The very first version of the community app was built in 2018. The CEO of Future Dialog explains what led to creating an effective two-way communication channel for local governments.
According to Hendrik Hindov, CEO of Future Dialog, the idea for the community app started sizzling about 5 years ago and was led by his own personal experience. “I often found myself thinking that I wanted to be informed better about what was going on in my community. Municipality websites and Facebook groups are undoubtedly good channels for this. Still, looking at how comment sections in the group blew up over some of the proposals, and not in the most constructive way, they do not encourage people to participate in the discussion. Therefore, we needed to create a platform where residents could quickly obtain the information they needed and get involved in community decision-making,” stated Hindov about what prompted him to find a solution to bring the municipality closer to the residents.
The Future Dialog community app is suitable for any local government looking for ways to engage their residents and start meaningful dialogues. The application allows the municipality to quickly and directly ask people for feedback. Residents can also ask questions from the local authorities on any municipality issues. Each personalized app also contains a calendar of upcoming events and allows sending out the most important current news.
According to Hendrik Hindov, the Future Dialog community application is a tool that brings local power closer to the residents. “The core of our solution is to help the local government be a proactive, reactive, and interactive companion for its residents. The mobile app makes reading news and contributing to the community transparent and available to residents around the clock. We help initiate active conversations and make data-driven decisions without wasting resources.”
In Estonia, the community app is currently used by five municipalities: Elva municipality, Hiiumaa municipality, Järva municipality, and others. Future Dialog has also caught the eye of Swedes, and in Finland, ten local governments already use the community app. The company’s ambition is to further expand to other Scandinavian countries.