Just over a year ago, as the UK entered its first lockdown, Copper found itself having to rapidly respond to a radically altered world, devising new ways to support clients and to communicate with stakeholders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Copper team adapted, almost immediately, pioneering a new format of digital engagement for Cadent’s then upcoming works in South London. Once explained and showcased, the toolkit and webinars’ success showed how willing clients and communities were to embrace digital opportunities to stay informed and engaged, during vital energy infrastructure works.
A year on, Copper has continued to provide timely, agile and efficient digital stakeholder engagement and communications to its energy sector clients across the UK, often operating in high-profile and/or high-pressure environments.
Copper’s expert approach, adapting at pace to maintain robust communications and engagement despite the pandemic impact, not only engendered trust and support from local communities, but it also secured the confidence of many London Boroughs, who pointed to Copper involvement as a mark of reassurance, reaffirming that licence to operate.
This offering is enriched by the team’s in-depth knowledge of London’s infrastructure and political landscape, which allows our clients to land in new areas and begin operations quickly, safe in the knowledge that all stakeholders will be informed, advised and supportive of the works. This is designed to minimise disruption, manage risk and secure future work programmes.
Copper’s years of experience in community engagement and stakeholder management paid dividends at a time of challenge, giving us a comprehensive reference landscape from which to innovate new digital solutions. As we now face a new version of life post-Covid, we have a new reference landscape from which to create a blended toolkit, which taps into the best of digital innovation and wider engagement, with face-to-face contact and direct interaction where beneficial.
Through our extensive work with clients in the energy sector, where deployment on projects is often rapid and needs agile responsive support, Copper has developed timely insight tools, and a cost-effective and replicable delivery model. Our experience in mitigating operational and reputational risk, underpinned by our dedication to social value delivery, has granted us a reputation as a trusted and experienced contractor partner.
And it’s a model that resonates with contractor clients operating in other sectors, like those addressing the Government’s major new schools new build and redevelopment programme. Here, an agile and responsive approach to communications, engagement and social value delivery will prove key to those contractors keen to deliver best practice and ensure their wider role in a 10-year investment programme.
The next 12 months of agile and responsive engagement are likely to set the new bar in combining digital innovation and the best of human influence to underpin a wide range of social and economic infrastructure, as we ‘build back better’ in a new era.
