311 line is available weekdays from 8AM-5PM
Residents who call New Orleans 311 Hotline with the following issues now will have their complaints or inquiries automatically entered into a computerized work-order system and will get a tracking number for progress updates. Additional categories are expected to be added by summer and an online component eventually will let residents check the status of work of orders online.
Public Works
Clogged catch basings and culverts
Damaged curbs, ramps, ditches, sidewalks & shoulders.
Subsidence
Missing Manhole covers
Abandoned Vehicles
Missing or Damaged Street Signs
Street Light - Bulbs only, power to the pole is Entergy
Street Markings
Traffic Signals
Sanitation
Illegal dump sites
Requests for Bulky Waste pickup
Requests for new trash and recycling binsMissed trash or Recycling pickups
Trash services request requests and cancellations
Billing problems, including exemption, refund or adjustment requests
Code Enforcement
Case Updates
Inspection Requests
Registration for the city-assisted Evacuation Plan
See Times Picayune Article in full below:
New Orleans complaint calls to city hotline get new attention
Residents who call New Orleans' 311 hotline to report nuisances such as potholes, clogged catch basins, broken street lights or missed trash pick-ups now will have their complaints automatically entered into the city's computerized work-order system and receive a tracking number they can use to get progress updates. Starting last week, Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration began implementing the automated system for several of the most common problems handled by three departments: Public Works, Sanitation and Code Enforcement.
"Those categories are the ones with the most quality-of-life service requests," mayoral spokesman Ryan Berni said.
Registration for the city-assisted evacuation program -- which provides hurricane evacuees free bus rides from 17 neighborhood pickup spots to the Union Passenger Terminal, and from there to public shelters -- also is part of the system.
The Landrieu administration put the new technology into place with little fanfare, a deliberate move designed to give officials a chance to work out kinks.
Ultimately, the bulk of resident complaints and inquiries will be managed through the automated system, with most departments expected to be connected by this summer, Berni said. Until now, all calls to 311 have been handled via "warm transfer," meaning an operator receives a complaint, then forwards the caller to a receptionist in the proper department, Berni said.
But while some departments, such as Parks & Parkways, have been complimented for their ability to keep residents apprised of their work, most are unable to give accurate status updates.
Even the new system won't provide up-to-the-minute details on every work order, Berni said, but residents can expect to get far more information than generally has been available.
With a tracking number, the city's 10 311 operators "would be able to tell you (a request) had been transmitted to the department and give you a general understanding about the time frame of when to you will hear something further," he said, adding that operators will continue to man the 311 lines on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Eventually, the new system is expected to have an online component so residents can check the status of a work order online, day or night, Berni said.
The administration also plans to track how well the new system operates. The mayor's new Office of Performance and Accountability, which grades city departments, will provide updates on the tracking effort during monthly meetings, officials have said.
The new system uses software procured under a contract that Landrieu signed last year with California-based Lagan Technologies Inc. The city will pay $212,800 for the first year of service, with a one-year option to renew software licenses for about $51,000, records show.
Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.
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