City of Charlotte Outlines the Importance of Its 311 Call Center

In the management of a city, town or other municipality, not every call that comes in from residents is an emergency. Residents may wish to report potholes, downed tree limbs or noise complaints. The goal of most 311 centers is to take pressure off emergency call centers. In some cities, the 311 service comes in the form of a mobile app, which helps call center workers reduce and regulate call traffic.

When residents call 311 (or their local equivalent), they can connect with a trained call center representative who can help them. These 311 workers will then forward complaints or questions to local resources, including government, utilities and other public services to get the issue resolved. While these calls may not be emergencies, handling them in a timely way is important for civic engagement by cultivating the trust of residents.

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina offers 311 services, and one of the call center’s supervisors is Coretta Buggs, a retired police officer from Pittsburgh. The city recently profiled Ms. Buggs in an effort to help residents understand how their 311 call center can help.

As a supervisor, Ms. Buggs’ job entails taking escalated calls, running payroll for her team, scheduling trainings, and generally supervising and supporting agents. She helps the entire call center run smoothly as she coordinates each customer service representative.

People call 311 for almost anything you could imagine, Ms. Buggs said in an interview with the City of Charlotte. They call about renting a pavilion at the park, for directions, a lost dog, a water bill, a traffic light, an accident, they want to do business with the city, and the list goes on. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlotte set up a stay-at-home call center to assist with disseminating pandemic-related information.

"There is no city department that 311 doesn't have some kind of impact on," Ms. Buggs said, noting that she enjoys working at 311 and appreciates the impact she is able to have on the city. "You're taking on a little bit of everything, it's an information center. We affect so many departments. I have enjoyed my time here at 311."

Edited by Luke Bellos