Upgrade for Baltimore’s 311 system on the way
The city’s 311 system is getting a $1.6 million upgrade.
Baltimore’s spending panel approved the purchase of a new software system that will allow 311 operators to better use the internet, mobile phones and social networks to interact with the public.
Lisa N. Allen, the call center director, said operators have relied on a customer relationship management system that is a more than a decade old to answer the approximately 1 million calls for service received each year — 85,000 a month.
Operators at 311 also provide general information and serve as liaisons between the caller and city agencies.
The Board of Estimates approved money last year for the new system. Allen said Wednesday’s action will allow the city to reallocate the capital funds to operating funds, which will cover the purchase of California-based Salesforce’s cloud-based software and to implement the new system.
The system will allow operators to communicate with city residents through chat, text messages and social media.
Allen said the system should be running citywide in September.
The old system “suffers from unanticipated outages and slow performance,” Allen said. It also lacks modern communications channels, such as text messaging and social media communications.
In 1996, Baltimore became the first city in the country to use 311 as a police nonemergency number, Allen said. It became the contact number for city services in 2001.
The call center has about 70 employees, including operators and administrative support staff.