Dial 311 to call the mayor?

Does Sault Ste. Marie need a special 311 phone number for non-emergency calls to City Hall?

Bell Canada thinks so.

More than 30 U.S. cities and counties have adopted 311 as their official phone number, including New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg spearheaded the introduction of a 24-hour 311 call centre as a customer service initiative to handle 40,000 citizen enquiries a day.

New York advertises the number using 311 posters (shown) and bumper stickers.

The average service level there is about 26 seconds. Mayor John Rowswell has received the following letter from Kelly McDougald, Bell's senior vice president for Ontario enterprise sales.

He's not recommending any action be taken on McDougald's pitch.

*********************** Mayor John Roswell City of Sault Ste. Marie

Dear Mayor John:

USE OF 311 FOR MUNICIPAL SERVICES APPROVED

I am writing to you on behalf of Bell Canada regarding the recent decision to allocate 311 for municipal non-emergency services.

This was granted by the CRTC on November 5th.

The CRTC decision is in keeping with how 311 is being applied in the U.S. Since 1997, approximately 30 U.S. cities and counties have adopted 311 for municipal services.

The testimonials from these communities are impressive.

Chicago's Bureau of Electricity saved $6.9M in the first year by eliminating duplicate responses to lights out; Chicago's Department of Sewers reduced response time by 83; and Baltimore saved $532K in the first year through productivity improvements to garbage collection.

Another important benefit of 311 is the reduction of non-emergency calls to 911.

U.S. stats illustrate reductions in 911 non-emergency calls of between 25-40 percent.

The list of 311 benefits is extensive and the awards have been many.

First and foremost 311 is about serving the citizens and businesses in your community.

It is an exciting transformation project that helps direct, track and resolve requests for information and assistance via phone and the web.

In time 311 will set new standards for municipal communications, responsiveness and citizen engagement.

We believe 311 is an important component in the delivery of effective municipal e-govemment.

During the past few years, Bell Canada has been researching and consulting extensively on 311 in Canada and the U.S.

We have made presentations at recent conferences including AMO and the Canadian Urban Institute.

Our expertise in voice and data allows us to approach 311 with a clear understanding of the many components that must be considered from a communications and technology perspective.

Without exception, 311 requires well thought out and well executed business engineering processes that take into account the need for integration with existing municipal systems.

Bell Canada is uniquely positioned to assist Ontario's municipalities deliver an effective and workable 311 solution.

We have recently entered into an agreement with the City of Gatineau to provide consulting services and a CRM solution.

These are important components of an eventual 311 citizen contact service program.

This is particularly rewarding for Bell Canada as Gatineau was one of the original group of municipalities to make an application to the CRTC for the use of 311 for municipal services.

Our team is working hard to ensure we execute a leading edge solution that delivers a new generation of quality of service to Gatineau's citizens and businesses.

As you take time to consider the benefits of a 311 service in your community, we would be delighted to be part of your discovery process.

Our team is available to present our extensive findings to help you and your staff and to work with you to analyze in detail your specific requirements.

We are also available to answer your questions over the phone or web.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Steve Burton, has been designated within Bell to project manage our 311 program.

He can be reached at 613-781-2070 or [email protected].

We look forward to future discussions and the roll out of a successful 311 platform in communities across Ontario.

These are indeed exciting times for municipal government.

Best Wishes,

Kelly McDougald

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