Using Mobile Phones for Service Delivery webinar

Affordable Program Delivery Through Mobile Phones

October 2012

Introductions…

Introductions

• Laura Quinn, Executive Director of Idealware• Kate Bladow, Powered Pursuits• Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net• Vince Morris, Arkansas Legal Services Partnership

A New, Mobile World

87% of all American Adults Have a Cell Phone

Pew Internet, February 2012

They’re Not Just Using them to Make Calls

Pew Internet, May 2011

They Are Legal Aid Clients, Too2012 Survey ofGeorgia Clients

Council

92 respondents82% had cell phonesAdditional services for those with cell phones• Text messaging 93.9%

Email 45.5% • Internet access 39.4%

Voice mail 66.7%

2012 Survey ofMLSA Hotline

22 responses82% had cell phones63% of those had smartphones

Providing Information

How Does Your Website Look on a Phone?

A mobile website is the core of many mobile strategies.

If you’re going to engage them on a phone, they need to be able to find you on their phone.

www.MobilePhoneEmulator.com

Creating A Mobile-Friendly Site

Make your current site mobile-friendly…

Or build one particularly for mobiles

Or Create Your Own Simple App

Apps need to be downloaded in advance, but then are available even offline.

Tools like AppMakr, Swep Apps, MobBase will help you create very simple apps for $100-$200… but generally, you’ll need a programmer

Use QR Codes to Make Paper Interactive

Let someone find out more about something they’re interested in

http://www.thebigwild.org/

MontanaLawHelp.org & Mobile LawHelp Platform

A mobile website that provides access to MontanaLawHelp.org’s self-help and referral information

It was created on the mobile LawHelp.org platform.

LawHelp Mobile Platform

• 2010 TIG grant to Montana Legal Services Association

• Project partners: Colorado Legal Services, Northwest Justice Project and Pro Bono Net

• Available to all LawHelp states by end of 2012

• Developed in HTML5• LawHelp content can be tagged

for display on the mobile site• Or mobile-specific versions of

resources can be created • Supports up to three “channels” of

content• Channels can return location-

specific results

LawHelp mobile platform

What Did We Learn About Mobile Sites?

• Learn from other mobile projects• HTML5 avoids many cross-platform issues• Allow extra time for development • Develop a mobile-specific content strategy

• Mobile loves plain language!• Usability testing and iterative feedback is invaluable• “Email this” features are helpful on mobile

Keep it simple

• “I like all of the legal topics pop up so it’s easy to see what the options are.”

• “It was very easy to follow the subtopics.”

• “Followed links through several pages, headings descriptive enough to lead to appropriate place.”

• “I think the simple layout/color scheme helps. It's not too busy.”

• “Love that there are videos you can watch on your phone.”

What’s Next for LawHelp Mobile?

• 2012 TIG grant to Legal Assistance of Western New York will add: – Support for Spanish

mirror version– LiveHelp integration

• Other user suggestions:– Search engine– Icons indicating resource

formats– Map feature

Other Upcoming Mobile Projects

2013 TIG Projects

• 2013 TIG to Georgia Legal Services Program to pilot SMS text messaging to provide legal information & referrals from statewide websites (with WA, NY and IL)

• 2013 TIG to Legal Aid Services of Northeastern Minnesota “Pro Bono to Go” TIG

CitizenshipWorks.org Mobile App

• Provides access to the CitizenshipWorks Immigration Legal Services Directory and information about the naturalization process

• Calculators to determine critical aspects of eligibility

• Customizable checklist of documents to complete naturalization application

• Q&A to test user’s familiarity with civics questions

• Available for Android in November and iOS in December

• English and Spanish versions

Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation iProBono

iPhone app version of iProBono

iProBono allows you to• View current pro bono case listings.• Filter current cases by case type or

Arkansas county via keyword search.

• Request cases through the app via the "I Want This Case" button.

• Access accepted cases in the "My Cases" view.

• Read up-to-date stories delivered by the "Justice News" RSS feed.

• Find free Arkansas legal resources.

Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services

They’re more likely to be looking for quick information about you than for in-depth information

Print advertisement allows people to link directly to their mobile app

Conversations with Constituents

Sending Texts From Email

Email [phone number@provider]i.e., [email protected]

Not officially supported, so not 100% reliable or for large quantities

A reasonable choice for small numbers of texts

Sending Broadcast Texts

If you’ve collected cell phone numbers, you can text them messages – very similar to broadcast email

Rock the Vote

Ask People to Subscribe

Two-way Conversations

HELP

Can you volunteer this Sat from 1-4? Type YES or NO

YES

Great! We’ll see you @ 13 Pier st. @ 1:00 pm. Thanks!

Want to help? Text “Help” to 88888

You can setup automated responses, with lots of branch points if desired

Provide Information from a Database

Blue Ocean Institute

You can connect texts to a database, so people get automatic texts or responses

Collecting Information

People can report emergencies or incidents via SMS, which are collected in a database

Ushahidi

Lower Cost Options for Sending Texts

Very basic functionality for up 250 text messages for $10/month. More complex functionality available.

Up to 1000 texts/month starting at $69

More Full Featured Options

Full featured platforms which support complex campaigns

Easy-to-use interface, with sophisticated functionality (two way, targeted, giving more). Supports mobile giving through MGF. Plans start at about $400/month

Mobile texting capabilities via API, to allow programmers to synchronize texts with databases

CitizenshipWorks

A nationwide text messaging campaign, which sends immigrants information about US citizenship and helps them access free to low-cost legal help in their area

TXT4LIFEThe Crisis Connection

provides a suicide prevention hotline via text message.

They get 30 times as many texts as they

did phone calls.

Rate Your Ride

The program cost about $135K all together.

The Central Maryland Transportation

Alliance piloted a program to let high

school students and commuters rate the quality of their bus

service.

Rate Your Ride

Passengers could either answer a survey via mobile text or via a mobile website.

95% of respondents who said they were students answered by text, but only 50% of people going to work.

Rate Your Ride

In response, the MTA improved two bus lines and took over ownership of the service

Supporting Staff in the Field

Allow Staff to View Data in the Field

Allow Them to Enter Data

Especially if you have staff who work mostly in the field, it can save huge amounts of time to enter data remotely.

Collect Data

iPads or other tablets can be compelling for surveys or quick data collection… especially to clients or survey respondents who want to play with them.

Use Mobile Devices to Provide Programs

Can you let constituents use them to learn, interact, or otherwise further your mission?

Rolling Out Smart Phones to The Organization

Headway Emotional Health Services provided 50 case managers with smart phones to help them view and enter data from the field.

Rolling Out Smart Phones to The Organization

They paid $5000 upfront for the phones and $1200/ month for data plans (their system supported mobile access already)

They’re not tracking results directly, but it’s reduced scheduling conflicts and staff feel they’re more productive.

“I can schedule meetings and appointments just from looking at my phone. If I want to get something for my client, I can do that all from my phone, too.”

iPads for Special Education

The Reach School, a pre-school for kids on the autism spectrum, bought iPads, durable cases, and special education apps for each of their seven classrooms, for a total investment of about $7000.

Teachers use them to show videos, provide individual kids with learning games, and as a special treat.

What’s Most Compelling To You?