Attachment #1311 Citizen Telephone Access Background

Information

March 2006

Approval to use 311

In November 2004, the CRTC approved using the 311 phone number for non-emergency municipal services and information. The Commission determined that: A 311 code would help facilitate effective and efficient

communication between municipal government and citizens. An easily remembered 311 service would greatly help citizens

access municipal services. Blue Pages may not be useful to callers unfamiliar with municipal

government structures.

What is 311?

311 is a straightforward concept. If citizens have questions or want information about City services, programs or facilities, they simply call 3-1-1, 24-hours a day, seven days a week to speak with a call centre agent.

311 will allow us to amalgamate the City’s multiple call centres and 250 published telephone numbers that citizens now call for non-emergency services and information, into one, easy to remember, three-digit phone number – 311.

311 in Canada

• In early 2006 we conducted a survey to 60 Canadian municipalities. Results indicated a great deal of interest across the country in this new service option.

• On May 8, 2005, Calgary became the first city in Canada to launch 311. Since then, Gatineau, Ottawa and Windsor have also implemented 311.

• Several other Canadian cities are in various stages of implementing 311. Toronto and Montreal have approval to implement the 311 service, while Vancouver, North Vancouver and Winnipeg have approval to proceed with their business cases.

Research into Implementing 311 For Edmonton

Two studies researching the potential for implementing 311 within the City: the Feasibility Study and the Opportunity Evaluation Study have been completed.

Feasibility Study The Feasibility Study assessed the current delivery of non-

emergency telephone service through multiple call centres and telephone lines to determine whether the 311 model could successfully answer the over 2 million calls the City currently receives annually.

The study revealed that opportunities exist to significantly enhance citizen service while realizing benefits not otherwise achievable through conventional productivity improvement initiatives.

Research into Implementing 311 for Edmonton

Opportunity Evaluation Study The overall goal of the Opportunity Evaluation study was to review

alternative methods for delivering 311. The study team researched the current state of call volumes received by the City’s multiple call centres. 340 different type of calls and call handling processes were identified and documented.

The team visited other cities that have implemented 311, to gain from the experience of others.

Public reaction to a proposed 311 telephone access service was also reviewed to determine behaviours and motivations for citizens in using a 311 service, to identify which services citizens would accessing using 311 and to identify potential barriers and preconceptions about 311 services.

Vision for Citizen Telephone Access in Edmonton

The 311 centre will serve the citizens of Edmonton through an easy to use entry point to meet their current and future service needs. It will be structured from a citizen point of view; one that ensures citizens can access the services they need at their convenience and receive an accurate, timely quality response without delay.

The 311 model to support the vision is a single consolidated call centre which amalgamates the majority of current call centres and customer telephone numbers from across the City.

Business Model for 311 for Edmonton

311 Entry Point

Citizens, Visitors & Other Callers

Call Logging SystemKnowledge Data Bank

Work Order Tracking SystemPublic Address System

Respond with information as documented in Knowledge Data BankInitiate Service or Information Request

Transfer ONLY if require specific topic expertise; use enhanced IT for tracking specialist query

Dept Service Specialist

Dept Service Specialist

Dept Service Specialist

ServiceRequest

Service Request

ServiceRequest

Dept D Call Centre or Service Specialist

Dept Work Order Tracking System

Operations Process

Business Model for 311 for Edmonton

311 service is available to 24x7. This enables Citizens to dial 311 to speak with a Call Centre agent at a time most convenient to them.

The 311 centre agent logs the call, recording the necessary details, depending on the type of call.

For information calls, the agent will search the knowledge database and provide the caller with the information requested; some requests may be transferred to a department specialist.

For service or request for action calls, the 311 agent will complete the task by: Opening an application (e.g. CLASS) and completing a transaction Entering information into the 311 case management system, which

is then automatically transferred into workflow system (SAP/POSSE) for scheduling/dispatching by department staff

Manually transfer the request to a department specialist (e.g. Complex Tax payment)

Business Model for 311 for Edmonton

If the request is not completed during the call, the 311 agent will ask the caller if they would like a service tracking number. This number will enable the Citizen to check the status of work via the City’s website, or by phoning back to the 311 centre.

Performance reports will be provided to departments to provide them with statistics on service delivery and the types of information requests being received.

The City website will also be updated to reflect the most frequently asked questions.

Current Day Statistics

The City of Edmonton currently has ten external call centres and about 250 published telephone numbers that citizens call for non-emergency services and information.

Over 2.4 million calls are received by these call centres and phone lines each year. This number continues to grow as Edmonton’s population increases.

180 FTEs are currently needed to receive the calls being made from Citizens to the City’s various call centres and phone lines.

Public Consultation

In September 2005 Hargreaves and Associations was contracted to conduct consultations to assess public reaction to a proposed 311 telephone access service. The research was divided into two phases: a telephone survey and focus group sessions.

Telephone Survey A city-wide survey was conducted with 400 randomly selected

Edmonton adults. The survey offered the opportunity to collect statistically representative and quantitative data regarding the interest and acceptance of the 311 service model.

Reaction to the proposed centre was positive, with 85% of respondents agreeing the 311 centre would be a helpful approach to customer service. Citizens’ perceived benefits included getting the right information from the right source, and obtaining basic City information.

Public Consultation

Focus Groups The second phase of the research program included a

series of six focus groups conducted with adults, new Canadians, low income residents, young adults and seniors.

Participants had the opportunity to test the 311 business model. Reaction to the proposed model was similar to the results from the telephone respondents. Again, 85% of participants agreed that the 311 service sounded helpful. Participants also described the use of 311 as the contact number as being easy to remember and a good compliment to the Blue Pages, especially for those who lack good reading skills.

Benefits to Citizens – Increased Access and Improved Service

311 will provide significant benefits to citizens by increasing citizen access and improving citizen satisfaction with the City. Eliminates confusion: The single 311 entry point means citizen

inquiries can be made through one convenient, easy to remember phone number, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Missed calls: Each year, an estimated 160,000 calls are not answered (1,000 calls/day) that could be answered by a consolidated call centre without the need for additional staff.

Immediate results: Citizens can be confident their requests will be handled with a single phone call and will either have it immediately resolved, or will have a clear understanding of when and how it will be addressed.

Transparency: Calls will be tracked and customers will be provided with a service request number, which will enable them to track the progress of their query via the City’s website or by making a follow-up call to 311.

Benefits to Administration

A consolidated 311 Call Centre will provide the following benefits to Administration: Provide better reporting and information to Administration to make

positive adjustments to the services delivered. Serve as a direct access communication tool between government

and citizens. Enable the City to establish the emergency operations centre

faster and quickly ramp up speed to handle special events. Enhance Edmonton’s image as a high-tech, call centre city.

Productivity Gains

Fewer staff will be needed to answer citizen calls, even though the call centre will operate on expanded hours. This is because 311 service will smooth peaks and valleys in calls, hour to hour, day to day, season to season. All Business areas have highs and lows in demand, but the highs and lows don't occur at the same time.

Prepare for major events. The call centre can gear up in advance for special events like an International Games. All areas will be covered without individual departments having to make their own plans.

Corporate messaging. City staff will be able to direct consistent and timely messaging to the call takers in 311 centre. One place of contact facilitates the same message going out from all departments.

Standards of performance and accountability. 311 is a central repository for client services performance measures. Operational entities will set performance standards for use in responding to service requests. Actual performance will be measured and monitored. Frequently asked questions will guide initiatives to improve directed messaging/advertising.

Reduce scope of counter personnel. Reception staff will have the ability to handle requests out of their regular scope by politely directing customers to use the “311 House Phone”.