Full access to the Town of Cochrane now fits in your pocket and can be accessed with your fingertips, thanks to the launch of a smartphone app.

A new method for residents to connect with the town is now available in the mobile app called "My Cochrane" and can be download from either the App Store or Google Play at no cost.

Town Seniors Communications Advisor Laurie Drukier explains the new app includes all the information available on the town website and has some added features. With a touch, you're also on their Twitter and Facebook feeds. The app uses 20.6 MB of data.

The town continues to aim for ways to increase two-way communications with the community and this is their latest addition.

"Council is always looking for ways to be in closer touch with the public and ways for residents to reach the town. So we're happy to add this to our whole suite of ways that we communicate with town residents, whether it's giving them information or giving them ways to connect with town staff. The more ways, the easier it is to make those connections."

More and more municipalities are creating smartphone apps to complement information already on their websites and other social media.

"Statistics show that a huge proportion people have a smartphone with them all of the time and that's the device they are using to search things, to connect with family and friends, to make plans and to keep in touch with their social connections," says Drukier. "So it's now the easiest way to connect with people and for our residents to connect with the town."

Features include:

  • Notify Me: subscription notification service for emergency alerts, events, engagement opportunities, agendas, RFP opportunities and more;
  • My Requests: forms for submitting requests for service or information from Municipal Enforcement, Roads, Parks and Waste and Recycling;
  • Events and meeting calendars;
  • Town news in an easy-to-read and easy-to-share format; and
  • Links to construction updates, Town forms, job postings and FAQ lists.

"In some ways, it may be easier to navigate than the town website because it uses a series of icons that will put most information just a couple of touches away. It includes information on town programs, services, events, as well as provides the opportunity to submit feedback and service requests."

They've added some new features and reinforced existing ones. That includes the "My Requests" feature where they can contact the town for such things as road issues and recycling carts being missed on pickup day.

"It's an easy form where they just fill out a few fields and tell us about it and it goes right to the staff who can handle it. We either put it into our workflow or respond with an answer."

Categories, like their many frequently asked questions (FAQ) breakouts on their website, may now be easier to locate.

"Our FAQ list already exists on the website but people might not know where to find them unless they search for them. On the app, they are just one click away from an icon."

There's also an enhanced "Notify Me" section that pushes information towards people who want it on a regular basis.

"People can sign up for events calendars and they will get a notification in their inbox either by email or text message when there's a new event on the calendar. That includes council meetings, so people who want to know but can't find those calendars can sign up to get a notification and they will get reminders of those council meetings."

Drukier says they welcome feedback and suggestions.

"If people want to tell us what they think and if it helped them get the information or solve the issue that they were looking for, we'd love to hear it. We'd also love to hear if people have improvements to suggest or if people found the information they were looking for. We're always looking to improve the way we serve the public with online information."