BUFFALO 311 CRM-CM Overview CITY OF BUFFALO Division of Citizen Services

311 Overview The 311 system will be a “one-stop shopping” center for access to city services, city information and non-emergency police services. Residents can call 311 to report service needs, check the status of previous service requests, obtain information regarding city programs or events and take care of non-emergency police matters. Service requests can also be submitted to the city utilizing the Internet.

The Advantage of 311 The Advantage of 311 By simply dialing 3-1-1, City of Buffalo citizens, visitors and guests can receive customer-friendly access to information regarding city programs or events and take care of non-emergency police matters.

Buffalo’s 311 Mission To provide citizens of the City of Buffalo with access to city services, city information and non-emergency police services with the highest possible levels of customer service. Our 311 Call Center will strive to help City agencies provide efficient service delivery by allowing them to focus on their core missions and manage workloads efficiently, while providing insight into the needs of residents and ensuring that accurate and consistent services are delivered citywide to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Buffalo, New York.

Goals for Buffalo’s 311 Buffalo’s 311 will: Simplify citizen access to city services and information Simplify citizen access to city services and information Enable city employees to deliver services more effectively Enable city employees to deliver services more effectively Track requests for service delivery from inception to completion Track requests for service delivery from inception to completion Provide access to city services by voice, and the web Provide access to city services by voice, and the web Overall, Buffalo’s 311 will provide efficient and easy to use equal access for individuals and organizations while empowering our employees to have a more efficient knowledge base to accommodate the caller’s request.

Closing the Service Gap Citizen Relationship Management Establishment of the proper infrastructure to increase citizen value and satisfaction while improving internal handling of requests for service: Establishment of the proper infrastructure to increase citizen value and satisfaction while improving internal handling of requests for service: Understand citizen’s service experience & expectations Understand citizen’s service experience & expectations Improve inter-agency communications and data sharing Improve inter-agency communications and data sharing Identify ways to reduce the cost of doing business Identify ways to reduce the cost of doing business Target use of technology to improve customer service Target use of technology to improve customer service Leverage existing resources (staffing, facilities, etc.) to support an enterprise citizen response strategy Leverage existing resources (staffing, facilities, etc.) to support an enterprise citizen response strategy

Before Buffalo published phone numbers to access non- emergency City services 300+ published phone numbers to access non- emergency City services The city provides traditional municipal government services including: The city provides traditional municipal government services including: Police Police Fire Fire Public Works Public Works Corporation Counsel Corporation Counsel Regulatory Services (Inspections, Licensing, Zoning, etc.) Regulatory Services (Inspections, Licensing, Zoning, etc.) Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) Assessment and Taxation Assessment and Taxation Department of Community Services Department of Community Services City Clerk City Clerk Other various City Departments Other various City Departments

Consequences of the “Status Quo” Inability to cost effectively meet the challenge of a city built of diverse communities & decreasing citizen satisfaction. Inability to cost effectively meet the challenge of a city built of diverse communities & decreasing citizen satisfaction. Inconsistent, incomplete & inaccurate data hinders governmental policy and decision makers in their decision making and prioritization efforts. Inconsistent, incomplete & inaccurate data hinders governmental policy and decision makers in their decision making and prioritization efforts. Ad hoc, incremental investments in similar tools & incompatible, silo systems. Ad hoc, incremental investments in similar tools & incompatible, silo systems. Continued use of for non-emergency calls and missed opportunities to direct more police time towards crime prevention & emergency preparedness activities. Continued use of for non-emergency calls and missed opportunities to direct more police time towards crime prevention & emergency preparedness activities. Unable to mitigate the impact of future federal, state and local budget challenges. Unable to mitigate the impact of future federal, state and local budget challenges.

311 Call Cycle 311 Center 6,500 calls per month on average. Calls Received in 2006: Over 85,000 Calls Service Request Intake Service requests are routed to the appropriate City Department Information Request Departmental Action Resolution

Buffalo’s 311 Guarantee By dialing 311 for any information and non-emergency city services, our citizens will be able to: Get Answers Agents will be trained to get the information our citizens want. If they don’t have the answer, they’ll look for someone who does. Get Action Many service requests can be filled out for callers, making it easier than ever for them to get help. The requests include tracking numbers so they can follow up on their report. Get to the Point 311 is not just a switchboard, it’s where people can get results. For many callers, a 311 agent will be the first and only person they will need to talk to for a particular problem.

311 Cities Across the Nation *Information current as of January 2005.

Buffalo’s 311 Vision The 311 system will be fully transparent and will foster accountability. This transparency will make it possible for residents to track the progress of their requests, allow managers to establish customer service goals and oversee the work of their department, enable local elected officials to monitor the delivery of services to their constituents, and help city administrators render informed decisions regarding the allocation of resources based upon the identification of emerging trends.