\The Village of New Haven, Michigan, transformed how it connects with nearly 7,000 residents by implementing GOGov's comprehensive communication platform. Facing challenges with social media-only outreach, the village adopted a mobile app, push notifications, and SMS/voice alerts to ensure every resident could stay informed. The results? Increased engagement, reduced staff workload, and residents actively requesting more updates. Discover how this tight-knit community leveraged modern technology to strengthen civic connections while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

About New Haven, Michigan

The Village of New Haven is a close-knit bedroom community located along I-94 in northern Macomb County, Michigan. Conveniently situated between Detroit and Port Huron, residents have easy access to the freeway for commuting or travel. With just under 7,000 residents packed into only 2.5 square miles, New Haven is the third-largest village in Michigan by population density.

What truly sets New Haven apart is its strong sense of community, pride, and connection. The phrase "it takes a village" perfectly embodies the spirit of New Haven, where residents regularly come together to support one another, local charities, and community programs. From volunteering at the food pantry to participating in community dinners and sporting events, civic engagement and neighborhood pride are central to life in New Haven.

The Challenge that Led New Haven to GOGov

One of the primary challenges for the Village of New Haven was effectively communicating with residents about important announcements, village events, and other community updates. Historically, the village relied on its official Facebook page and an unofficial community group to share information. However, leaders recognized that not all residents use social media, and some prefer to stay off these platforms entirely.

When the village president took office, increasing transparency and improving communication became a top priority. The village began exploring solutions that would allow residents to opt in to notifications, rather than receiving blanket alerts. As the president explains, even residents who only followed the official Facebook page had a chance to see updates, but GOGov made communication far easier: residents could download the app, opt into notifications, and receive targeted updates tailored to their interests.

During this search, the village discovered GOGov citizen notifications, which offered not only a notification system but also a mobile app with applets and targeted links, enabling residents to quickly access relevant parts of the village website.

How is New Haven Using GOGov Today?

Multi-Channel Communication Strategy

The Village of New Haven uses GOGov's mobile app, citizen notifications, and SMS Texting/Voice Call integration to keep residents informed. Initially, the village launched their app, My New Haven MI and notification system, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community.

While push notifications were effective, leaders recognized that residents receive numerous notifications on their phones daily, making it easy for important messages to get lost. The addition of GOGov's SMS feature helped address this challenge, elevating critical alerts and ensuring residents see them.

The village has seen increased engagement and found that residents are now more informed about community updates, from important announcements to event reminders, thanks to the combined use of the mobile app, notifications, and SMS alerts.

Impact and Success

Positive Community Response

The Village of New Haven has seen positive early wins with GOGov. Residents have embraced the mobile app and notification system, with some even reaching out to suggest updates that should be shared through the platform.

Village President Brian Meissen notes that the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "We're not getting any negative feedback about receiving too many notifications—if anything, people are hungry for them. They want to know what's going on, and they're encouraging us to use the app more," he says.

The combination of the mobile app, citizen notifications, and SMS alerts has increased engagement and helped residents stay informed about community events, important announcements, and other updates in real time.

Real-World Impact – Putting Applets to Use

Waste Management Solution

GOGov has had a meaningful impact on the Village of New Haven, helping streamline operations and improve resident communication. One notable example involved a transition between waste management companies, which initially caused missed pickups and resident complaints. The village quickly created a form for residents to submit their issues, which was added as an applet in the My New Haven mobile app. Residents could easily fill out the form, and the village could forward the feedback directly to the waste hauler. The waste company later implemented its own form, which the village integrated into the app, further simplifying the process for residents and ensuring timely resolution of complaints.

Annual Summer Festival Enhancement

Another significant use case is the village's annual summer festival. To help attendees navigate the event, the village created a dedicated page within the app featuring maps, shuttle routes and schedules, restroom and first aid locations, and other key information. By placing this page prominently in the app, the village made it easy for residents and visitors to access all festival details in one place, enhancing the event experience and encouraging app downloads.

These examples highlight how GOGov's platform not only facilitates efficient communication but also empowers the village to provide timely, actionable information directly to residents' fingertips.

Measuring Success

Reduced Call Volume and Increased Self-Service

While the Village of New Haven does not track formal metrics, leaders have noticed clear, positive outcomes since implementing GOGov and its applets. Residents are able to self-serve for common tasks, such as paying water bills or submitting feedback about waste services, reducing call volume and easing the workload for staff.

The village also periodically reviews app download and install rates through GOGov and has been very pleased with the adoption. These insights, combined with the practical impact of the applets, demonstrate how the platform is helping the village streamline communication and improve service delivery.

Advice to Other Municipalities

Cost-Effective Communication Solution

Village President Brian Meissen encourages other local governments to consider the cost-effectiveness and value of GOGov's platform.

"For a relatively low cost, we were able to work with GOGov to have a branded mobile app for our community," Meissen says. "When I think about all the ways we try to communicate with residents, it always comes up—why not do a mailer? But if we did a mailer every time we wanted to share information, the cost would far outweigh the investment we made with GOGov. The mobile app, notifications, and text messaging allow us to reach residents quickly and reliably. I would definitely recommend giving it a look and considering how you communicate with your community—it's extremely cost effective."

Your Municipality Powered by GOGov

GOGov is committed to helping municipalities and local governments enhance community engagement, streamline operations, and foster transparent communication. Our partnership with New Haven demonstrates the potential of our solutions to make a meaningful impact on local governments and districts of all sizes, and our continued efforts to improve and innovate further.  

GOGov specializes in providing CRM, Code Enforcement, Citizen Notifications, Online Permitting and mobile software to local governments of all sizes. We built our software from the ground up working with the departments and staff that now use our products every single day.

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