311 AT YOUR SERVICE, ABQ
Citizen contact center received more than 85,000 calls in June
Why do I keep getting red lights? I notice cameras at various intersections throughout the city. Is “Big Brother” watching?
How can I retrieve an item that I accidentally threw away in my trash?
Those are just some examples of the thousands of inquiries agents at the city’s 311 Citizen Contact Center answer every month. That’s the centralized call center for all non-emergency City of Albuquerque inquiries.
In June, agents answered more than 85,000 phone calls. When you add inquiries from residents who use an Alexa-enabled device, computer or smartphone, that comes to about 1 million contacts annually, according to Carrie Prothero, the 311 Citizen Contact Center’s division manager.
The 311 center, which boasts about 50 employees, provides information and takes service requests.
Callers can ask for locations, hours and offerings of city services. Callers can ask for information about citysponsored events. Callers can report abandoned cars, potholes, graffiti, weeds and unsafe city drivers. The
311 center acts as a liaison to all city departments.
“Our most predominant call is about transit,” Prothero said. “Folks want to know the next two times for the bus they are taking … or they need a trip plan from one end of the city to the other.”
Nearly 25,000 calls in June were inquiries about the city’s transit system, according to city statistics.
But callers also have other needs. More than 14,000 calls were about solid waste.
“They might call in for solid waste for a large item pickup and we’ll schedule that for them,” Prothero said. “They may have a pet that’s lost and they need to find their pet. You name it.”
According to city statistics, during fiscal year 2017, about 75 percent of calls were answered within 30 seconds and 69 percent of callers said they were “extremely satisfied” with the solution provided by 311.
Some calls, however, prove more complex than others.
“Some (questions) we’re able to answer right away,” Prothero said. “If a citizen is calling in and they want to know the ABQ BioPark hours, we can certainly provide that. Some of them might be more complex where they need to understand the zoning for their particular neighborhood. Maybe they’re going to add an extension to their existing property. To get that squared away, we would take a service request for them and get them to the right department.”
Agents refer to the city’s website for information to answer inquires. Prothero said agents also use ABQtodo, an arts, culture, sports, recreation and dining events calendar, as a resource, as well as an internal database system.
Shaun Nashboo has served as a citizen contact agent for about 18 months.
“The reason why I joined this great organization is because I generally like helping people,” Nashboo said.
Agents undergo four weeks of classroom training where they learn about the different departments, as well as how to handle and route calls. Trainees also spent some time on the call center floor under supervision.
“We’re lucky at 311. We have an excellent group of agents that are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service,” Prothero said. “That’s first and foremost. We look for that when we’re looking for new hires. We have a twopart interview process where we look for those behaviors and ask specific behavior-based questions to get that out of them.”
Not just the phone
In this age of mobile communications, 311 is no longer all about the telephone.
The city’s 311 Twitter service can answer questions regarding animal shelter locations and hours, as well as provide information about swimming pools, the BioPark Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden and Tingley Beach.
On Twitter, users can report problems such as damaged signs, potholes or graffiti and send photographs of the problem.
The city’s ABQ311 mobile app allows residents to report graffiti, weed complaints or solid waste issues. The application includes a GPS feature and the ability to capture pictures.
Residents can also use Alexa-enabled devices to ask questions and report issues to the city.
It’s the responsibility of Matthew Maez, digital engagement specialist in the Department of Technology and Innovation, to maintain the city website and to ensure information is updated for agent use.
“The website is the main knowledge base that agents use when somebody calls for information about the city,” Maez said. “So we have a great working relationship. … I’ve worked with Carrie and her staff to develop the Amazon Alexa skill. To me, it’s a really good example of two divisions within the same department collaborating to make it easier for citizens to get the information they need and the services their taxes pay for.” And there’s more. The city announced Friday that it’s launching a new mobile “One Albuquerque” app to bring all department apps into one centralized mobile application. It’s available for most Android and Apple devices.
The app was developed by local developer APPCityLife and can be downloaded for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
“The One Albuquerque app is going to modernize and simplify how people can connect with all things ABQ,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. “It’s a one-stop-shop for events, volunteer opportunities and updates from our city that will make it easier than ever to get involved.”
The new app allows users to submit a report to 311, look up the status of a previously reported issue, connect with key community resources and receive city-wide updates.