For City of Hampton,“Customer Delight” strategy

depends on Dell hardware

CITY OF HAMPTON STRIVES FOR COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE

Situated on the tip of Virginia’s peninsula, the historic City of Hampton is as popular with tourists as it is

beloved by its more than 140,000 residents. Whether strolling along its beaches, enjoying the Hampton Jazz

Festival or participating in the Hampton Cup Regatta, visitors and residents find charm in this community

established in 1610.

One characteristic of the City of Hampton is its commitment to innovation. The community’s culture of

exploring new ideas to improve citizens’ lives is reflected in its “Customer Delight” initiative, a program

focused on providing residents with exceptional access to government resources.

CHALLENGE

With more than 30 different agencies making up the City of Hampton’s governmental structure, the IT

team needed an efficient way to manage the vast amount of information it disseminates to citizens daily.

SOLUTION

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system running on dependable Dell™ hardware gives

residents access to data simply by calling one telephone number, 311. Additionally, a legislative

communication system based on Dell hardware provides residents with immediate access to

governmental decision processes.

BENEFIT

Citizens’ satisfaction with government services has increased dramatically. The 311 Call Center has

reduced traffic on 911 lines leaving them open for emergency situations, and the legislative system

keeps constituents informed of decisions affecting their community.

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CITY OF HAMPTON

HARNESSING INFORMATION INTO ONE EASY-TO-USE RESOURCE

As part of the City of Hampton’s “Customer Delight” efforts, city decision-makers recognized the need

for a single information resource to alleviate customers’ frustration with dialing multiple departments

before finding the right assistance. A citywide 311 information number would give people one source

to call for answers.

“We realized that our employees have a great deal of knowledge they’ve acquired over the years to help

residents,” John Eagle, director of information technology explains. “Our challenge was compiling this

knowledge from more than 30 diverse agencies and offices into a solution that would enable operators

to address our citizens’ needs 24 hours a day.”

ONE CALL DOES IT ALL

The IT team saw an opportunity to use the same CRM technology that helps private businesses deliver quality

customer service. “We are one of the first cities to use CRM in a government environment,” he says.

“In effect we are providing customer service across the equivalent of 30 large businesses.” The city had been a

Dell™ customer for many years standardized on Dell notebooks and desktops with Microsoft® Windows® 2000

and Microsoft Office® and Exchange® applications. They turned to the hardware provider to power their

ambitious CRM project with Dell PowerEdge™ servers and 15 Dell workstations along with a call center

telephony solution and a CRM software application.

The City of Hampton also implemented a legislative system running on approximately 50 Dell servers that

enable citizens to access information immediately after the clerk of council publishes it online. It includes

video of important meetings that Hampton residents can download from the city’s web site and view with

streaming media capabilities. The system also allows users to search the content by agenda topic and go

straight to the data they need. They can view budgets, council member votes and development maps which

integrate easily with Microsoft Word® applications.

Reliability Challenge

Another challenge facing the

community was finding a reliable, fast

way to relay council meeting

information and important city

decision processes. “Much of this

information is time-sensitive and

subject to legal interpretation,” John

says. “It is critical that citizens have

access to it immediately.”

- John Eagle, Director of Information Technology for the City of Hampton, Virginia

“Dell understands that in the end it is about more than the technology.It is about having a business partner that helps us reach our goals.”

IMPROVED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND A SAFER COMMUNITY

The city noticed immediate results after implementing its 311 Call Center. “We are able to utilize our

intellectual capital throughout our entire organization,” says John. Consequently, as reported in a Call

Center Case Study, 83 percent of residents surveyed said their impression of city services had improved.

The report also cited that the Call Center has reduced 911 calls not related to public safety by 98 percent.

And in the face of disaster, the call center proved invaluable. “Our area suffered major damage during

Hurricane Isabel in 2003,” explains John. After the storm, with power out in many parts of the region, the

311 Call Center became the sole source of information for many residents and helped control rumors.

Similarly, the online legislative access program has made it easy for citizens to stay connected to the decisions

affecting their community. “Dell understands that in the end it is about more than the technology,” John shares.

“It is about having a business partner that helps us reach our goals.”

CITY OF HAMPTON

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