San Francisco's 311 call center handles over 220,000 calls per month to provide citizen services. The 311 system aims to simplify access to city services, be available 24/7, and answer 80% of calls within 60 seconds. 311 now accepts citizen requests via Twitter, mobile apps, and Open311 in addition to phone calls. The city is working to increase automation and self-service options to reduce call volume and shift work from live agents to automated processes.

1. San Francisco 311San Francisco 311
More Than Just a Call CenterMore Than Just a Call Center
SOCAP Conference
October 18, 2010

2. AgendaAgenda
• Introduction & Overview
• San Francisco - Historical Perspective of
Citizen Services
• 311 Call Center Project and Call Metrics
• San Francisco - Self Service, Twitter,• San Francisco - Self Service, Twitter,
Open311
• Reports
• What’s Next?
• Wrap up & Final Q&A

3. Initial Operational GuidelinesInitial Operational Guidelines
• Simplify City Services
• Be available 24x7x365
• Answer 80% of all calls within 60
seconds
• Provide first call resolution on most
callscalls
• Response by a “live” customer service
representative (no phone tree or
automated service)
• Provide assistance in various languages

4. About SF 311About SF 311
• Went Live on 29 Mar 07
• Answered over 9 million calls to date
• Current volume approximately 220,000
calls per month
• 68 Customer Service Representatives
• 6 CSR Supervisors• 6 CSR Supervisors
• 13 Support in Executive, Business
Analysis, Training, and Administration
• Physical Backup for 911, Department of
Elections call center, and Department of
Health

5. City and County OrganizationCity and County Organization

6. 311 Organization311 Organization

7. 9,450,991 Calls Answered9,450,991 Calls Answered
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
Apr 2007 - Sept 2010
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
0
200,000
400,000
Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3
2007 2008 2009 2010
Sum of Calls Offered Sum of Calls Answered Average of Service Level (% answered in 60 Seconds)

8. Service in 170+ LanguagesService in 170+ Languages
CANTONESE
38%
MANDARIN
7%
RUSSIAN
3%
OTHERS
3%
SPANISH
49%
3%

9. 2,248,576 Calls2,248,576 Calls
KB Info
Other
8%
Abandoned
Calls
12%
January – September 2010
Muni Information
66%Service Requests
8%
KB Info
6%

10. 163,186 Requests by Agency163,186 Requests by Agency
Transit (MTA)
32% External Requests
4%
Housing Authority
4%
Public Utilities
3%
January - September 2010
Public Works
46%
3%
Rec and Park
2%
Police Reports
3%
City ID Requests
2%
Others
4%

11. Middle
Integration ArchitectureIntegration Architecture
C
XML
P
U
B
L
I
S
New Cases/
updates
New Cases/
updates
Middle
ware
C
R
M
S
H
E
R
Web
Svcs
updates
External
Systems
New cases, updates/closures
updates
Updates/
Closures
Updates/
Closures

12. 156,874 Requests by Type156,874 Requests by Type
Other (less than 3%)
Graffiti
15% Transit (MTA) Feedback
13% General Requests
6%
Transit (MTA)
Abandoned Vehicles
6%
January - September 2010
Street and Sidewalk Cleaning
26%
Other (less than 3%)
18%
6%
Transit (MTA) Lost and Found
5%
Housing Authority
5%
Street, Sidewalk, or Curb
Defects
3%
Transit (MTA) Construction
Zone Permits
3%

13. Department Information RequestsDepartment Information Requests
• Top 15 agencies
by use
• Some calls create
requests in
department
application
Top 15 Agencies CY 2010
Public Health 23,002
MTA_MUNI 19,815
MTA_DPT 16,899
Police 13,097
Regional Transportation 6,989
Public Works 6,884
County Clerk 6,081application
– Marriage License
and Ceremony
Requests
– City ID
Appointments
– Police Reports
County Clerk 6,081
Assessor Recorder 5,706
Treasurer Tax Collector 4,898
State and Federal 4,457
Human Resources 4,363
Public Utilities Commission 3,632
Human Services Agency 3,130
Breaking News 2,960
Environment 2,677
Total 124,590

14. Sharing KnowledgeSharing Knowledge

15. Self Service KnowledgeSelf Service Knowledge

16. Request Services on the WebRequest Services on the Web

17. Street and Sidewalk CleaningStreet and Sidewalk Cleaning

18. Web Visitors by SourceWeb Visitors by Source
sfgov.org
18%
sfmta.com
9%
crm-kb.crm.sfgov.org
8%
ci.sf.ca.us
5%
sfdpw.org
2%
sf311.org
1%
7/1/2010 - 9/30/2010
Direct
37%
google
20%
1%
bing.com
0%
sfdph.org
0%

19. 51,525 Self Service Cases as a51,525 Self Service Cases as a
Percentage of Agent Handled RequestsPercentage of Agent Handled Requests
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
Jan 2009 - Sept2010
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%

20. Why Use Twitter?Why Use Twitter?
• Accept text/SMS messages without the
costs
• Attract a different group of users who
prefer not to call
• Utilize social media networking
• Word of mouth advertising (re-• Word of mouth advertising (re-
tweeting)
• Build a distribution network (breaking
news, events, emergencies)

21. What Had to Change?What Had to Change?
• “Think” in 140 characters
– Many of the CSR staff are familiar with “Texting”
and online acronyms
– Interact with customers on a more informal
level. Learning to deal with incomplete requests.
• Take work not associated with the IVR• Take work not associated with the IVR
– Staff processes “Tweets” as part of other off-
line work (no additional staffing)
• Modify CRM to add the channel of SMS
– Linked to standard Voice scripts
– Standardize on contact format

22. 3372 Twitter Cases3372 Twitter Cases
150
200
250
300
350
400
Jun 2009 - Sep 2010
311 CSC
DPW
Rec and Park
0
50
100
150
Jun
09
Jul
09
Aug
09
Sep
09
Oct
09
Nov
09
Dec
09
Jan
10
Feb
10
Mar
10
Apr
10
May
10
Jun
10
Jul
10
Aug
10
Sep
10

23. Graffiti through TwitterGraffiti through Twitter
• Through
Twitter,
requests
take
aboutabout
two
minutes

24. Open311 RequirementsOpen311 Requirements
• Data inputs must be properly formatted.
• Data accuracy will be tested to ensure
that data is properly formatted and
accurate in the City’s CRM application.
• Responses from the Open311 API will
be tested to ensure they are accuratebe tested to ensure they are accurate
and properly formatted in proposed
application.
• System testing conducted by City and
County of San Francisco staff must be
completed and signed-off.

25. Benefit of Open311Benefit of Open311
• City provides the platform, developers
provide multiple choices for public

26. How does Open311 work?How does Open311 work?
User Takes a
Picture
User Selects
a Problem
Type
Device
Determines
Location
User Adds
Comments
User
Submits
Request
Public Process
Verify
Correct
Format
Lookup
Closest City
Address
Associate
Location
Populate
Fields
Return SR
#
City Automated Process

27. Graffiti through Open311Graffiti through Open311
• Open311 cases
are processed
automatically
• Takes “0” CSR• Takes “0” CSR
time

28. 742109742109 -- CitysourcedCitysourced

29. 742109742109

30. Tweet My 311Tweet My 311 -- 742116742116

31. Growth in Open311Growth in Open311
300
400
500
600
Open311 - MojiPage
Open311 - MapDotNet
0
100
200
2010
Open311 - Tweet My 311
Open311 - See Click Fix
Open311 - City Sourced

32. Shifting to AutomationShifting to Automation
600
800
1000
1200
Cases created using
Twitter or Open311
Twitter
May June July August September
Twitter 496 497 348 398 497
Open311 30 18 36 101 564
0
200
400
Twitter
Open311

33. Map view for existing requestsMap view for existing requests
Simple
presentation, lacks
identifier of
problem type by
icon or “hover”
capabilities.
CitySourced

34. For More InformationFor More Information

35. Coming Soon!Coming Soon!

36. Parts of a Service RequestParts of a Service Request

37. Sending DataSending Data to Otherto Other AgenciesAgencies
Location Data Contact Data
Case
Request Details Agency Details
Case
Data

38. 311 Reporting311 Reporting

39. Cases Board of Supervisor DistrictCases Board of Supervisor District

40. Reporting on CasesReporting on Cases
2010
Case Counts by Month Jan Feb Mar
Street and Sidewalk Cleaning Request 4309 3803 4089
Graffiti on Private Property 1442 1252 1225
Graffiti on Public Property 1448 1037 1185
SFHA Requests 1124 837 886
Request for City Services 986 935 842
Abandoned Vehicles 917 849 928
Street Defects 484 392 494
Sewer Storm Flood 652 361 335
Damaged Property 344 371 351
Tree Maintenance Damage 397 311 298Tree Maintenance Damage 397 311 298
Litter Receptacle Maintenance 285 289 338
Sidewalk Curb Defects 228 324 220
All RPD Issues 211 275 276
311 Services 274 300 168
Sign Repair or Replace 270 198 239
Catch Basin Maintenance 157 64 62
Residential Building Request 53 52 75
Blocked Sidewalk and Parking 61 52 49
Illegal Postings 24 24 39
SFMTA Feedback 20 8 13
Unpermitted Cab 8 6 9
Volunteer Programs 4 3 1
Total 13698 11743 12122

41. Reporting Shows Issues by StreetReporting Shows Issues by Street
100
150
200
250
2010 - Jan
2010 - Feb
2010 - Mar
0
50

42. What Next??What Next??