INC NEWS - Durham One Call Reaches 500,000 Calls

[RW Pickle]

>From the City PR Dept.
RWP
27 Beverly

Citizens Now Regularly Call 560-1200 for City Information and Services


Durham, N.C. – After less than two-and-a-half years in operation, Durham
One Call officially logged its 500,000th call today at 11:09 a.m.  The
500,000th call was regarding a replacement yard waste cart.  To mark the
milestone, the caller will receive a letter of acknowledgement and a small
gift of Durham One Call paraphernalia. 
 
Durham One Call, the City of Durham's centralized contact center for
non-emergency information and services, answers more than 900 calls per
day, up from an average of 740 calls per day during the time same last
year.  To date, the average citizen satisfaction rating with the Durham
One Call's response is 91 percent.  The overall citizen satisfaction
rating for City departments has increased to 84 percent from below 70
percent in 2002, when the centralized contact center concept first formed.
 
Prior to the center opening, residents had to call the correct City
department to request a service or get information about City services,
meeting or events.  Now, residents either complete a request online or
dial (919) 560-1200 to speak to a customer service representative who
either answers the caller's question or dispatches a service request to
the appropriate department.
 
The center is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and uses an answering
service for calls after-hours and on weekends.  To help people who visit
City Hall, a Durham One Call representative is located in the City Hall
lobby.  Bi-lingual representatives who speak Spanish and other languages
are available at the center as well.
 
About Durham One Call
Durham One Call is a centralized contact center for non-emergency
information and services offered by the City of Durham that greatly
benefits the Durham community through one easy-to-remember telephone
number or one easy-to-use online request form available on the City's
website.  To learn more, contact Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200 or
visit the City’s website at http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/onecall/.