A Work in Progress: Philadelphia’s 311 System After One Year

Posted by on March 29, 2010

Philadelphia’s 311 System: A Work in Progress

A new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative finds that the City’s 311 system succeeded in giving residents improved and easier access to information about city government during its first year of operation. While the system won strong ratings from its users, nearly one quarter of all service requests were not completed in the promised timeframe. The City’s operators were able to handle information requests fairly well, but struggled with service requests due to difficulty integrating the 311 center with the departments charged with performing the requested municipal services. Major technological upgrades will be required in order for the center to be completely integrated into service delivery. This will require technology investments not only at the 311 center but in other departments and agencies as well.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=57562