Sacramento County’s popular customer service number, 311 Connect, has reached the one million call mark! The one-stop center for information and reporting non-emergency neighborhood issues can be accessed by phone, website or app and was an immediate hit with County residents.
“Eleven hard-working customer service representatives – some of whom have handled more than 25,000 calls per year, help residents with everything from loose animals to code enforcement to traffic signal timing. The single-point-of-contact number means that people don’t have to know which department to call for information or request services – they can just dial 311,” said David Villanueva, Chief Deputy County Executive.
311 Connect is a fast, friendly and responsive service to allow residents and businesses to connect with the County quickly and efficiently.
“The customer service agents will answer the person’s question, route them to the correct person, or open a case to be resolved by the responsible department,” said Rami Zakaria, Chief Information Officer.
By embracing innovative technologies like 311 Connect, the
County’s Department of Technology focuses on delivering more accessible, available and accountable government because it’s not just a phone line; the technology behind it tracks all requests and centralizes the data, allowing for better reporting, and analysis.
Department directors review the data, spot trends and identify opportunities for system improvement.
“For example, by using the GIS map overlay, a location with repeated illegal dumping can be scheduled for more frequent garbage pickups and designated for signs,” said Department Director Paul Philleo of Waste Management and Recycling.
The information also allows departments to collaborate on multi-department issues, analyze workloads, balance resources and research spikes in requests for staff scheduling. As well, the system contains an expanding knowledge base of issues with scripts for the 150 calls each representative receives every day to help guide them through the calls.
“With every call, we continually increase our knowledge about the many services the County provides, and we add this to our system so that every representative can benefit from what we learn. I love taking a complicated call on a subject I’ve never had before and get the resident connected with the right departments on the first call for complete resolution,” said Angela D. Passmore, 311 Communications Dispatch Supervisor.
Michael Anderson, IT Manager for the 311 Communication Center, said, “I am very proud of the hard work and dedication our representatives staff put forth every day. They are a great example of excellence in customer service.”
Non-Emergency 311 Connect Service Request Types:
- Abandoned vehicles and shopping carts
- Animal issues - stray, deceased
- Culvert/pipe repair or cleaning
- Curb, gutter or sidewalk repair
- Ditch cleaning
- Drainage problem
- Illegal dumping - garbage, trash
- Missed garbage collection service
- Occupied out building
- Graffiti
- Potholes
- Street light out
- Street sign down
- Substandard housing conditions - no water, utilities, deficient building, surfacing sewage
- Tobacco - selling to minors
- Traffic signal timing
- Tree trimming