Providing a New Service to Citizens With No New Staff and Very Little Resources

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

With a limited budget and a burgeoning population requiring more services, more information and a more accessible government, Stafford County faced a dilemma – how to provide a central location to answer citizen’s questions in a quick and efficient way without having the funds to build a state-of-the-art call center. Using creativity, teamwork, and a strong belief in customer service, the Public Information and Citizens Assistance staff found a way to establish a 311 Center using available resources. By persuading departments to loan personnel to answer calls re-routed to the 311 Center, and by using the expertise of a well-trained corps of volunteers, Stafford was able to offer a new service to benefit citizens at a time when most governments were cutting back on services.