[Md-sligo] FW: Message from Chief Administrative Officer - MC311

Thu Jun 17 17:12:31 UTC 2010

Hi Everyone, 

Here is some news for all. 

Yasmin Reyazuddin 
Aging & Disability Services
Department of Health & human services 
401 Hungerford Drive (3rd floor) 
Rockville MD 20850 

240-777-1556 (personal line) 

Office hours 8:30 am to 5:00 pm 

Languages English, Hindi, Urdu Braille

This message may contain protected health information or other
information that is confidential or privileged. If you are not the
intended recipient, please contact the sender by return mail and destroy
any copies of this material. 

Thank you.

-----Original Message-----
From: MCG Postmaster 
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:59 PM
To: #MCG.ALL
Subject: Message from Chief Administrative Officer - MC311 
Importance: High

As most of you know, almost two years ago, the wheels were put into
motion to make Montgomery County's MC311 initiative a reality.  Today,
June 17, 2010, this new online and phone information system will launch
to the public.    

MC311 will transform customer service for Montgomery County government
by providing a simple number (3-1-1) that the public can dial while
within the county limits to receive non-emergency information and
services.  Or customers can dial 240-777-0311, which is good also when
calling from outside the County or if your wireless company is one of
the few not yet connecting to the MC311 system.  

A new 311 website -- http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/311 -- also
debuts today, giving residents the option of finding information online,
entering their own service requests, and even tracking the progress of
those requests.   

The TTY number is 240-773-3556.

The MC311 Customer Service Center will operate Monday through Friday,
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The website, of course, is available 24/7.

Montgomery County follows in the footsteps of New York City, Baltimore,
San Francisco, Washington DC, and other large jurisdictions that have
already successfully implemented 311.   

Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) will handle requests for County
services, answer general information questions, and listen to complaints
of all kinds.  For calls that require departmental action, CSRs will
create a service request that will be sent to appropriate staff, as
determined by each department.

About 30 County "information and referral" telephone numbers have been
transferred to 311. All other County phone numbers remain as before and
can be contacted directly.

The MC311 initiative "soft-launched" in January 2010.  This allowed
staff to identify and adjust to a new way of responding to the public's
calls and get them comfortable with the new technology they are now
using.  We had a chance to really test the system.  First, there were
the record-breaking, back-to-back blizzards with power outages in early
February, followed by the issuance of tax delinquency notices in
mid-February.  Both of these incidents generated tens of thousands of
calls that gave our call takers an opportunity to handle a very large
volume of calls in a short period of time.  Had the blizzards hit a year
earlier, only six agents would have been available to answer over 30,000
calls over a nine-day period.  

By getting our "worst case" scenario right up front, we have been able
to learn some valuable lessons and implement changes that'll make for an
even better system.

One of the County Executive's eight overarching objectives is to create
"greater responsiveness and accountability" in meeting the needs of a
very diverse county.   

A single, one-stop phone number for information, complaints and requests
and a user-friendly website will provide our customers with a County
government that listens more and performs more efficiently and
effectively.  

It will enable county managers and elected officials to systematically
track data that will inform decisions about changes in service delivery
and investment of County resources.  

It will save money - no small thing in these tough fiscal times. In
fact, there are already more than $10 million in projected savings
between the current year and next year. 

It will ease some of the burden on our 911 emergency system by providing
an easier access for non-emergency calls. That can help 911 focus on
emergencies - and better protect our homes and our families.

MC311 will ultimately make all of our jobs easier.  With a centralized
call center and a website that puts all the resources at our residents'
fingertips, I believe we will all be able to perform our jobs more
effectively.  

As part of our broader campaign to promote awareness of the MC311
service, I would ask that if any County government employee has an
opportunity to speak to community, civic or citizens' groups, or to be
out in the public at events, to take the opportunity to talk about the
new 311 system and distribute information.  

Effective July 1, MC311 will be part of our Public Information Office
(PIO). They have various informational items available, including palm
cards, FAQ sheets, magnets, stickers and posters. You can contact PIO at
karen.falcon at montgomerycountymd.gov
<mailto:publicinformation at montgomerycountymd.gov> 

I attach to this message our video Public Service Announcement for MC311
<http://www3.montgomerycountymd.gov/311/ViewAnnouncement.aspx?id=6> ,
plus the general information palmcard
<http://montgomerycountymd.gov/content/PIO/pdfs/311_palmcard_eng.pdf>
and "Frequently Asked Questions
<http://montgomerycountymd.gov/content/PIO/pdfs/311_faq_eng.pdf> " -
both of which are available in other languages. Feel free to download
and distribute. 

Thanks for your assistance in making MC311 work for the residents of
Montgomery County.

Tim Firestine

Chief Administrative Officer 

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