Political campaigns are tough. They take a lot out of the people who work every day of the week, running a team of canvassers and constantly coming up with new, creative ways to reach their community. Voter outreach is one of the backbones of a campaign; without it, politicians simply would not be able to connect with their community. Whether it’s for a mayoral or presidential race, reaching the homes and ears of the people and encouraging them to get out and vote is essential to any campaign from start to finish. In order to do this reliably with a high chance of success, campaigns use a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM).
For example, Maine campaigns recently chose to use the app called, VAN ID. VAN ID is a fairly common app used to equip canvassers with all the information they need to reach potential voters. While the individual applications may vary from campaign to campaign, all CRM systems have the same end goal_ to make a personal connection with the potential voters.
If you’ve ever had a canvasser come to your door, I’m sure you’ve heard the spiel_ they check to see if you’re Mr. or Mrs. Blank, give a brief explanation of why they’re at your doorstep, and then they typically ask you about your voting plans. But, what you may not realize is that as they are speaking to you, they already know how likely you are to vote for their candidate before you even answer the door because of their access to a CRM system. The system provides a platform to gather data from years of past voting history, which can then be collated into the app’s database and archived for another year's canvassers to use again. This information helps canvassers to understand each potential voter so they know what kind of pitch they should give that will best fit you, when they knock on your door.
Along with helping canvassers improve their contact strategy, CRM systems help to ensure that the people running the campaign can get an accurate gauge on which voters they’re reaching and what strategies are working to gain political support. CRM systems can also provide assessments of how the campaign is going, compared to the competition, and how they may expect the vote to turn out at the polls. Without a system like this, campaign managers are “flying blind.” Apps like these, however, can reduce the complexity of campaigning and give the team a system in which they can get the information they need -- when and how they need it-- to provide the fundamental insight necessary to keep campaigns in motion. Not to mention, the new information the apps collect makes it well worth the effort when the next campaign comes around. Campaigns are complicated; CRM systems make them simpler.