Published March 26 2015
When the City of Bellevue introduced a mobile app last year, it launched a sophisticated promotion that included a survey on social media and gift cards to local restaurants and park attractions.
The city's communications team received an award Wednesday from the Public Relations Society of America for that promotion, which helped prompt more than 2,600 people to download the MyBellevue app over the past year.
"It's gratifying to be recognized for spreading the word last year," said Digital Communications Coordinator Claude Iosso, who accepted the award at a PRSA Puget Sound chapter dinner. "But why stop now? The app is still really convenient, so we'll keep telling people who live and work in Bellevue about it."
MyBellevue makes it possible for people to request services and access city news, jobs and social media easily with their smart phones and other portable devices. The one app covers all services, so you don't have to know which department to contact.
While top service request categories, not surprisingly, include pothole and streetlight repair, code violation reports, graffiti cleanup and public records requests, many people are using the app primarily for the "widgets" -- the links to city jobs, news, events, emergency notices, social media and other popular content.
MyBellevue is not only a mobile app. It's also the city's general request and customer service portal. There are links on the MyBellevue page for downloading the app from Apple, Google, Microsoft or Blackberry.
"When we acquired the app, its multiple features, ease of use and simplicity were key selling points," noted Toni Cramer, Bellevue's chief information officer. "It's great to see people out and about, taking advantage of all of those features."