Toronto’s much anticipated 311 Contact Centre is set to go public Sept. 24, giving residents one simple phone number to call for any questions or request. Here are five things the National Post’s Matthew Coutts thinks you should know about the new service:
1. The call centre is efficient
The call centre is located in the centre chamber of Metro Hall on John Street. Project director Neil Evans said the central location, high level of security and the fact that heating and electricity were already being paid for by the city made it the ideal location. The city is expecting to handle 7,000 calls a day, or 49,000 calls each week. That means more than 2.5 million calls about filling pot holes, questions about business hours of operation, graffiti cleanup, missing street signs and requests for broken fridges to be removed.
2. 311 is like Access Toronto but without the teeth-gnashing
Access Toronto was like a "directory function," where people could call in and be referred to the proper department -maybe. One phone call could turn into a labyrinth of transfers, request clarifications and uncertainty. 311 will now handle all questions and any request regarding waste and garbage removal, water services and transportation 24/7. And if you’d actually like to know that the pothole you want filled is being taken care of, each service request will get a tracking number so you can follow the progress. "We are now accountable because you have that tracking number," said Mr. Evans.
3. Streamlining isn’t free
The price tag on the new call centre is about $35-million. Most of that cost comes from the process of integrating several computer systems into one, the largest technical undertaking in the city’s history — beating out even Y2K. The annual operating cost is $11-million. But Mr. Evans says the vast majority of that money will be transferred over from other departments along with the workload. Less than 10% of that budget will actually be new.
4. It also doesn’t happen overnight
David Miller first touted the 311 service in his 2003 election campaign, and it made another appearance during his 2006 quest for re-election. Eventually July 30, 2008 was set as its launch date. Delays and expansions pushed the launch to Sept. 29, 2008, but that was scuttled when the marketplace and strong Canadian dollar ballooned costs to an estimated $65-million. A third attempt to launch was set for this July. "People say it is six years overdue, but it’s only 14 months late. And it’s 14 months late because we were getting better value for our money, and because there was a labour disruption," said Mr. Evans.
5. The staff is probably overqualified
One-hundred and twenty two city staffers were given 17 days of intensive training to know 15,000 answers to 13,800 possible questions.
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