How Longview, TX created a successful, digital resident service request management platform

Overview

The city of Longview, located in East Texas between Dallas and Shreveport, LA, was looking for ways to increase service to its residents, so the city council investigated a traditional 311 resident service center. They hired consultants to analyze the project’s feasibility, including the necessary resources and projected costs, but soon realized a traditional service center (with agents answering live phone calls) would be too expensive. Instead, the city decided to use the Granicus 311 request management solution, which cultivated transparency, saved money, and reduced calls and in-person visits by 15% in the first year alone.

SITUATION

Improve Customer Service, Stay in Budget

Determined not to be discouraged, Justin Cure, information services manager at the city of Longview, saw an opportunity to implement a more sophisticated, digital 311 service instead, which would allow residents to report issues directly from a smartphone or the web. He wanted a solution that could:

• Integrate directly into Cityworks, their call center partner, for service request and work order management
• Reduce manual data entry
• Simplify intake of resident service requests
• Fit within the city’s budget

SOLUTION

Reduce Costs, Optimize Service Functionality

The city of Longview selected the Granicus 311 request management solution, including its brandable mobile app and waste reminder service add-ons, to provide a centralized hub for staff to manage and track service requests. Now, residents simply take a picture or video of their request, enter some basic information, and click ‘submit’ to send a service request to the city. In just one year, the city of Longview saved about $8,000 and shifted away from phone calls and in-person service requests to mobile and web requests that require much less staff time and coordination. Additionally, the Cityworks API allows two-way information sharing that keeps users abreast of status updates as they happen. This automatic 311 feedback loop streamlines the way the city manages interactions between staff and residents, creating better customer experience and enabling real-time community updates.

RESULTS

Increased Access and Communication

Longview’s digital 311 resident service platform provides one-to-one communication between government and residents without additional staff resources, which allows the city to foster more transparency with residents by increasing their access to information. With the success of the initial rollout, Longview has expanded its service offering to become a digital city hall. Residents can go online to pay water bills and traffic tickets, view trash/recycling pick up times, and register for parks and recreation activities, just to name a few services.