Behavioural Insights Unit blogs
We share the findings from our research.
Customers the ultimate winners after Behaviour Smart Bootcamp
16 November 2023
Teams that attended our Behaviour Smart Bootcamp in 2022 have told us how the eight-month program boosted their customer service.
Behavioural Insights in Practice: the Legal Aid NSW immersion program
15 September 2023
Legal Aid NSW staff members joined forces with BIU to learn how to apply behavioural insights to improve service delivery, policy, and law reform.
Six ways to increase voluntary participation in justice programs
10 August 2023
See how we used BI to motivate high risk offenders join voluntary behaviour change programs putting them on the path of success.
A graduate's experience in the NSW Behavioural Insights Unit
5 July 2023
Learn about what it's like undertaking the NSW Government Graduate's Program in BIU.
How to use behavioural insights when implementing organisational change
30 June 2023
See how organisations are using behavioural insights to influence corporate change.
Behavioural insights in practice: a lesson from libraries
2 May 2023
Putting behavioural insights into practice can be daunting. We helped public libraries from across NSW to incorporate behavioural insights into their work to increase visits and engagement.
Using behavioural insights to support customers in distress
14 April 2023
Effective responses to distress are important for the emotional and mental health of customers. See how we helped frontline staff develop skills and resources to respond with confidence.
Encouraging more women to become tradies
16 December 2022
Skilled tradespeople are in high demand and short supply, so why aren’t more women considering trades careers?
Capitalise on BIU's insights with the Behaviour Smart Bootcamp
19 December 2022
The Behaviour Smart Bootcamp helps agencies embed behavioural insights in their services to take the guesswork out of understanding customer behaviour.
Sludge-a-thon tackles customer frictions
18 October 2022
Our second Sludge-a-thon brought together teams from across NSW Government to use behavioural insights to improve customer experience.
Latest sludge guides set to boost customer engagement
11 October 2022
These guides provide evidence-based techniques for improving interactions between government and customers by cutting sludge.
5 tips to maximise the impact of government text messages
29 July 2022
Behavioural insights techniques can help boost engagement with your text messages to customers. We found that sending tailored text messages with important information led to improved customer outcomes.
Increasing take up of training in disability awareness
13 July 2022
Engagement in diversity initiatives can drive workplace inclusion and productivity. You can prompt engagement in initiatives like training and development by developing stronger messages.
Text service gives a boost to apprentices and employers
24 May 2022
In mid-April 2022, Training Services NSW launched a new, free text service to help first-year apprentices stay in training.
Gamifying cyber security education proves a win
06 May 2022
When faced with cyber threats, it’s easy to let your guard down. A behavioural training game helped increase people’s confidence and enjoyment while learning about cyber security.
The world’s first sludge-a-thon to eliminate sludge and improve customer experience
05 April 2022
In 2021, 11 teams from across the Department of Customer Service applied behavioural insights to eliminate sludge to help customers in the world’s first Sludge-a-thon.
Sludge-a-thon 2022 – Apply today!
10 March 2022
Are you passionate about improving the customer experience of NSW Government services?
Messages from teachers help parents and carers connect with schools
09 March 2022
Messages designed using behavioural science can get parents and carers involved with their children’s education. It’s about getting the content right and sending the messages at the right time.
Helping public servants turn training into impact
31 January 2022
Many staff face barriers when trying to use what they’ve learned in training. Behavioural insights can help managers address the barriers and empower their staff to apply the skills they have learned.
25 January 2022
Self-isolation after COVID PCR testing was an essential part of the public health strategy but uncertainty around self-isolation rules was hampering compliance. Simple behavioural interventions were able to dramatically decrease self-reported breaches of self-isolation in 2020.
Ten tips for communicating information to customers in an emergency
01 November 2021
When facing a stressful event such as preparing for an evacuation, customers absorb information differently. Government must take this into consideration so that in an emergency our customers can get the information they need.
Supporting the recruitment and retention of people with disability
26 October 2021
Having an inclusive and diverse workforce ensures better customer service, greater innovation, and better outcomes for the New South Wales public.
How to consult customers during COVID-19
21 July 2021
All policy makers strive to put themselves in the shoes of their customers. One established way of doing this is to interview people face-to-face. COVID-19 restrictions have meant that we’ve all learned new ways to reach customers, and deliver services. In 2020, we shifted our engagement using online methods. We wanted to share with you some of what we have learnt about how to approach digital customer consultation for behavioural change.
Helping frontline staff stay mentally healthy
14 July 2021
In order to deliver world-class public service, we need to ensure public servants know how to maintain their wellbeing and can get the support they need.
Electrical safety campaign gets spark from behavioural insights
6 July 2021
We worked with the Better Regulation Division (BRD) of NSW Customer Service on an electrical safety campaign. In this interview we speak with Mikael Kjaerbye, Acting Manager for Community and Industry Engagement at BRD about how behavioural insights improved safety messages.
Increasing completion of apprenticeships and traineeships using behaviourally informed messages
25 June 2021
More apprentices & trainees will complete their training if they are given six low-cost behaviourally informed SMS prompts.
2 June 2021
Avow is a digital app that aims to hold domestic violence perpetrators to account by increasing ADVO compliance.
New South Wales - leading the world in fighting sludge
07 April 2021
The New South Wales Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello MP, was recently interviewed by the United Kingdom's Behavioural Insights Team, on their podcast, "Inside the Nudge Unit."
Using behaviourally-informed reminders cuts missed hospital appointments by more than a third
6 April 2021
We reduced the number of people who did not turn up for their hospital appointments by 34%, by using behaviourally informed text SMS. This translates to public health and productivity benefits of almost $120,000. Our approach can be used to optimise reminders in other customer service contexts.
Making government easier by eliminating ‘sludge’
24 March 2021
'Sludge' is the ‘excessive or unjustified frictions’ that make it harder for customers to achieve their goals, such as complicated forms and websites that are hard to navigate. We have developed a 'sludge audit' framework to help public servants to identify, quantify and prioritise sludge. This includes the time, costs and impact on customer experience.
How to build behavioural insights skills in your team
1 March 2021
We partnered with Revenue NSW to set up their Behavioural Insights Champions Network. This involves staff from across their organisation receiving behavioural insights training, and then applying these skills to their day-to-day work. This initiative is helping Revenue NSW to become a 'behaviourally smart' organisation, and improve outcomes for their customers.
How to encourage young people to wear face masks
25 January 2021
We increased the likelihood for young people to voluntarily wear a mask, using an animation campaign on social media that appealed to ego and a positive self-image.
Encouraging citizens to collect free trees
19 January 2021
Tree canopies play a vital role in creating a resilient environment and community. We used behavioural insights to boost an initiative to encourage the community to take up the 'Free Trees Initiative.' This program seeks to increase tree coverage in Western Sydney.
How behavioural insights can help improve responses to COVID-19
30 November 2020
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be challenging for everyone around the world. NSW customers seek useful, timely information and guidance to inform their decisions and planning.
How to increase adherence to procedures in the public service
27 August 2020
Now, more than ever, it’s important that public servants follow procedures which mitigate risk and help organisations run smoothly; whether it involves hygiene in a hospital, cyber security in an office, or social distancing in a Service Centre.
2020 BIU Report - our project highlights and emerging opportunities
2 July 2020
The 2020 Behavioural Insights Unit Report showcases our major projects over the last two years and shares some of the emerging opportunities in behavioural science that we are excited to explore.
Enhancing Interaction Between Government and Citizens
25 May 2020
Forms and surveys are one of the most common methods of interaction between Australians and government. Maximising their completion helps government to better understand customers and serve their needs, while helping citizens access essential information, services and payments.
Getting Public Benefits to the People Who Need Them
27 April 2020
It’s common for government programs and grants to have unmet capacity despite attempts to promote effective take-up. BIU has a new guide on using behavioural insights to increase the take-up of programs and services.
Behavioural Insights Strategies to Help Your Team Work Remotely
20 April 2020
Teams are increasingly working remotely to limit the spread with COVID-19. As with any change, it can take time to get the most out of new working arrangements.
Simple behavioural insights interventions significantly reduce the gender gap in recruitment
9 March 2020
Using two behaviourally informed interventions, an email and a phone call, we increased the likelihood of women reapplying for a senior role by 27% and significantly reduced the gender gap between men and women reapplying for senior roles from 45% to just 4%.
Encouraging managers to support flexible working
17 December 2019
In our latest randomised controlled trial we showed that behaviourally-informed messaging is effective in prompting managers to engage with their staff about flexible work.
Building capability in applying and testing behavioural insights
9 December 2019
Our goal is to see behavioural insights (BI) applied in everyday policy and service design across the NSW Government, leading to better outcomes for the people of NSW. We wanted to make it easy for busy public servants to test their BI ideas, so we created a short and practical guide on RCTs, A/B tests and before-and-after studies.
Opportunities to remove gender as a barrier to senior leadership
21 November 2019
We wanted to understand the barriers to reaching the Premier's gender equality target for senior leadership roles in the government sector. Today we are launching the findings of research we conducted in partnership with the Public Service Commission, Customer Service, Stronger Communities and Transport Clusters.
Increasing Apprenticeship Course Attendance Through Behavioural Interventions
31 May 2019
We ran a randomised control trial (RCT) with Training Services NSW and TAFE NSW to increase the proportion of course lessons that apprentices and trainees attend.
Reducing missed hospital appointments
28 February 2019
Each year thousands of patients miss their outpatient appointments at hospitals. St Vincent’s Hospital wanted to reduce the number of missed hospitals appointments even further and reached out to us to see if behavioural insights could be used to achieve this.
SMS reminders to reduce social housing rent arrears
28 February 2019
The Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) wanted to find out if a reminder SMS text message would be a more effective way to get people in social housing to pay their rental arrears.
Helping injured education workers return to work
28 February 2019
Behavioural insights have been used around the world to help people return to work after an injury or unemployment. Can these techniques help injured workers in Australia return to work?
A guide to reducing the effects of scarcity with simplification, timing and salience
13 December 2018
Government policies and services can be hard to navigate for people who are already under pressure. By understanding the effects of scarcity, we can make these easier to access for the people who need them. We developed an easy-to-use guide to provide more practical tips and strategies to understand and reduce the effects of scarcity.
How to Increase Job Applications in Regional NSW
26 September 2018
Regional NSW offers exciting career opportunities for teachers, engineers, nurses, doctors, business owners and other professionals. Here are some tips on how BI can help to make it easy and attractive for applicants to make the move.
Applying Behavioural Insights to get Trainee Teachers to Rural and Remote NSW
11 September 2018
We partnered with the NSW Department of Education to apply BI to attract trainee teachers to apply for professional experience placements in rural and remote NSW.
Improving domestic violence court attendance
2 April 2018
Using a behaviourally-informed SMS reminder, we reduced domestic violence court non-attendance by 23%.
Encouraging women to apply for senior roles in the Government Sector
2 April 2018
Although the proportion of women in senior leadership roles in the NSW Government Sector has increased, it remains significantly below parity at 40%. We partnered with the Public Service Commission and the Customer Service, Stronger Communities and Transport clusters to increase the proportion of women applying for senior leader roles.