What’s the 3-1-1 with Fort Worth’s new 311 nonemergency service

What's the 3-1-1 with Fort Worth's new 311 nonemergency service?

Published on May 01, 2024

The City of Fort Worth has marked another milestone on the journey to acquiring the 311 number to access City services.

Once the federal government ruled the 311 number could not be charged for mobile services, Fort Worth added 311 to the list of ways to contact the City Call Center.

What's new: Residents are now able to call either 311 or the 10-digit number (817-392-1234) to reach City services. 311, a nonemergency line, can only be dialed from a wireless device and must called from within Fort Worth city limits.

There is no cost for 311 mobile services. The main providers of cell towers have set up 311 service inside Fort Worth; minor providers will also use these towers to carry their service.

"We are excited to offer another shorter path to call for City services," said Sharon Gamble, customer service administrator for the City of Fort Worth. "Dial 311 when in the city limits from your cell phone to reach our Contact Center, 817-392-1234."

Fort Worth Call Center receives another top award

311 Fort Worth-Contact Center picked up an award at the ENGAGE311 conference, this year as finalist for its call center. The center was selected as the 2020 winner. In addition to its teamwork and service-level improvements, the center successfully deployed three distinct software programs during 2023:

• "Place in Line" allows callers to wait off the phone rather than on hold.
• After the call, an "After-Call Survey" is presented, which allows the center to harvest caller insights and sentiments.
• Workforce Management system now integrates with payroll system, providing an automatic recording of representatives' system log-in and log-out times. "Time-off Manager" allow representatives to see time available for leave and the ability to request for paid time off streamlined through this tool. The implementation of automated work time entry has resulted in a collection time savings of 400-plus hours annually for agents.

"By maintaining more accurate and timely records and reducing manual entry errors, the time required by management for timekeeping review and maintenance has been significantly reduced … enabling them to focus on other priorities, agent-focused enhancements and overall service quality," Gamble said.

Supporting 25 departments with 48 divisions, MyFW311 maintains active engagement with City stakeholders through quarterly meetings, monthly reporting and continuous open dialogue for the 13th largest U.S. city.

"The establishment of a Unified Call Center support team exemplifies our commitment to interdepartmental cooperation," Gamble said. "The implementation of a new billing system by the Water Department caused a surge in inquiries. The UCC was swiftly mobilized. Collaboratively, we devised alternative channels for customer engagement, leveraging technological platforms with the MyFW App and text service, alongside traditional web intake methods.

"Furthermore, a concerted effort was made to share information via prominent banners on the City's website homepage, redirecting residents to expedited service avenues. This multifaceted approach alleviated strain on the call center and bolstered overall efficiency and resident satisfaction."

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