1. Group Name: Team JSTG
Business Case Name: Watson for 311
Group Members: Jacob Kelman, Suhail Zalia,Timmy Stephen,
Gabriela Calogero
Submission Video Link:
(Youtube link)
Group Page Link: http://smartpitch.org/group/jstg
(SmartPitch.org page link)
Case Prompt: City Services
(Higher Education or City Services)
Suhail.Zalia@gmail.com
Timmy.stephen@baruchmail.cuny.edu
Gabriela.calogero@baruchmail.cuny.edu
Jacobkelman@gmail.com
[Web address]

2. Executive Summary
New York City’s 311 system was createdto provideNew Yorkers withquickandeasy access to all NYC
government services andinformation while maintainingthe highest level ofcustomer service. With NY’s
ever growingpopulation, it has become difficult for the 311 call center to maintainits level ofcustomer
service to the growingdemands ofthe city. By implementingWatson technology to 311, cost per call will
be minimized, customer satisfactionwill increase, andNYC will operate more efficiently.
The Issue
While making significant strides over the last decade, the 311 service is currently inefficient and ineffective. 50,000 calls
are made monthly, each averaging $6. More importantly is during city emergencies (aka Hurricane Sandy) were calls can
reach up to 200,000 for the day. During this time, call lines are tied up giving long wait times and many calls are then
outsourced to other call centers. These call centers do not have the same training as a full-time 311 employee and offer
lackluster customer support.
The customer experience is relatively poor. Many times you are forwarded to several departments before finally reaching
a representative who can help. In addition, it takes approximately 45 seconds of automated messages before even
reaching the current Interactive Voice Response (IVRS), developed by Nuance. The IVRS is a standard plug and play. It
has set responses to select questions, but otherwise is very limited in what it offers.
Objectives
Description of Business
The integration of Watson into 311 will benefit both, the users of 311 and the New York City government. It will be the
most advanced customer relationship management (CRM) in the world, for the most popular city. From the second you
call 311, the caller will be greeted with “Hello, this is Watson at 311, what is your question?” Instantly the caller will be
able to ask a question, no unnecessary wait time needed. Similar to Watson’s application on Jeopardy, it will decode the
question and search it’s trove of information to find the appropriate response-the trove of information being the entire
backlog of data from 311 calls since its inception. Additional programming lets the customization of Watson to be
endless. Watson can load additional APIs, such as weather information or traffic information, to provide more accurate
Cost
Reduce call times
Lower turnover rate
Quality
Accurate information
No call waiting
City
Real-time view
Improve response
to natural disasters

3. responses. If Watson is unable to find an answer or is only 60% confident in its answer, you will at least be directed to
the appropriate department. The question is passed along to the representative in a chat/email.
311 can be accessed on a multitudeof platforms, including calling, online, and a mobile application. While all of your
complaints are stored on your mobile device, you are unable to view all of them online or calling unless you state the
“Service Request” numberfor each. This makes calling 311 very timely as you have to restate your question and all
previous complaints. We see Watson keeping a profile of users based on their phone number. By creating profiles based
on phone numbers, the user keeps their anonymity and will create a more positive experience. Watson will be able to use
your previous requests as a jumping point for what you are calling about. In addition, it can send SMS updates with a
link to additional information on your call.
NYC is massive. With Watson integration, 311 can be an important asset to New York City by providing insight into
ways for improving City government through accurate, consistent measurement, and analysis of service delivery citywide.
With the current data collected, Watson technology will be able to take service analysis a step further by providing
feasible ways to improve City government in a timely manner, something the current system is lacking. Watson will be
able to see far beyond the black and white calls regarding potholes and graffiti, it will understand that certain areas may
be in need of a recreation center or a dog park if enough residents of a community call and inquire about the closest one.
Breakdown of Service
Operation and Management
A team of 10 people with diverse backgrounds in the call center industry will be hired to teach Watson everything that it
has to know about 311 and call centers. They will also feed it all the data 311 has accumulated over the years, and once
they are well acquainted with how Watson works, they will teach 311 employees how to use Watson.
Once Watson is fully functioning on the 311 system, low-level employees will not be needed. While the low-level jobs
will be lost, the money saved will partially be used to create more skilled representatives. These jobs will be much higher
quality and with increased benefits. They will learn the system in and out and will also be able to provide a better
customer experience to the caller. With better jobs, comes less turnover. A high-cost to 311, turnover (along with
training) will be minimized as less employees will want to leave.
Call 311
Greeted by Watson
Watson decodes
question
Analyzes 311 phone
log data and other
data sources
Identifies connections
between the data and
the question
Promptly responds
with an answer
After the call, sends
SMS to the caller with
the answer and
additional information
Provides real-time
updates to City
Government

4. Financial Factors
NY spends approximately $40 million a year to operate 311 and NYC.gov systems and about $30 million will go towards
employment. By implementing Watson, we are certain that employment costs will drop to $10.5 million per year because
311 will have less employees, but the few it has will be quality performers. This will decrease employee turnover and save
311 the hassle of having to train new employees.
On average, each 311 call costs the city $6.00 and 70%-80% of that cost is personnel cost. Within the first year of
implementing Watson, the city will slash employment costs by $1.28 per call and since responses will be given faster and
more accurately, costs will decrease even more than that.
Watson will also save the city an immense amount of money during disasters. Hurricane Sandy cost the 311 budget $4.4
million dollars. More importantly, during the disaster 311 was unable to handle the 250,000 calls coming in daily. This
was trouble as many employees could not get to the 311 office and 311 was forced to outsource many of the calls to
private call centers. While there is a limit to the numberof calls able to be answered based on employees, Watson has no
limit.
SWOT Analysis
Revenue Model
Watson will save 311 a lump sum of money, justifying a high price tag for the product. A subscription service (in
addition to an implementation fee) is appropriate. This allows all business interests to be aligned, as 311 will have
continued support from IBM. This includes ad-hoc questions with Watson in addition to updates of the system.
The recent IVRS cost $10 million to implement. Being a fraction of the capabilities of Watson, we justify a $15 million
implementation fee with a monthly fee of $500,000.
ADDITIONAL SECTIONS?
Impact on the Market
Resources Needed
Watson Integration

5. Data Analytics
Interaction with Watson