Durham, North Carolina is one of the largest cities in the state and has been utilizing the TextMyGov platform for nearly a year. TextMyGov is a smart texting service that residents can use to find city information. It can answer questions, direct users to city web pages, and even allow them to report issues. On top of that it can also be used by the city to send text alerts to residents for important updates.
One Call is the City of Durham’s 311 call center and tried TextMyGov to reduce call volume and hold times for Citizens. With it being almost a year since the city purchased TextMyGov, we wanted to find out how the system was performing for them and see how TextMyGov has improved their city communication with their citizens, So we interviewed the Customer Service Administrator of Durham One Call, Stephen Williams to get an update.
We asked Stephen what led to the decision to purchase TextMyGov.
Stephen: "The City of Durham purchased TextMyGov to provide our residents with an additional communications channel that could give them quick responses to their one-word inquiries as well as direct them to the link they needed to obtain more information/send in a service request. The fact that is available 24/7 was also a huge selling point for COD (City of Durham)."
We then asked what the largest impact has been since using TextMyGov. Stephen goes on to share how TextMyGov has helped the city reduce its response times and to keep citizens up to date with city alerts. Stephan states: “We have seen a reduction in call volume associated with the rollout of TextMyGov being one of the drivers. Residents can get answers to their most basic requests during the weekends, which then prevents receiving that call on Monday.”
Reducing the number of calls in their office freed up time to focus on improving their city and their community. Stephan also mentioned that since the 60-day mark after they went live they have reduced at least 45 calls per day to their call center which will save them at least $25,000 per year,
“TextMyGov has already paid for itself!” - Stephen Williams, Customer Service Administrator, Durham One Call
TextMyGov allows Durham One Call to answer important calls quicker while citizens seeking information receive instant answers at any hour of the day. Many of the requests that have come through the texting application have been for potholes, water issues, water bills, garbage pickup, and other FAQs. Since citizens can text any time night or day, they can get answers to their questions instantly which has made citizens happier overall. The City of Durham says they receive on average 41 texts per day from residents.
At TextMyGov, we are enthusiastic about improving communication between cities and their citizens. We are confident that TextMyGov could help your agency the same way it has helped the City of Durham by, saving them time and money. If you have any questions about TextMyGov, feel free to request a FREE Demo with one of our sales reps today!
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