City of Gatineau Manages New 311 Service with Pivotal

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Pivotal Corporation, a CDC Software company, and CRM solution provider for mid-sized enterprises, announced that The City of Gatineau will use Pivotal Service to manage the city's new 311 non-emergency citizen request and inquiry system. The new 311 service will be available beginning summer 2005.

The new city of Gatineau, Quebec was created on January 1, 2002, following the amalgamation of the former cities of Aylmer, Hull, Gatineau, Masson-Angers and Buckingham. Along with Ottawa, its close neighbor, Gatineau is part of Canada's National Capital Region - a major hub for economic and social development. Beginning summer 2005, Gatineau will become one of the first Canadian cities to offer its citizens a single phone number for access to information on municipal services and to make requests to city departments. With a strong commitment to enhancing access to municipal services, decentralized public works departments and more than 25 other departments rendering services to individuals and companies within the city, Gatineau required a single system to help streamline management of citizen requests, increase departmental collaboration and deliver consistent service to citizens across multiple channels. To do this, Gatineau needed a highly flexible product that could be quickly integrated with existing systems and delivered in French. Having reviewed solutions from leading CRM and 311 service providers, Gatineau opted for Pivotal Service implemented by a team from Bell Canada and Pivotal's Montreal-based consulting partner Gestisoft.

"We're very proud to be one of the first Canadian cities to offer our citizens access to municipal information and services when they want it and the way they want it - whether by dialing 311 or sending a request via fax or email," said Gilles Sabourin, Customer Service Centre Director, City of Gatineau. "With Pivotal and the training on the system we received from Gestisoft, we will be able to enhance the way our departments work together to increase the speed, reliability and quality of service we provide to Gatineau's citizens and businesses."

Pivotal Service will help Gatineau streamline responses to non-emergency citizen requests for access to municipal services thereby reducing service delivery costs, improving reporting abilities and greatly enhancing the speed and quality of the service it provides to residents and businesses. With access to a single system, Gatineau's service agents will be able to address the more than 600,000 non-emergency calls received annually - with the ability to provide more immediate resolution to routine queries such as requests for community center hours of operation. More complicated requests which may require the synchronization of several departments, such as road repairs or water system maintenance will be promptly categorized and directed to the appropriate field service foreman via wireless device. This process is made easier and more accurate with the integration of ESRI mapping software - allowing service personnel to localize callers on city-wide maps. Once the requested service is completed, the field service person can add notes to the request and send a message to the concerned citizen and other departments involved notifying them that the request has been looked after.

According to Divesh Sisodraker, president and CEO, Pivotal, "We are very excited to play a role in such an important municipal project. This is an excellent example of the right technology, the right implementation partner and a well thought-out strategy coming together to help the multiple departments of Gatineau's municipal administration deliver highly coordinated service to Gatineau residents."

18.03.2005, Pivotal Corporation