PublicStuff

Last updated
PublicStuff
IndustrySoftware
Founded2010
FounderLily Liu, Vincent Polidoro [1]
Headquarters
United States  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
ProductsDigital Communication Systems
Website PublicStuff.com

PublicStuff is a digital communications system for residents to submit real-time requests in their neighborhoods. Accessed by traditional web browser, smartphone app, phone, or SMS, residents can use the system to submit issues, such as road maintenance or waste management, and create an issue tracking ticket.

Contents

Co-founders Lily Liu and Vincent Polidoro began to develop PublicStuff in 2009 and officially launched the service in 2010. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

To date, PublicStuff is used in approximately 250 cities in the United States. In 2015, PublicStuff was acquired by Accela, a San Ramon, CA-based Govtech company. [7]

Background

Liu created PublicStuff after a 10-year career in urban administration positions in California, Washington D.C., and New York City. [2] [4] [8] In a 2013 Forbes Magazine article, Liu was quoted as saying that, "I started really understanding how difficult it was for a city that wanted something that I believe every city should have: the ability to provide great customer service. But it was so difficult and so expensive. There wasn’t anything out-of-the-box, ready-to-go that allowed cities to better communicate with their residents." [2]

Early adopters of the PublicStuff software include Philadelphia, PA and Plano, TX. [2] The company has since added Tallahassee, FL, North Miami Beach, FL, Asheville, NC, Newport Beach, CA, Aurora, CO, Palo Alto, CA, and Daly City, CA, among others. [2] [9] [10]

Use

Local governments generally engage with PublicStuff on a contractual basis. As clients, municipalities have access to a CRM backend that allows staff to manage workflow, and make internal or public comments on resident requests. [2] Municipalities can customize the mobile app experience by, for example, modifying the user interface or adding widgets. [2]

Push notifications enable government officials to alert residents of ongoing events, emergency alerts, and status updates. [4]

PublicStuff is also available in municipalities that are not enrolled in the service. Requests in unsubscribed municipalities, termed "orphan requests," [3] are routed to the PublicStuff staff, who manually route the requests to the correct municipal department. [2]

Submitting a request

PublicStuff routes location-tagged photographs, written descriptions, and telephone-reported issues to relevant municipal departments and then relays status and outcome back to the user who filed the request. [3] Users can monitor issue status and add comments to request additional information. [3]

One Voice

PublicStuff's One Voice technology translates from 16 different languages, allowing residents that speak English as a foreign language to more easily submit requests. [4]

Funding

Prior to acquisition, PublicStuff raised $6.55 million in funding from FirstMark Capital, the Knight Foundation, Lerer Ventures, First Round Capital, and High Peaks Venture Partners. [6] [11]

Achievements

In 2014 Forbes listed PublicStuff at #85 on its list of America's Most Promising Companies. [12]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Women Who Built Outstanding Companies", Forbes, 2013, archived from the original on January 25, 2014, retrieved 6 March 2014
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Galbraith, Sasha (19 June 2013), "Got Potholes? There's An App (And Service) For That", Forbes, retrieved 6 March 2014
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bromwich, Jonah (21 June 2013), "Tackling Municipal Nuisances With PublicStuff", The New York Times, retrieved 6 March 2014
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dishman, Lydia (19 March 2013), Listen Up: PublicStuff Makes it Easy for Cities and Residents to "Talk", Fast Company, retrieved 6 March 2014
  5. ↑ Carter, Beth (8 April 2013), Talk to your city with PublicStuff, it will talk back, SmartPlant, retrieved 6 March 2014
  6. 1 2 Shontell, Alyson (9 November 2011), Need Your Street Plowed Or A Pothole Filled? File A Ticket On PublicStuff, A Community Help Line In The Cloud, Business Insider, retrieved 6 March 2014
  7. ↑ Fukaya, Rachel (18 May 2015), Accela Acquires PublicStuff Bringing Millions of Citizens to the Accela Civic Platform, Accela, retrieved 29 June 2016
  8. ↑ McGarry, Caitlin (16 October 2013), Annoyed citizens, unite! PublicStuff helps your city help you, TechHive, retrieved 6 March 2014
  9. ↑ Batholomew, Brendan (5 November 2013), Residents keep tabs of Daly City needs with new mobile app, The San Francisco Examiner, retrieved 6 March 2014
  10. ↑ Valenzuela, Garrett (2013), City announces digital tool for residents, The Daily Sparks Tribune, retrieved 6 March 2014
  11. ↑ Taylor, Colleen (9 October 2012), PublicStuff Raises $5 Million To Connect Residents With Their City Governments In Real Time, TechCrunch, retrieved 6 March 2014
  12. ↑ "America's Most Promising Companies", Forbes Magazine, 2014, retrieved 6 March 2014
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