(Memphis) There are three numbers to call and the website to log onto if you want to complain about weeds that need to be cut or if you’re plagued by a pothole problem in Memphis.
The city’s new 311 Call Center and its updated website have been up and running since earlier this year.
George Little is Mayor AC Wharton’s Chief Administrative Officer.
“It’s not just about identifying problems on the level of getting the hole filled or grass cut. It’s coming up with a better way to do business,” Little said.
The 311 phone and computer system can track citizen complaints and requests 24 hours a day, seven days week.
There’s even a live operator Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to take your calls.
But the system has had some problems, such as long call wait times and fewer employees staffed to handle the more than 67,000 calls that have come in this year.
“We are working to improve that. We have had various staff that have left for various reasons and although we are in a tough time and frozen positions, we think 311 is important enough that we are going ahead and filling positions to keep our call times down,” Little said.
The goal is to eventually consolidate all existing call centers by the end of the year and collect data on problem areas.
311 will also help city administrators decide which divisions are doing their jobs well and provide information to hold city managers accountable to responding to your complaints.
“It’s always about continuous improvement. It’s not like we got it set up and forgot about it. I think that was the model we were in, but we intend this to be a dynamic process of attending to the citizens needs,” Little said.
The city is also working on updating its smart phone app.
It would let citizens with iPhones take pictures and use GPS technology help identify the locations of potholes in the city.