5 months after launch Edmonton 311 service fields 5,000 calls daily

The city of Edmonton launched its 311 call centre - to handle non-emergency services -- halfway through last December. The centre now takes around 5,000 calls each day. It's able to do this thanks to CRM software that pulls together data from multiple sources into a system that can be navigated by a single call centre employee to find answers to any question that may be asked.
5/22/2009 6:03:00 AM By: Brian Jackson

“Citizens don't care whether they're calling one department or another,” he says. “They just want that one number on the phone ... it's like the front doors of city hall.”

But the CRM's interface isn't all roses, Moore adds. Call centre staff sometimes find that more complex questions or service requests can be tough to record in the system. There's a linear path to answer questions or enter information, and if it's not followed exactly, there can be problems going back and forth down that path.

“They have something they refer to as they happy path,” Moore explains. “But we're finding the happy path is not always happy… If someone is midway through the reporting of their information and wants to add more information, we have to leave another window open so we can go get that and bring it back.”

The staff has been creative about how to keep things running smoothly, he says. SAP has also been responsive to the concern and is working to make the path a happier place.

As 311 crops up across Canada, it joins other popular three-digit phone numbers that citizens can use to access various information and services. Each of these numbers is set aside by the CRTC for a specific purpose: