WKXL – Notes of Tom Aspell – September 13, 2013
City of Concord Web Page – Report a Concern Feature
This feature on the City of Concord’s website, www.concordnh.gov, empowers citizenry to initiate service inquiries concerning a vast array of communal issues including street repairs, damaged signage, vandalism and other issues using a pc, tablet or smartphone device. It allows individuals to not only be heard, but also to perceive what their public office is doing about a reported problem.
People have grown accustomed to around-the-clock information access and communication, and they expect their government to keep pace. The Report a Concern feature helps the City staff respond to this demand, while also greatly improving efficiency by empowering each citizen to act as an extension of the organization’s service departments.
Since the installation of the new web page on February 14, 2013, the City has received a total of 1,431 requests Citywide (through September 12, 2013). The vast majority center on requests to the General Services Department (GSD). Approximately 1,200 or about 90% of the total requests are managed by the GSD. The major subcategories most utilized are street maintenance, trash & recycling, and water & sewer.
As an example, if one looks at the water and sewer requests for service, these pertain primarily to a request for a transfer of service from one individual or party to another. Since an individual can make the request at any time, it improves convenience to the customer, at the same time the request is automatically routed to the GSD staff that will schedule and undertake the transfer. This approach reduces staff time used to process the request and improves accuracy by allowing the requesting party to enter information directly into the system.
This gain in efficiency, with a simultaneous improvement in service delivery, allows for the General Services Department, as well as other departments in the organization, to improve overall customer service and reduce costs.
