Year in review: website

Later this year we will be publishing our annual report for 2011/12. This is the third in a series of articles about the year just finished.  We would like your feedback to help shape our annual report.

Our website saw some significant improvements during 2011/12.  We refreshed the overall look of the site to provide an enhanced browsing experience and also improved the way we present and interact with you on news and information.

In July 2011 we introduced our new blog.  This exciting new way of informing you of our latest news, enabled readers to comment on the stories and put forward any relevant suggestions or queries they may have.  To date, there are over 500 news posts on our blog with at least two news stories being posted every week.  With visitors’ comments on the rise, it looks like the blog is becoming one of the many channels customers can get in touch with us.

Another area for improvement last year was the way you access information on our website.  We introduced an advanced new ‘wiki’ style information system supported by a powerful search engine.  Using our new ‘information’ system you can search for articles using keywords or you can browse through categories.  Once you have found the article you are interested in, you are able to read it, print it out or even contribute to it.  All articles are linked to each other using keywords and you will find suggestions for similar articles.  We ensure the ‘information’ articles are kept up to date and new ones are added continuously; there are 172 articles currently available for you to browse.

Along with the facelift of our homepage, these improvements meant that during the year we saw a 33% increase to the overall number of visitors to our site.

In 2012/13, improvements to our website will continue.  We are working to develop a mobile version of the site to make it easier for smart phone users to access our services and information on the go.  We will continue to add articles on our information wiki and in particular articles that make our decisions and services more transparent to you.

Priority will also be placed on improving the way you browse and apply for vacancies online as well as the way you can get a home from us.

What would be your priorities for improvements to our website and services available to you online?