Major Cities Announce Formation of National 311 Executive Council
The National 311 Executive Council includes representatives from Philadelphia. Samuel Borges Photography / Shutterstock.com
New group identifies three projects to improve 311 systems.
A coalition of 311 contact centers from large U.S. urban areas has announced the formation of the National 311 Executive Council, a group that will aim to raise the profile of 311 systems, set standards and create new tools.
Cory Fleming, the 311/customer relationship management director for the International City/County Management Association, will serve as the point person for the group, which includes representatives from 311 systems in Baltimore, Charlotte, Denver, New York City and Philadelphia.
The National 311 Executive Council has three projects for its first year, according to its announcement, released Thursday:
- Measuring the Customer Service-Citizen Engagement Experience—This project will examine the customer service-citizen engagement experience to learn more about how citizens prefer to interact with their local government. Research questions include: How do we measure the customer service experience in an omni-channel environment? How do hyper-engaged, engaged, and unengaged populations interact with local government thru 311? Which communication technologies work best with which populations?
- Examining Customer Service Maturity Models—This project will look at the range of customer service models that currently exist in North America and will identify features and services that could be offered as a 311 center evolves over time. This project will create a framework for beginner organizations to help them understand how to improve their citizens’ customer service experience.
- Creating a Research Database of Performance Management and Customer Satisfaction Data—The Minneapolis 311 Comparative Survey has provided the industry with a glimpse into what practices are in place in 311 centers across North America. The project will take the next step and create a national research database for 311 centers to learn about leading practices methodologies that have been adopted.
In 1996, the city of Baltimore was the first U.S. city to use 311 as its non-emergency contact number and since then, 311 contact centers have popped up in cities around the nation.
"This is an exciting opportunity to leverage the success and collective experience of government customer service leaders across the country in furthering our goal of delivering equity, equality, and opportunity for our constituents," NYC311 Executive Director Joe Morrisroe said in the announcement.
(Image via Samuel Borges Photography/Shutterstock.com)