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Town of North Hempstead 311 Call Center Milestone: 500,000 Service Requests Supervisor Kaiman Answers Half-Millionth Call

 

For Immediate Release                                                                                         Media Contacts: Collin Nash and Sid Nathan
October, 14, 2010                                                                                                                                                      (516) 869-7794

Town of North Hempstead 311 Call Center Milestone: 500,000 Service Requests
Supervisor Kaiman Answers Half-Millionth Call

North Hempstead, NY--Mindful of a pledge he made in his 2004 inaugural State of the Town address to make government more accessible in North Hempstead, Supervisor Jon Kaiman last week played a role in a meteoric milestone, taking the half-millionth call since the 311 Call Center went online five years ago.

The 500,000 caller, Corina Mintz of Port Washington, called to inquire about the opening hours of the newly-constructed North Hempstead Aquatic Activity Center at Michael J. Tully Park. “I went into deep depression when it closed!” she told the Supervisor, who assured her the wait was more than worth it.

“It’s beautiful,” the Supervisor said of the new pool facility. “And for being the 500,000th person to call 311”, the Supervisor told Mintz, “you and a family member or friend of your choice are invited to a free lunch at North Hempstead’s Harbor Links Golf Course!”

Mintz reacted excitedly. “Oh my God, that’s so sweet,” she said. “I feel so special!”





Created in 2005, the 311 Call Center, the first point of contact for anyone trying to reach departments within the Town, is a centralized unit designed to answer constituent inquiries.

Since then, it has evolved into an extraordinary tool for the Town for a number of reasons, Supervisor Kaiman noted.

“For one, the ‘One Call to Town Hall’ concept put an end to an often long and bureaucratic nightmare of calls being endlessly transferred in order to get information or assistance to problems,” he said. “And just as importantly, the system also provides the ability to measure how well services are delivered.”

Staffed by professional, friendly operators who are able to answer a myriad of questions—from inquiries about Town events like SpookyWalk and Winter Wonderland to requests for fixing pot holes to removing downed trees—the 311 Call Center staff also connects constituents to Town departments for further assistance.

The Center was, in great part, made possible through a $500,000 federal grant through the offices of Senator Chuck Schumer and support from then Senator Hillary Clinton and Congressman Gary Ackerman and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy.

Deputy Commissioner of the IT Department and 311 Call Center Manager, Vincent Malizia, states “Up until recently, we only operated on week days. Now, with a much improved operation and increased efficiencies, we provide excellent customer service Monday through Saturday.”



Supervisor Jon Kaiman answers the half-millionth call along with 311 Customer Service Representative Lucy Delva-Bolden
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