Local Government Online Customer Experience (CX) Academy

The Online CX Academy helps local government deliver an online customer experience that works for their community, and the internal capability to keep it that way.

Michelle Kember-Imrie

Hi, I’m Michelle

I’ve spent over 25 years working with local and state government teams, helping them improve how they communicate online.

I understand how complex this work can be - balancing competing priorities, working across teams, and improving the online experience within a range of existing systems.

The challenge isn’t a lack of effort. It’s a lack of clear structure, shared understanding, and time to step back and do things properly.

That's why I developed The Online CX Academy.

When your online communication is clear and well managed, everything works better. Your team has direction. Decisions are easier. Your community gets what they need.

Why does this work feel so hard?

 

Most local government teams are working across multiple websites, systems and stakeholders without clear ownership or consistent ways of working.

Teams are responding to constant requests while trying to improve the experience at the same time.

Ad-hoc training alone doesn’t fix this.

What makes the difference is a more structured approach.

Move from reactive content and competing priorities to clear governance, stronger ways of working, and a more connected online experience.

A clearer, more confident way forward

 

The Online CX Academy gives your organisation a clear, practical way to step back, get aligned, and improve how your online experience is managed over time.

Instead of one-off training or disconnected improvements, you’ll build a consistent approach your team can apply every day.

What’s included

Discovery and Direction

A focused session to understand your current environment, priorities and challenges. This shapes the program to suit your organisation from the outset.

Coaching and Working Sessions

Monthly sessions where we work through real challenges, build key deliverables together, and apply the work directly to your organisation.

Review and Refinement

Regular check-ins to review progress, work through blockers, and strengthen what you are building over time.

Strategic Support for Program Lead

Guidance for your internal champion to help drive progress and embed the work across the organisation.

Ongoing Support

Access support between sessions to talk through ideas, test decisions, and keep momentum moving.

Resource and Tools

Access templates, checklists and practical tools designed specifically for local government teams.

Everything you need to move from reactive work to a clear, consistent way of managing your online experience.

What we work on together

We focus on the areas that make the biggest difference across your organisation.

Governance and Way of Working

  • Clear ownership and decision-making

  • Managing subsites and third-party platforms

  • Handling stakeholder input and web requests

  • Building an operational content approach

  • Working effectively across teams

Content and Customer Experience

  • Planning and prioritising content improvements

  • Mapping key customer journeys

  • Writing clear, inclusive content

  • Structuring content for readability and search

  • Supporting accessibility and WCAG compliance

Structure, Search and Insight

  • Using analytics to guide decisions

  • Improving internal and site search

  • Planning site structure and IA

  • Understanding AI and content discovery

  • Evaluating tools that support improvement

How it works

Discovery and Direction

Understand your organisation’s priorities, challenges and environment, and shape the program to suit.

Phase 1: Understand (Months 1–3)

Build a clear picture of how your online experience works and what needs to change.

Phase 2: Build (Months 4–8)

Develop and apply key frameworks, governance and ways of working across your organisation.

Phase 3: Grow (Months 9–12)

Strengthen, refine and embed the work so your team can continue improving independently.

What this means for your organisation

You move from reactive, unclear and inconsistent… to a structured, confident and coordinated approach.

Over time, your organisation will be able to:

  • Establish clear ownership and direction across your online presence

  • Make more confident, aligned decisions across teams

  • Work in a consistent, repeatable way

  • Deliver better outcomes for your community.

Who it’s designed for

The Online CX Academy is designed for local government teams, whether you’re working solo or as part of a broader team.

This program works for:

  • Communications and digital leads

  • Web and content specialists

  • IT and customer experience staff

  • Anyone responsible for shaping and managing your online presence.

You can participate as an individual or with a team of up to six people. The investment is the same regardless of team size.

Program options and support

A structured program designed to build lasting capability across your organisation.

Full year program

$18,000 per organisation or 12 instalments of $1,500

A 12-month program designed to build lasting capability across your organisation.

Includes:

  • 90-minute discovery and direction session

  • 3 clear phases across 12 months

  • Up to 6 participants (same investment regardless of team size)

  • Resources, templates and practical tools

  • Support for your internal program lead.

6-month intensive

$10,000 per organisation or 6 monthly instalments of $1,800

A shorter, focused program scoped to a specific outcome during the discovery session.

Implementation support

Additional implementation support is available for teams that need extra help alongside the program.

Support can include:

  • Customer research and consultation

  • Customer journey mapping

  • Content strategy and copywriting

  • Information architecture

  • Governance frameworks and documentation

  • Presentations and stakeholder engagement.

Support is scoped based on the type of work and level of involvement required.

Want to talk it through?

If you’d like to explore whether this is the right fit for your organisation, I’d be happy to talk it through with you.

Contact Michelle

  • “Michelle delivers practical, structured training that is easy to apply. Her ability to translate complex content and accessibility requirements into clear, usable guidance makes a real difference.”

    Cristina Smith, Shire of Augusta Margaret River

  • "“Michelle has a rare ability to turn complex requirements into clear, actionable steps. She challenged our thinking in all the right ways and helped us stay focused on what really matters, creating a user-friendly, purposeful digital experience.”

    Maureen Beckwith, City of Joondalup (now City of Wanneroo)

  • “Michelle was instrumental in improving our website and ensuring it truly met our community’s needs. Her guidance helped us build a more accessible, user-friendly experience while strengthening our team’s capability.”

    Shannon Foster, Shire of Mundaring

  • “Michelle guided us through a full customer experience review with professionalism and care. The outcomes exceeded expectations, and her ability to work closely with our team made a lasting impact.”

    Laya Baker, City of Melville

  • “Michelle has a unique ability to connect strategy with real outcomes. She brings clarity and direction, helping teams focus on what matters and take action.”

    Paul Dunlop, City of Fremantle

  • “Michelle helped us navigate the complexity of managing our website and content. The result was a clearer, more structured approach that continues to support our work.”

    Karen Tearney, Shire of Augusta Margaret River

  • “The sessions were practical and immediately useful. Working with our own content made it easy to apply improvements straight away.”

    Gabriela Eiris, City of Stirling

Collaborate, connect and learn together

Throughout the year, your team will be invited to a series of group events designed to spark fresh thinking, peer connection and shared insight.

These gatherings bring together communications professionals from other local governments — with opportunities to exchange ideas, explore shared challenges and learn from each other’s experiences. Some sessions may also include voices from the community, offering valuable perspectives from people with lived experience of disability, neurodiversity, or navigating council services online.

Sessions are relaxed but purposeful. Whether online or in person, they offer a chance to step outside the day-to-day, connect with others doing similar work, and walk away with new insights and real-world inspiration.

Things you might be wondering

  • Sessions are delivered in person or online depending on your location.

  • The core commitment is around 3 to 4 hours per month. This includes one learning session and one coaching session.

    Any follow-up work is optional and shaped around your team’s capacity. The focus is on realistic steps that lead to meaningful, lasting improvements without adding pressure.

  • Yes. The program can begin at any point in the year. There are no fixed start dates, and we’ll agree on a schedule that works for your team.

  • Yes. The program is shaped around your organisation’s priorities.

    We focus on the areas that will make the biggest difference and adjust as your needs evolve over time.

  • This program is designed for local government organisations. You can participate as an individual or with a team of up to six people, at the same investment regardless of team size. It works best when the people responsible for content, communications, digital, or customer experience are involved together, building shared understanding and a consistent approach across your organisation.

  • All sessions are recorded, and supporting materials are provided. Team members can catch up at any time.

  • Yes. After the Kick-Off and first Learning Session, if you feel the program isn’t the right fit, you’re free to leave.

    If you’re paying monthly, no further payments will be charged.

    If you’ve paid upfront, the remaining balance will be refunded, minus the sessions already delivered.

    This gives your team the chance to try the program with confidence, knowing there's flexibility built in.

Ready to take the next step?

I created this program because I genuinely enjoy working with local government teams. I understand how committed you are to your community, and how complex this work can be behind the scenes.

This is about making that work clearer, easier and more effective - with the right structure, support and direction in place.

Right now, I’m working closely with a small number of organisations who want to take a more strategic and confident approach to their online experience. That means more tailored support, closer collaboration, and the ability to shape the work in a way that suits your organisation.

If you’re ready to move from reactive and stretched… to clear, structured and in control, I’d love to talk it through with you.

Contact me

Get in touch to start a partnership built on trust, clarity, and real impact. Together, we can create better online experiences for the communities you serve.

Email: mkemberimrie@gmail.com

Call: 0402 880 688

Alternatively, you can contact me via the online form.