The Value of Multi-Channel Contact Centers: A Checklist for Local Elected Officials

8/14/2019 The Value of Multi-Channel Contact Centers: A Checklist for Local Elected Officials

1/4

The Value of Multi-ChannelContact Centers:A Checklistor Local Elected Ofcials

Citizen-Centric GovernmentTransforming Government

through Service and Technology

Public Technology InstituteThe resource for technology executives in local governmen

w w w. p t i . o r g


2/4

The Value of Multi-ChannelContact Centers:A Checklistor Local Elected Ofcials

Citizen-Centric GovernmentTransforming Government throughService and Technology

No matter how you currently engage citizens311, call centers,walk-up desks, the Webyou can take customer service to anew levelmultiple channel contacts!

People have become accustomed to using the channel of their choicefor communication and transactions. Todays technology is making thatvery convenient for the user and offers great management tools for

the organization providing the service.

For the citizen, these contactcenters provide quick and easyaccess to government.

For the elected leaders, thesecenters help you stay in touchwith your constituents. Thesystems and business processesthat contact centers use help

you to monitor the pulse of your constituency and provide you withreal-time analysis on how effectively government services are beingdelivered.

The Public Technology Institute (PTI) has prepared this checklistidentifying many of the benets of multi-channel contact with thepublic. Designed specically for elected ofcials, this list is meantto provide a non-technical look at how these technologies impactyou and the citizens you serve.

T cckst fcss t pty s: Citizen satisfaction Economic development and revenue opportunities Business process re-engineering

Finally, New Yorkers donthae to search through a

phone book or experience theustration o being bouncedaround om one agency tothe next as they try to nd the

serice they need. And 311doesnt just let us respondbetter, we use what we learn

here so we can manage better.Michael BlooMBerg, Mayor

city of New york, Ny

Sacramento City 311 ismore than a customer-ocusedcall center. While outstandingcustomer serice is our commit-ment, haing a single source oinormation regarding issuesconcerning our residents giesus a continuous gauge on

customer needs, allows orstrategic planning and gies theexecutie team objectie data

om which to make sounddecisions or our city. OurCRM system is the catalyst thatenables this to happen. Strongleadership with the righttechnology can transorm.

keviN JohNsoN, Mayor

city of sacraMeNto, ca

MulTi-Channel

ConTaCT CenTer

With the foundation of technologyand communications, a multi-channel contact center canbuild dynamic andresponsiveconnectivity between citizensand local government.

in-Psn

Cllagnts

Wb

iVrs

e-Ml/iM

Wkods

Tcgy & Cmmcts

Ctzs

FaCT: in 1997, the FederlCommnctons Commsson des-gnted 311 s ntonl nmberto hndle non-emergency clls.Snce tht tme, locl governmentscross the contry hve beenestblshng contct centers.


3/4

As you review this list, think about the technologies and processesthat you currently use and what more you could do to transformgovernment services.

Citizen SatisfactionAchieve a lighter, simpler, swifter,

more accessible and trustedgovernment through the multi-

channel contact center serviceand technology

Improve accountability and trans-parency by meeting the demandto provide real-time assessmentof the effectiveness of services

Transform citizen communications by offering channel of choice,expanding walk-in and call services with Web 2.0 dashboards,news feeds, text messaging, social networking, and InteractiveVoice Response and balancing with commonplace technologiesto maximize inclusion and utility

Institute continuous citizen engagement through surveys, comment

and complaint forms, special project feedback, town hall meetings,kiosks, public access to computers, and other two-way interactivityinitiated by the multi-channel contact center

Gain understanding of citizen priorities and community issuesthrough the abundance of straightforward data generated bythe multi-channel contact center

Attain seamless service delivery through consistency of informationsharing between citizens, the contact center, service departmentsand eld crews

Economic Development and Revenue Opportunities

Increase timely collections for accounts receivable throughcost-effective, 24x7 payment processes

Facilitate business development with quick and automated accessto business information and maps, interactive web forms,and faxing

Increase registrations and reservations through easy access todynamic tourist and recreational information

Generate revenue and economies of scale by establishing partnernetworks to share services, data and technology use

Improve economic development efforts by using browser-basedapplications to end data silos and enable access to information

on demand and in real-time (e.g. sales and marketing data,business contact data, lead management, e-mail integration,e-mail lists)

Business Process Re-engineeringManage by facts and improve forecasting with real-time and relevant

data access, including easy-to-read report summaries

Target limited resources by using call, complaint and location data tofocus on service improvement opportunities

Easily transition and effectively support emergency operations andestablish reliable communications infrastructure between public

Our Strategic CustomerSerices diision has enabledus to take a 360 approach tocitizens and serice. Withintegrated technology or 311,GIS, the Web and IVR, wehae connected the communityto the City o Dallas.

We stay accountable and ery

responsie to that connectionthrough ongoing citizen input

and extensie perormanceimprovement processes.

Its a great way to manage.

Jill a. JordaN,

assistaNt city MaNager

city of dallas, tX

My ocus is to be responsieto the needs o our citizens andto engage them in building

a better community. CorpusChristi provides seamlesscustomer serices throughthe call center and an award-winning interactie website.

heNry garrett, Mayor

city of corpus christi, tX

FaCT: Good cstomer ser-vce sed to men frendlynd corteos. Tody, t lsomens ctzen cn se combnton of commnc-

ton chnnels to nterct wthgovernment, hs optons for24x7 ccess, s not trns-ferred, nd does not hve torepet nformton.

311/CRM Project

Coordinating Group*

Created by PTI, ICMA, RutgersUniversity and the Ochs Centeror Metropolitan Studies, thisgroup hopes to:

Create a unied public voiceto promote the difusion o311/CRM systems to localgovernments across the U.S.;

Share inormation and serve asa resource to local governmentson 311/CRM systems;

Promote best practices andstrategies that lead to moreresponsive government andimproved governmentperormance.

*Each organization has a researchproject supported by theAled P. Sloan Foundation.


4/4

Citizens expect and deseregovernment that respondsin real time to what theyneed. Solano County is using311 to meet citizen expecta-

tions o customer serice byproviding a one-stop shoppingresource. Callers dont hae toknow how County governmentworks. Tey only need to knowwhen they call 311, there is a

iendly person ready to helpthem access inormation and

get connected to the expertsthat can address their needs.

I beliee 311 is one o the newwae o tools that maximize

technology to help electedocials and management

staf assess how well sericesare being perormed andhow efectie the programs

are managed. axpayers geta return on their investmentwith improved eciencies

and better accountability.

Michael d. JohNsoN,

couNty adMiNistrator

couNty of solaNo, ca

safety agencies and affectedconstituents and betweencritical rst responders

Develop employees to becomeservice design and deliveryagents

Address declining workforceissues and create greaterefciencies through integrated,shared or interoperated dataand technology systems

Achieve faster response times by empowering reliable accessfor employees to critical information

Maximize technology investments by expanding contact centertechnology to other departments, such as developmentservices or municipal court

i-Ps

C agts

Wb

iVrs

e-M/iM

Wk ods

Technologies

Point of Contact

User Options

Processes

Tracking

Communications

Response

SmssSvc

itgtd

PI is a non-prot technology research organization created by andor cities and counties. PIs Citizen-Engaged Community

Designation Program recognizes best practices in the use o Citizen

Relationship Management (CRM) systems, 311 systems, webportal technology, telephony systems and mobile communicationsinastructure. Visit www.pti.org to learn how your local

government can be a citizen-engaged community.

FaCT:in 2004 Pew stdy, 55%of amercnsboth internet sers(72%) nd non-sers (23%)con-tcted government. Ffty-sevenpercent of the poplton ges 18to 29 yers old contcted govern-mentnd ths tech-svvy gegrop now mkes p 22 percentof the u.S. dlt poplton.

Plan anD STraTeGieS

A fully integrated multi-channel contact center enables

local govenment to function as a cohesive organizationdelivering seamless service to its citizens.

PTI would like to thank the following sponsors:

Public Technology InstituteThe resource for technology executives in local government

Our Philly311 ContactCenter allows our City towork smarter, aster, better.

Integration between our CRMand departmental work ordersystems creates more ecientprocesses and enables aluabletrend tracking and adanced

analysis. Te results are

greater coordination amongdepartments and improved

serice deliery.

caMille cates BarNett,

MaNagiNg director,

philadelphia, pa

Documents

The Value of Multi-Channel Contact Centers: A Checklist for Local Elected Officials