Mayor Bob Corker announced Tuesday that citizens may access the city's 311 service through the city website, www.chattanooga.gov, effective immediately.
Launched earlier this year, Mayor Corker established Chattanooga 311 "to provide Chattanoogans with easy and direct access to City Hall."
The call center, with an easy to remember number, provides Chattanoogans one place to call for information, and non-emergency, non-police and fire service requests, it was stated.
From February through May 2003, 39,890 calls were placed to the Chattanooga 311 service, and of those, 23,202 were specific requests for city services. The online enhancement will allow even easier access to Chattanooga 311, allowing citizens to complete a service request from their computer at any time, the mayor said.
Users log onto www.chattanooga.gov and click the Chattanooga 311 logo prominently displayed on the screen. The user will then be asked for basic contact information and to identify the problem that needs to be corrected. After completing their service request, users will receive a follow-up email confirming their problem has been entered into the system and providing a tracking number for any future question that may arise.
Mayor Corker said, "This enhancement of Chattanooga 311 makes it even easier for citizens from all walks of life to easily access City Hall. Whether you prefer to place a call or place your request for service over the internet, getting help from City Hall has never been easier."
In addition to announcing the improvement to the Chattanooga 311 service, David Eichenthal, the City's Chief of Finance and Administration also released details of recent survey of 311 callers.
The survey found that 80% of telephone respondents rated 311's Customer Service Representative as good or excellent in courteously handling calls. 69% of survey participants rated the Customer Service Representative handling of their problem as good or excellent. Finally, the survey evaluated average wait times and found that 69% of respondents waited only 1-2 minutes, 17% waited 3-4 minutes and only 10% of callers surveyed waited more than 6 minutes to receive assistance.
The survey revealed the three most common reasons for accessing Chattanooga 311 were:
Trash Flash/ Bulky Item Collection
Traffic Sign Maintenance- Routine
Garbage Container Request
Mr. Eichenthal said, "When the City launched 311 just four months ago, we promised better customer service and the survey results suggest that we are meeting that goal. By launching an on-line version of 311, we'll make government even more accessible. And given that more than one-in-three Chattanoogans who have been calling 311 are willing to use the web, it means that we'll be able to deliver an even higher level of customer service for those who still call in."
City Councilman Ron Littlefield said, "I call Chattanooga 311 on a regular basis to begin service requests on behalf of citizens in my district. I have the ability to track the progress that is being made on each request and report back to my constituent that their problem has been resolved. The welcome addition of the online component makes the service even more powerful for the residents of our community."