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Feature
DIAL 311
Colorful posters appeared in New York City as a result of a joint effort between the city and Sun to help build awareness for the new 311 hotline.
Friday, Sep 17, 3:00 PM PT
The 311 service provides New York city with an easy way to obtain important non-emergency services through one central, all-purpose phone number, quickly and effectively. Mayor Michael Bloomberg implemented this system in 2003, and now the system takes on average more than 30,000 calls per day (call volume is over eight million a year!). All calls are answered by a live operator, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be translated into 170 languages.
Before 311, the city operated more than 40 separate call centers and hotlines, along with hundreds of agencies, programs and offices to interact with the public. Not only was this an inefficient use of city resources, but it also made it very difficult for citizens to access information. People were often confused about which agency to contact for services. With an annual call volume of over eight million calls, there was an apparent need to revamp this system.
Mayor Bloomberg selected this project as one of his key agenda items and engaged various partners to make the 311 system a reliable, cost-efficient and effective tool for New Yorkers. The city engaged Accenture, in partnership with Sun Microsystems, Siebel, Oracle and others, to help streamline its resources and generate cost savings in the process.
The technology behind 311 includes: a state-of-the-art Customer (Citizen) Relationship Management System, an integrated phone system, a searchable knowledge database with more than 6,000 entries for agencies, services and key staff, and an advanced telephony infrastructure and workforce management system. Working with Accenture and its partners, Sun was able to develop a customized network for 311 to ensure reliability, speed, flexibility and best-in-class customer service to ensure that 311 is working 24/7 for the City of New York.
More Info: http://www.nyc.gov/html/311/
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