Case Study
You’ve been hired to lead the communications department at Northern Lights Electric Cooperative. Your first assignment—put together a strategic communications plan. To start, you need to gather information. Using page 5 of your workbook, take notes on the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities you can glean from the information below. You should be able to find 3-5 insights for each category. We will discuss findings together as a group in class.
Survey Results
Northern Lights Cooperative completes a member survey every two years. Surveys are a great resource to inform strategic planning. Not only do surveys allow you objectively see if you are moving the needle, but they can also highlight areas where you need to focus.
Northern Lights Electric Cooperative uses the Member Loyalty Index to track member loyalty. Above you can see their loyalty scores by length of membership. Overall their average MLI score is 83.
Northern Lights Electric Co-op members’ ratings for “My co-op is transparent and forthright with governance information” by county.
Results show that members are satisfied with the speed outages are resolved, but not as pleased with how they are kept informed during the outage.
Interviews
Employee Interviews
Listening to employees can provide a lot of insight, too. Member services employees will be able to share a lot about member sentiment and processes that could be improved. But don’t forget to examine the communication experience inside the organization, too. Talking with employees can provide direction on how to improve internal communications.
Member Interviews
If you’re looking for ways to improve, who better to ask than the members themselves? From learning their pain points to hearing about programs they wish you’d offer, interviewing members is a great way to inspire your plan. Hold focus groups, schedule virtual meetings, or simply pick up the phone and make a few calls.
Social Media Review
Surveys aren’t the only place your members will share their opinions. Comments on a co-ops social media page are a treasure trove of information. If you review the page carefully, you’re likely to notice themes start to take shape. Consider if any of the themes you identify deserve a place in your strategic plan.
Environmental Scan
Savvy communicators monitor NRECA’s issue briefs as well as toolkits and research. One issue Northern Lights is monitoring is the national scrutiny on governance practices. Additional insights about governance are available in the survey results section.
Company Strategic Plan
Northern Lights completes a companywide strategic plan every three years. This plan contains goals that the co-op has identified as important and is working to achieve. As a communicator, you should be very familiar with this plan. Determine how communications can help achieve these goals, and write it into your strategic communications plan.
