The Role of Stakeholder Support at Texas811
Feedback is an aspect that drives meaningful change in the damage prevention industry. Every comment, concern, and conversation from our stakeholders provides valuable insight that helps us elevate safety, improve our processes, and lead the industry toward more effective solutions. Of course, positive change begins by first being receptive to feedback.
Previously known as Member Services, our department was renamed Stakeholder Support to reflect the diversity of the organizations and individuals that we serve. This includes excavators, utility operators, municipalities, contractors, and more. Despite this name change, the purpose of the department still aims to provide a responsive, high-quality service that supports stakeholders and promotes damage prevention and safety. Evaluating feedback is an essential part of this department.
Listening to the Frontlines
The Stakeholder Support team is a direct connection point between Texas811 and our stakeholders. Conversations give us a clear view of what is working, or not working, across the system. Through these interactions, we receive insight into the challenges, frustrations, and expectations our stakeholders are facing.
Being able to look into the struggles and successes provides us with a real-time pulse of the industry. The conversations we participate in enable us to refine our processes locally and contribute to larger conversations about best practices nationwide. When stakeholders speak, we listen, and we act.
A Collaborative Effort to Turn Concerns into Change
Over the years, feedback has led to improvements in how Texas811 serves our stakeholders. For example, our mapping safety buffer. In the past, we received multiple requests to reduce the zone for our marked worksite buffer from 300 feet to 150 feet. After reviewing the data, we were able to safely implement this suggested change as we saw how many members were affected by this large buffer zone and the positive impact a reduction would make. The result led to more accurate mapping and fewer unnecessary notifications, which reduced confusion in the field.
We also heard that the Nature of Work field on our ticket template needed more options to better reflect a variety of excavation practices. In response, we expanded the selections, making ticket submissions more precise for both excavators and facility operators. Capturing this accurate information can help us identify trends in real time.
More recently, a facility operator in the oil and gas field reached out with concerns regarding the number of tickets submitted through our Portal, indicating the use of explosives. That conversation triggered an internal review, leading to a reassessment of how we present this question to external users of the Portal. This demonstrates how even a single piece of feedback can lead to an understanding of another perspective and eventually bring about operational change.
How We Gather and Address Concerns
We gather feedback in several ways. Texas811 sends out a monthly Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey to our member base. These surveys are designed to measure satisfaction and capture comments to see where improvement may be necessary.
In addition to surveys, we receive emails and calls that often reveal root causes behind recurring frustrations. These interactions are just as valuable and help us uncover patterns that might not otherwise be brought to our attention.
No matter the format feedback is received, everything brought to our attention is reviewed at a team level. If escalation is needed, Stakeholder Support collaborates with the Product team, Applications Support team, and other internal departments to explore how changes can be implemented. Of course, improvements can take time to see to completion.
Turning Feedback into Progress
In today’s fast-paced environment, staying aligned with stakeholder needs is essential. Whether we are responding to changing technology or reviewing evolving regulations, real-world feedback ensures our services remain relevant.
Every email, comment, and survey response we receive is an opportunity for growth. This is true not just for
Texas811, but for the industry as a whole. Stakeholder input plays a vital role in identifying issues and offering ideas for advancement. It keeps us aligned with the needs of our users and reinforces a culture of continuous improvement.
Keep the Conversation Going
If you have ever questioned whether a concern was too small to mention or an idea too minor to share, we would like to emphasize that every point matters. Your feedback helps us ask better questions, explore smarter solutions, and create safer procedures for everyone involved.
At Texas811, we strive to be a trusted organization, a responsive listener, and an advocate for the needs of those we serve. Through open dialogue and collaborative problem solving, we can lead our industry into a safer future.