Buffalo is a Citizen-Engaged Community

BUFFALO, N.Y. (RELEASE) - The City of Buffalo was recently designated by the Public Technology Institute (PTI) as A Citizen-Engaged Community for its 311 system. The Public Technology Institute (PTI) is a national, not-for-profit member-supported organization based in Washington, D.C. that promotes innovation and collaboration in government, notably in the use of technology to improve management and the delivery of services to citizens. The City of Buffalo is one of nine local governments in the United States that has been designated as "Citizen-Engaged Communities."

"We launched our 311 system in July 2009 to provide our residents with an easily accessible resource that would help resolve their non-emergency issues," said Mayor Brown. "It's gratifying that this citizen-based resource has been recognized nationally for its effectiveness and reliability."

PTI's Citizen-Engaged Communities Designation Program challenges local government to achieve high standards in citizen participation, seamless service delivery and democratic accountability. Mayor Brown's 311 Call and Resolution Center has been a key initiative that has strengthened communication between city residents and the Administration.

"Mayor Brown's 311 Call and Resolution center has centralized and organized all of the city's complaints into a knowledge-based system," said Oswaldo Mestre Jr., Director of Citizen Services. "In effort to decrease response time and avoid unnecessary department transfers, the 311 Call and Resolution Center prides itself on following citizens' concerns from receipt of information to completion of the corresponding city action, while always maintaining the a high level of customer satisfaction."

Since the introduction of the 311 system in 2009, city residents have utilized it as a centralized mechanism for addressing their needs. This resource provides access to city services, information and non-emergency police services. Service requests can also be submitted to the city via the Internet, and the status of all requests can be monitored by residents.

The 311 Call and Resolution Center focuses on three performance factors: a strong commitment to teamwork to guarantee successful services of constituents; acting as a neutral forum in which to file a complaint, opinion, or recommendation to city services thereby treating the resident as a client of the city; using advanced telephone and computer software as a 'municipal triage,' which treats individual cases based on the nature and severity.

Call capacity has increased from a pre-311 high of 10,673 calls per month to 31,313 calls per month after implementation. This system has successfully streamlined the complaint process, including features such as an official complaint record, referral information for outside agencies as appropriate, and a deadline for responses to complaints. 311 offers understanding, accountability, and follow-through to each resident.

Recently, Mayor Brown added a satellite office of the Buffalo Police Department Internal Affairs Division in the 311 suite in City Hall, and provided a direct link from 311 to Buffalo's newest crime fighting tool the Keeping Neighborhoods On Watch (KNOW) Email Alert System, which provides residents with easy access to police enforcement and anti-crime efforts. In addition, the 311 Call and Resolution Center has added a customer satisfaction survey and Facebook page to better gauge and respond to citizen concerns throughout the city.

Criteria for designation as a Citizen-Engaged Community have been developed for the past two years by PTI and an advisory board of local officials and representatives from the technology sector. The criteria includes:

Citizen Participation Processes (information, service requests, complaints, interactive business applications and forms, surveys, focus groups, suggestions, chats).

Integrated Communication Channels (contact center, self-service Web and automated phone systems, walk-ins, neighborhood stations, contact center linkage with service departments, mobile citizens and mobile crews).

Integrated Technology (311, call managements, CRM, Web 2.0 applications, VoIP telephony, GIS, work management, mobile communications, knowledge-based data repositories).

Performance Reporting (external citizen metrics, customer-driven internal service metrics, use of real-time data, service level agreements for contact center and service department).

Other local governments designated as 2010-2012 Citizen-Engaged Communities are:
+Corpus Christi, Texas
+Greensboro, North Carolina
+Hampton, Virginia
+Miami-Dade County, Florida
+New York, New York
+Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
+San Francisco, California
+Winston-Salem, North Carolina