Case Study: Inquiry Management - The Hum
Location: Alberta
Date: 2026
Client: Undisclosed
Service: Inquiry Management
For major infrastructure projects, the person answering a call or responding to an email is often the public’s first direct connection to the project. These interactions shape public perception and provide an ongoing feedback loop between the project team and the community.
The Challenge
During the construction of a major infrastructure project, a resident contacted the project team’s public inquiry line to report a mysterious “hum” near their home. At the time, the concern appeared to be an isolated complaint with no obvious source or immediate solution.
Traditional inquiry management approaches may have treated the call as a one-off issue — logging the concern, providing a response, and closing the file. However, reVerb views public inquiries as a critical source of project intelligence and an important opportunity to identify emerging issues before they escalate.
The Issue
Rather than simply responding to the initial inquiry, the team used the interaction as an opportunity to gather detailed information. Staff asked targeted questions about the timing, location and characteristics of the noise and documented the details for tracking and analysis. Soon after, additional residents contacted the project team with similar concerns. By recognizing a pattern across multiple inquiries, the team was able to identify that the issue was not isolated and began investigating the source. Through detailed tracking of inquiry locations, timing and descriptions, the team narrowed down the potential source of the noise.
The Outcome
The investigation identified that the “hum” was coming from gas-powered generators operating near the community. The inquiry management process also uncovered a communication gap: the contractor representative was not aware that generators were being used in that area. Once the source was confirmed, the project team worked with the contractor to relocate the generators. Following the relocation, no further complaints were received.
The Value of Inquiry Management
This example demonstrates why inquiry management is much more than a customer service function. By treating inquiries as a source of intelligence rather than simply complaints to be resolved, reVerb helps projects turn community feedback into actionable solutions.
