… … over 18 Million Servedover 18 Million Served

33--11--1 Houston Service Helpline1 Houston Service HelplineT. Ray Taylor

Division Manager - SR Configuration Manager

• Call Center Environment• Mission-critical: Service Requests (SR)• Frequently Answered Questions (FAQs)

3-1-1 Helpline 3-1-1 Helpline Call CenterCall Center• Third-generation call center integrating

telephone caller-ID, data, E-mail, fax• Genesys Computer-Telephone

Integration (CTI)

• Multiple Queues route caller & ancillary data • Display caller profile & history on call-taker workstation (‘screen pop’)

• Avaya Integrated Voice Response (IVR)• Speech recognition menu provides language-based routing for Spanish & Hard-of-Hearing

• Announces estimated wait time – always helpful, and critical during disasters

3-1-1 Helpline 3-1-1 Helpline Call CenterCall Center• SymonSymon®® electronic wall-signs flash

changing conditions & ‘hot topics’ • NICE®® digitally records all conversations

• Quality Assurance• Open Records requests• Legal investigations

• NXi®® Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) integrated into call-taker PCs

Multiple Inbound ChannelsMultiple Inbound Channels

3-1-1@cityofhouston.net

TDD:

Or 713-837-0311

3-1-1Box 1562

PO Fax

713-837-0205

Out-of-town:

713-837-0311

City Departments

3-1-1City Residents

3-1-1 Helpline 3-1-1 Helpline Call CenterCall Center• UNiSYS Corp customized the Service

Center Application ‘Desktop’ (SCAD)• Agent Status: Login, Logout, Ready, After-

Call Work, Not ready, Hold, Transfer, etc… • Soft phone accommodates keyboard,

mouse, or hard-phone dialing • Transaction Outcomes, notes, comments • Detailed reports of call duration & disposition

• Integrated Frequently Called Numbers• One-click transfer to 9-1-1

• Direct tie line for Emergency calls

Customer Service RequestsCustomer Service Requests• The Service Request process is

Mission-Critical to the City of Houston

“With every call, we assure easy assess to municipal government and deliver excellent service to our citizens.”

• Service Requests are the primary building blocks that bridge citizens to City Departments

Customer Service RequestsCustomer Service Requests• Customer Service Request (CSR)

system by Motorola • About 300 TypesTypes of Requests collect all info

needed for the responsible group to begin work • Together, Helpline and departments translate

each business process into an SR TypeType• Some department Groups are empowered to

configure & update the SRs that they ‘own’ • About 100 SR Types are web-enabled • Some SR Types cross a data interface to

specialized external systems

Customer Service RequestsCustomer Service Requests• Standardize intake of complex issues• Integrated GIS will Validate Address eligibility• Detect & flag duplicate; mask, if necessary• Flexible questions/notes help call-takers

interview callers, like ‘scripting’• Answers: fill-in-the-blank or ‘pick-&-click’ list• Customize alerts per the answer chosen

• Record Customer Name & contact info• Business, home, phone, cell, fax, e-mail, etc…

• Save Name records to reuse for repeat callers• Attach Image files: picture or scan

Auto-route to work groupAuto-route to work group

SR ResolutionSR Resolution• Work interval configured per SR Type

• CSR monitors ‘countdown-to-Overdue’ clock• End Users search for & Accept their New SRs • Activities: a list of normal work steps

• Pre-configured Due Dates set the work pace• Users may adjust target dates on-the-fly

• Outcomes: all possible results of a task• Choice of Outcome may auto-insert the next

logical Activity• Insert Activities, add detailed notes, attach

Images, & eventually change Status to Closed

SR ResolutionSR Resolution• Users may only modify SRs their Group owns• If Query, other Groups’ SRs are read-only• Elected Officials & staff may view virtually all• SR Types that cross an Interface often require special report procedures to view details

• Most Users may Query, print reports, and run Statistical jobs

• CSR contains nearly 3 Million SRs … A single, shared asset spanning 2001 to now

Frequently Frequently AnsweredAnswered Questions Questions• Departments compiled questions their callers

frequently ask, and the correct answers for which they are responsible

• CSR Information Reference: 2,200+ AnswersAnswers• About 15MB … 1,300 pages

• Departments ‘own’ & maintain their Answers • Pre-loaded Topics activate per calendar• Obsolete Topics disappear per ‘expiration date’

• 3-1-1 staff relay answers for Departments• 3‑1‑1 Helpline resolves 78% of calls by

providing specific information from shared databases … without transfer, SR, or follow-up

2,401,893in FY09

2%

FY09 FY09 TransactionsTransactions perper Client Client

Municipal CourtsSolid Waste

6%Utilities Maintenance

1%

Traffic2%Water Customer Service

PWE General

All Other Issues

Police, Neighborhood Protection

12%39%

1%

Distribution of Service Transactions

8%

General Services Parking

2%Right of Way

Health Air QualityParks & Recreation

22%2%1%

14%Public Works &

Engineering

The National ModelThe National Model

• 3-1-1 Houston Service Helpline3-1-1 Houston Service Helpline sets the benchmark for municipal customer service

• Effectiveness convinces municipalities to follow the Houston template

• Experiences, advice, and tours help many cities that plan to implement 3-1-1 Oakland, CA Dayton, OH Columbus, OH Seattle, WA Miami-Dade, FL Chattanooga, TN Dekalb, Georgia

• Austin, TX• El Paso, TX• Olathe, KS• Kansas City, MO• Nashville, TN• Denver, Colorado• Beijing, China

• Baltimore, MD• Los Angeles, CA• Sendai, Japan• Lafayette City-

Parish, LA• Vancouver, Canada• Edmonton, Canada

Questions?Questions?

Answers!Answers!