovDelivery offers leading solutions for managing government communications, internal and external learning, and open data. The GovDelivery Network offers a unique and impactful way for public sector organizations to work together to cross promote content and increase digital reach. Organizations using GovDelivery see higher utilization of citizen services and greater citizen engagement. GovDelivery is an Actua (Nasdaq:ACTA) company.

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Media Contact:
Karen Greene
Managing Director Corporate Communications
Actua Corporation
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