By Kim Geiger
San Francisco’s newly established 311 call center, a one-stop shop for fielding calls from residents about a wide range of topics has been more popular than expected and is on track to exceed the call volume projected for its first year in operation.
The service was established in March to help residents get information like Muni schedules or report issues like potholes and graffiti without having to navigate through the 2,300 city administration phone numbers in order to find the right department. The call center, which expected to receive 80,000 calls a month, is now fielding closer to 200,000, on track to exceed first year call projections by over 1 million.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, who in 1999 proposed creating the service, called it “a true milestone in government efficiency,” Tuesday when he visited the call center to answer its one millionth call more than four months ahead of schedule.
“We have exceeded even our own expectations, and we plan to integrate even more city services, connecting and transforming communities, neighborhoods and businesses,” Newsom said.
The 311 number was established by the Federal Communications Commission in the 1990s to provide cities with the option to create a non-emergency city phone number to take pressure off 911 lines. San Francisco is the 41st city to put its 311 line into effect, but has opted to use the service as more than just a 911 non-emergency alternative, providing answers to almost any city-related question and ensuring accountability by monitoring if, when and how long it takes callers to get their questions answered.
With a budget of $9.8 million and a staff of 65 customer service representatives, the center reports answering over 80 percent of calls within a minute. Callers can reach a live person 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The center is equipped with a language service line to help callers in 176 languages.
As a secondary purpose, the call center could serve as a backup 911 service in the event of an emergency or natural disaster, and city officials expect the 311 number to take everyday pressure off 911, where half the calls received are non-emergency related.
