Cities Reimagine 311 Service as Pandemic Shifts the Paradigm

Source: Gov Tech Published: July 30, 2020

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Yorkers turned to their 311 service for information around making medical appointments, securing a small business loan, or meals for shut-ins.

The requests coming into the city’s 311 service reached beyond the more prosaic concerns about potholes or parking — often the standard for the non-emergency service number – to signaling what needs the pandemic was bringing to light as the city of some nine million residents was sent into lockdown.

“In essence, so much more than what you would traditionally think to call 311 for,” said Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, who leads New York City’s 311 efforts.

The new information requests and needs by residents prompted the department to quickly ramp up its abilities, developing new call centers, and staffing them with not only experts in the various topics residents were inquiring about, but data scientists who were able to mine the information, look for trends and then share the insights with other agencies.

Read more here.