Copyright 2006
May 30, 2006, Tuesday
Software expands 311 call system
Pam Sohn, Staff Writer
But information gleaned from the call system may be used
differently in the future, with less focus on simple tabulation of results,
said Dan Johnson, chief of staff to Mayor Ron Littlefield. Instead, Mr. Johnson
said, performance should be measured by whether city workers answering service
calls are doing their jobs well.
"The fact that we did 500 (brush pickups or housing
inspections) doesn’t tell you whether it was any good," he said.
Dubbed chattanooga-RESULTS when it
was introduced in 2003 by then-Mayor Bob Corker, the $268,000 call system gave
residents a single number to access city services, and it gave city
administrators a way to track service requests and generate work statistics.
David Eichenthal, then director of the city’s Office of
Performance Review, used statistics from the system to gauge the city’s service
performance record and to focus on improvement.
"We used it to drive management of city government and
hold departments accountable," he said last week.
But both Mr. Eichenthal and Mr. Johnson said the new
supplemental software is a needed addition.
"There was a learning curve when they
started it (the 311 system) a couple of years ago," Mr. Johnson
said. "They worked through it, and we’ve been working out some kinks,
too."
Now city officials can count 311 calls, not just 311 service
orders. They also now can see accurate and automatically recorded information
about 311 call hold times, transfers and other call-specific information.
Mark Keil, chief information
officer, said the initial software, purchased in August 2002, tracked work orders entered by 311 operators but not
information specifically about 311 service calls.
That meant calls requesting only information were not
logged, Mr. Keil said, and things such as dropped
calls or call hold times were not recorded.
The new software provides 311 the ability to track incoming
calls for service just as 911’s incoming calls are tracked. But city and police
officials said any similarities in the two systems end there.
The 311 and 911 systems use different hardware, different
software and different personnel, officials said. The 911 staff and officials
have been under scrutiny since March when a Chattanooga Times Free Press
investigation revealed 34,077 emergency calls in
Police officials have said the problem is a lack of
manpower, and police Chief Steve Parks has asked Mr. Littlefield for six more
communications specialists in his next budget. The department’s 68 call takers
work three on each shift for the 24-hours, seven-days-a-week operation.
Meanwhile, 911 board members in April approved a $50,000 contract to study
unifying local emergency communications.
The 311 operation, on the other hand, is a nonemergency answering service manned by eight operators
during the work day. After hours and on weekends, a contracted private
answering service may be reached by dialing zero after a recording. The 311
service also has an online Web customer service form.
John Stuermer, 911’s director,
said trying to make any comparisons between the two systems is unfair.
"We have far, far and above the equipment that 311 has," he said. "We have many redundancies that
they don’t even think about because we have to be ready and accept calls from
people in emergencies, and 311 does not."
Mr. Eichenthal, now president and chief executive officer of
the Community Research Council, remains a firm believer in the 311 system as a
measure of performance.
In March the Community Research Council submitted an
11-month report titled "chattanoogaCITIZEN"
to the City Council. It urged officials to use the 311 data better by making it
regularly available to the public, along with crime statistics and current
information about road construction, job availability and housing
affordability.
During the Corker administration, the city shared the 311
call numbers once a year. City officials then also commissioned 311 system
customer satisfaction surveys — most recently in February 2005. Mr. Littlefield
took office in April 2005. Mr. Johnson said city officials won’t survey
customers again until the new $25,000 supplemental system software is fully
tested, but he said officials may try some of the Community Research
recommendations.
E-mail Pam Sohn at psohn@timesfreepress.com
COMPARING CALL SYSTEMS The 311 and 911 systems are completely separate and
operate on different hardware and software.
311 employs eight customer service
representatives who are paid between $21,624 and $33,228 annually. The city has
allocated $459,202 yearly for 311 services. The current system hardware and
software totaled about $300,364. 911 for