SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 – Farmingville, New York -- Brookhaven Town’s new “451-TOWN” system was designed to get things done for Town residents, create effective workflow management between Town departments, and insure the efficient use of Town resources, all the while keeping costs under control, according to Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley.

    “When we took office,” said Supervisor Foley, “we knew we had great people working incredibly hard to deliver services to Town residents. But we also knew we needed to give them better tools to get the job done.”
 
   Through a nationwide examination of constituent response systems in cities such as Baltimore, New York, Hartford and North Hempstead, and a thorough analysis of Brookhaven communications needs, Town officials developed a prototype system, then sought out partners who could supply the necessary hardware and software.  After a rigorous competitive bidding process, the leaders in a variety of fields were chosen to create Brookhaven’s “451-TOWN” system.  Lagan 311 along with DJJ (Avaya) were the selected vendors.

    “By choosing Lagan 311, Brookhaven has demonstrated its commitment to bringing superior customer service to its citizens," said Lagan Vice President Tom Mazur.  “Based on our track record of successful deployments in municipalities around the country, I am confident that their call center agents will now be able to off-load numerous 911 calls and resolve most inquiries via a single call to 451-TOWN.  Lagan 311's additional reporting capabilities will also help their administrators anticipate and more rapidly respond to customer service problems.”

    “While the best technology is critical,” said Supervisor Foley, “The heart and brains of 451-TOWN are our Town Contact Center Representatives.”

   Each Contact Center Representative (CCR) underwent extensive training before the launch of the Contact Center to ensure each caller gets a prompt, courteous and professional response. Each individual has general as well as specific expertise in key departmental areas of the town and representatives are poised to handle most questions and issues. Each representative’s console provides an integrated toolset to handle citizens’ service needs.

   Not all calls to the 451-TOWN number are request for services; a large percentage of calls are requests for information.  To accommodate these inquiries, the system provides the ability for the Contact Center Representative to seek information on the town’s newly developed knowledge base.  Now, when residents call to find out information about events happening around town, how to file for a marriage license, or the date and time of the next Town Board meeting, the information is just a keystroke away for the Contact Center Representative.

   451-TOWN uses a computerized intake form to perform three critical functions:
          - Standardizes information on who’s calling and what they need. This establishes a permanent traceable record of the request.
          - Records answers to specific questions the Contact Center Representative must ask about the specific problem.  If the call is about an abandoned vehicle, for example, the Contact Center Representative will be prompted to ask whether it is a hazard, its condition, make, model and type. 
          - Contact information includes the name, address, number and e-mail information of the caller.

   The intake form is only the beginning of what CRS does to process the citizen’s request.  From the moment the request is saved as a “Case,” other processes are automatically initiated.  These processes include:
          • Routing the case to the right department or agency.
          • Creating appropriate work orders.
          • Assigning and dispatching work crews.
          • Arranging follow-up on crews.
          • Coordinating work between departments.

   The CRS system makes it easy to trace the progress of cases. And if a resident calls a department directly, their request doesn’t fall through the cracks. Whoever answers the phone in that department simply enters the case in the CRS system and the system does the rest in the same way it does if the citizen calls 451-TOWN.   In the past, an issue may have involved several departments and require many calls. Unfortunately, residents sometimes would get the department run-around through no fault of the department.  451-TOWN eliminates this recurring problem by integrating services across all departments.

   In addition to customer service the system has become the tool for effective management through ServiceStat.  It generates statistics--number of calls, abandons, time to answer, call handling -- that help manage the Contact Service Center. It also provides departmental statistics, which are managed through ServiceStat.  Real time reports showing trends in response times for specific types of requests help departmental management highlight outstanding performance and target areas that need improvement.  It also allows the town to analyze trends across departments and increases the ability to quickly focus on specific areas.
  
    “For the citizens of Brookhaven Town, the bottom line is simple,” said Supervisor Foley, “People calling 451-TOWN get their request completed quickly and efficiently.  That’s what counts.”

Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6955 • Fax (631) 451-6677