If you’ve ever called a business or organization and gotten the “voice mail run-a-round,” you know how frustrating that can be. But, that’s NOT the case in DeKalb County. In an effort to relieve the County’s 911 telephone system of non-emergency calls and to provide better customer service to residents, the County has begun implementing a “311 Citizen Help Center.”

 

DeKalb County’s CEO, Vernon Jones facilitated the creation of the 311 centralized call line to help answer residents’ questions about DeKalb County departments and services. 311 customer service representatives can also process requests for County services. Just think of it as a live human being on the other end of the phone line that essentially becomes your interactive “blue pages” to link you to local government services and information.

 

911 centers across the country report as much as 50% - 90% of incoming calls actually are non-emergency, non-public safety calls. (Emergency operators say people call them for department numbers, directions to a sporting event, or to report a malfunctioning street light, etc.) In DeKalb County, that translates into nearly a half million non-public safety calls to 911 each year. The new 311 customer service initiative is helping relieve those types of calls from the emergency call center.

 

Several County departments are already on-line in the “311 Citizen Help Center,” through 10-digit dialing, and the three-digit, easy-to-remember number is sure to be an immediate success when it becomes fully active this August.

 

So, for the next few months, if you have a County question or service request, you still need to continue using telephone numbers listed in the “blue pages,” and your call will reach the 311 center. But, get used to 311, because beginning this fall, you’ll be able to access the center directly by dialing those three digits… 3-1-1.

 

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