Buddy for public services
Appointments kept, and notices read while they still matter.
Reminders by email and notices by post often arrive after they matter. On WhatsApp, residents who chose to hear from you read them the same day, and every reply lands in one inbox.
For service, communications and front-desk teams at local government, public agencies, utilities and civic programmes
Services, communications and the front desk, all on the one app residents open.
Services: fewer empty appointment slots
A reminder the day before, on the phone they carry everywhere. Anyone who can't come says so, and the slot goes to someone who can.
Only the town centre, read by breakfastCommunications: notices that arrive in time
A closure goes only to the streets it affects, not the whole city. Residents read it before they set off, and ask the question they would have phoned in.
"Can I move my slot?"Question"Yes, sign me up"Interested"Bins not collected"Follow upFront desk: shorter queues on the phone
Replies arrive sorted by what residents mean: a question, a yes, a problem to fix. Your team answers in the same thread, and fewer people wait on hold.
Her renewal email sat unread for twelve days.The WhatsApp reminder was read over breakfast. She renewed before lunch.
Residents don't ignore you. They miss the envelope.
Letters arrive after the date has passed, emails sit under the weekend deals, and a text gives no easy way to ask. So people miss what matters to them. The same residents open WhatsApp many times a day.
Three steps from the service desk to a notice that arrives.
A QR code at the desk, a box on your website, or a list of residents who already said yes. After that, everything runs inside Buddy.
They opt in where they are
A resident scans the QR code at a service point and chooses what they want to hear about. Buddy records their consent and where it came from.
Hana S. · consent recorded · Mon 9:10Group by area and by service
Tags turn into audiences: one ward, this week's appointments, everyone enrolled in a programme.
Housing, booked this weekReminderNorth wardAreaHome energy programmeEnrolledOpted outNever messagedRemind, inform, reply
Reminders go out as a scheduled WhatsApp messages. Simple requests get answered by themselves. Replies come back to one inbox.
Branch: tagged north wardFour messages residents are glad to get in the first week.
Each is an approved WhatsApp template with the resident's name in it, and every reply comes straight back to your team.
Northvale CouncilBusiness accountNorthvale CouncilBusiness accountNorthvale CouncilBusiness accountNorthvale CouncilBusiness accountPlays your team can switch on.
Fewer empty slots at the service desk.
A reminder the day before, scheduled as a WhatsApp message for everyone booked that week. Anyone who needs a different time replies, and your team moves them in the thread.
Hana S.ConfirmedNotices only for the streets they affect.
Tag residents by area as they opt in, then send a road closure or a bin change only to the people it touches.
Residents choose to hear from you. One word stops it all. Buddy keeps both on record.
"Can I move my slot?"QuestionEvery reply, already sorted by intent.
Interested, question, follow up, not now. Your team replies in the thread.
Consent records your data protection officer can check.
Every opt-in is saved with where and when it happened. One word from the resident stops all messages, and that is saved too.
Hana S.Opted inA role for every department.
Invite housing, communications and the front desk, each with a role of their own.
Number health, in sight.
Quality rating and messaging limits from WhatsApp, right inside Buddy.
What your data protection officer will ask first.
Anything else, ask Sarah.She reads and replies to every message.
Can a public service message residents on WhatsApp?
Yes, with their permission. Buddy runs on the official WhatsApp Business Platform: every opt-in is recorded with its source and time, and a resident who sends STOP is not messaged again. Meta's messaging policies apply, and your team decides what goes out.
How do residents opt in?
Through an opt-in page and QR code at your service points, a widget on your website, or an import of residents who already said yes. If you run your own app, it can add residents with one API call.
How does Buddy handle residents' personal data?
Buddy is built for GDPR. You choose which fields come in, consent and opt-outs stay on record with their source, and our DPA and privacy policy cover the rest.
What about residents who don't use WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is one more way to reach the people who choose it. Only residents who opt in get messages, and your letters, email and phone lines carry on for everyone else.
Can several departments work from one account?
Yes. Replies arrive in one inbox, sorted by what residents mean, and housing, communications and front-desk staff each get their own role.
What does WhatsApp charge for these messages?
Meta charges for business messages by message type and country. Your Buddy plan is separate from that.
Every notice read in time, every appointment kept.
Join the waitlist and tell us about your service. We'll send back the plays that fit it.
