ICMA • 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002 • 202/289-ICMA • FAX 202/962-3500 • http://icma.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Cory Fleming, 311 Program Director, ICMA October 9, 2014 cfleming@icma.org; 207-854-1083

NATIONAL 311 COUNCIL ANNOUNCES PLANS TO CREATE BENCHMARKING TOOLS AND STANDARDS

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Leaders of large urban 311 contact centers throughout the

United States have announced plans to raise the profile of 311 and the need for excellence in

government customer service by focusing on the creation of new benchmarking tools and

standards for the field.

The new group, known as the National 311 Executive Council, includes representatives

from Baltimore, Md.; the City and County of Denver, Colo.; Chicago, Ill.; Charlotte/Mecklenburg

County, N.C.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and New York, N.Y. (see page 3). Cory Fleming, 311/CRM

program director with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), serves as

the group’s facilitator.

The group has adopted three projects for its first year.

Measuring the Customer Service-Citizen Engagement Experience—This project will examine the customer service-citizen engagement experience to learn more about how citizens prefer to interact with their local government. Research questions include: How do we measure the customer service experience in an omni-channel environment? How do hyper-engaged, engaged, and unengaged populations interact with local government thru 311? Which communication technologies work best with which populations?

Examining Customer Service Maturity Models—This project will look at the range of customer service models that currently exist in North America and will identify features and services that could be offered as a 311 center evolves over time. This project will create a framework for beginner organizations to help them understand how to improve their citizens’ customer service experience.

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ICMA • 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002 • 202/289-ICMA • FAX 202/962-3500 • http://icma.org

National 311 Council Announces Plans to Create Page 2 Benchmarking Tools and Standards

Creating a Research Database of Performance Management and Customer Satisfaction Data—The Minneapolis 311 Comparative Survey has provided the industry with a glimpse into what practices are in place in 311 centers across North America. The project will take the next step and create a national research database for 311 centers to learn about leading practices methodologies that have been adopted.

311 non-emergency systems allow citizens to access their local government for non-

emergency issues such as loss of water service, stray animals, and potholes. The City of

Baltimore became the first city to adopt the 311 number for handling non-emergency calls in

1996. As the field has matured over the years, 311 centers have emerged as leaders and

innovators in customer service, citizen engagement, performance measurement and

management, disaster response and recovery, and community/economic development.

Joe Morrisroe, executive director of NYC311, noted, "This is an exciting opportunity to

leverage the success and collective experience of government customer service leaders across

the country in furthering our goal of delivering equity, equality, and opportunity for our

constituents." Janice Quintana, director of the CharMeck 311 Customer Contract Center said, “I

am eager to join forces with innovative leaders from across the country to share knowledge,

advocate, and showcase the positive impacts the 311 industry has on local government and

citizen engagement.”

Rosetta Carrington Lue, chief customer service officer and director of the Philly311

Customer Contact Center, hosted the group’s first in-person meeting this summer. She

observed, "The council is made up of talented and creative city leaders. We have all developed

innovative 311 services in our own cities; now we are collaborating to improve the collective 311

experience across all cities. This group will be transformative for the public sector customer

service industry by utilizing collaboration to explore, test, and innovate to exceed our customer's

experience and service delivery performance.”

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ICMA • 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002 • 202/289-ICMA • FAX 202/962-3500 • http://icma.org

National 311 Council Announces Plans to Create Page 3 Benchmarking Tools and Standards

About ICMA ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build sustainable communities that improve people’s lives. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to nearly 9,300 appointed city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of individuals living in thousands of communities throughout the world, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.

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NATIONAL 311 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS Lisa Allen Call Center Director City of Baltimore Rosetta Carrington Lue Philly311 Executive Director & Chief Customer Service Officer City of Philadelphia Audrey Mathis Director, 311 City Services City of Chicago

Mike Major Director, 311 Operations City and County of Denver Joe Morrisroe Executive Director, NYC311 New York City Janice Quintana, Director CharMeck 311 Charlotte/Mecklenburg County