311 Report Shows Progress on Response Time, Case Resolution

Aug. 14, 2020

Calls and digital requests to the City of Albuquerque’s community contact center 311 show some big changes in top questions and requests compared to this time last year. COVID-19’s impact on City operations is reflected in the data, which shows a prevalence of questions about the pandemic and the City’s response such as COVID-safe ticketing procedures at the BioPark and appointments at Animal Welfare.

The report also shows that City departments are fulfilling resident requests and resolving open cases more quickly.

“311 helps us keep a finger on the pulse of the needs of our residents,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “We’ve made responding quickly a top priority—especially on things that impact quality of life like graffiti, abandoned vehicles, and solid waste pickup. The pandemic has only made this two-way street of communication and response more vital.”

Earlier this year, the City set a goal to close cases more quickly and provide better reporting on open cases. A report from 311 shows that the City is meeting these goals.

During the three months of May to July of this year, the City of Albuquerque closed 963 (92 percent) of Abandoned Vehicle cases, 2817 Graffiti cases, 1783 (nearly 100 percent) of Parks Maintenance cases, and 21962 (nearly 100 percent) of Large Item Pickup cases.

Carrie Prothero, 311 Contact Center Division Manager, attributes the improvement to a combination of better tracking of open cases, regular reporting and tracking, and a citywide emphasis on moving quickly to be responsive to residents’ complaints, questions, and concerns. One key statistic tracked by City Leaders: the number of cases that have been open for longer than three months. At the end of July, there were only 191 cases open for more than three months, compared to 27,521 cases open for more than three months at the beginning of December.

"At 311 we provide our community with speedy and easy access to City of Albuquerque information and services with exceptional customer care," stated Carrie Prothero, 311 Contact Center Division Manager.

Residents can access 311 services through the OneABQ app, reporting on line at cabq.gov/abq311, or by calling 311.

While general information requests for the Transit department remains the highest call or app use driver with 12,959 cases, the July report shows significant increases and decreases in inquiries and requests: (Percentage change compares July 2020 to July 2019)

• 132 percent increase in illegal fireworks reporting with 6516 cases.
• 91 percent increase in Animal Welfare Department inquiries with 5349 cases (related to appointments and spay/neuter voucher limits).
• 36 percent increase in Cultural Services Department inquiries, relates to BioPark ticketing and information with 3462 cases.
• 25 percent increase in Non-City of Albuquerque Inquiries with 7229 cases (relates to COVID-19 questions).
• 27 percent increase in Solid Waste Department cases for large item pickup with 7256 cases.
• 8 percent decrease in Solid Waste Department cases for missed trash pickup with 7256 cases.
• 1 percent decrease in Animal Welfare cases of field dispatch with 2122 cases.

In the month of July, 311 has also met its service goal of answering at least 80 percent of calls within 30 seconds for the last nine months.