SEPTEMBER 12, 2007, FARMINGVILLE, NEW YORK –Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley today unveiled the county’s first state-of-the-art Constituent Response System “451-TOWN.”   The innovative new system uses a single phone number to provide citizens direct access to any and all town services and information, providing much swifter response to requests and much more effective departmental accountability.

    “One call does it all,” said Supervisor Foley. “This new service, brought in on time and under budget, revolutionizes constituent communications and streamlines government operations.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley speaks with call center representative Travis Grilli following the announcement of the launch of the town's new state-of-the-art Constituent Response System utilizing one phone number--451-TOWN--for residents to get any and all town services and information. The new one call does it all CRS is the first such system in Suffolk County.

   “For our residents, who are our customers, ‘451-TOWN’ is as simple as can be: One phone number to request any non-emergency town service or to get any information they need from the town.

    “We work hard to make government operate efficiently for the people of Brookhaven Town, and that is exactly what our new “451-TOWN” will do. Government has a duty to respond quickly and efficiently to residents’ requests for service and this new “451-TOWN” system will help us to give our residents the top-flight service they expect and deserve,” Foley said.

    When callers request a service, each request triggers a series of tasks:
          • First, the caller receives a case number that can be tracked by both the Town and the caller,
          • Simultaneously, a checklist of steps to resolve the problem is generated to assist the “451-TOWN” Contact Center Representative,
          • The new case creates a work order, which is automatically routed to the proper department for follow-up,
          • Town crews respond to the work orders,
             Each crew’s work orders are monitored by managers and tracked by ServiceStat.

    “This new Constituent Response System will deliver services and information quickly and efficiently to our residents, giving them the service that they deserve from their town government,” said Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld. “I have been involved in this CRS project from the beginning, when we traveled down to Baltimore to see a state-of-the-art CRS in operation. We have now brought those best practices to the Town of Brookhaven and our residents will be the ones who reap the benefits.”

   Tom Talbot, president of the Middle Island Civic Association, said, “This is the way government is supposed to operate.  It’s provides people with an easy way communicate problems or concerns to the Town and an easy way for them to track the Town’s response. The days of telephone tag are over.  Being bounced from department to department without getting a problem solved is one of the biggest complaints I hear about government.  451-TOWN should make that phenomena a relic of the past.”

   Brian Pratt, the Director of Management, Operations and Research who oversaw the CRS project, estimated the town receives over 5,000 calls a day.  Through the run-up to the CRS launch, he reports calls to 451-TOWN are typically answered in two rings or less, the average call time is between 50 and 55 seconds, and the largest number of calls concern waste management and trash pick-up, with the second most popular destination being the Town Clerk’s Office, inquiring about licenses.

   The Town of Brookhaven Contact Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays. A specific number (451-6641) has been established for the hearing impaired.

   For Town residents, the benefit of 451-TOWN is its single point of reference for any of information on government and related business services, no call referrals and limited transfers, no need for residents to understand the government organization, and complete tracking of requests, which provides real-time departmental accountability.

   For Town managers and workers 451-TOWN requests for service are rapidly accommodated and town departments are accountable for their performance in meeting those service requests.

    “451-TOWN means a new and better way to do the town’s business,” concluded Supervisor Foley.

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