The city of Philadelphia has retained ICMA and its partners, Stern Consulting LLC and PPT Consulting LLC, to provide consulting services for the selection and implementation of a new CRM application to meet the city’s needs.

Philly311, the city’s central customer service agency, is essential to Philadelphia Mayor Nutter’s reform initiatives to make the city government more transparent to Philadelphia’s citizens. To fulfill this vision and mission, Philly311 will invest in a more robust and flexible constituent relationship management (CRM) application that will enable the city to provide improved customer service in a more efficient and cost-effective manner and better access to key data about service requests received from citizens. ICMA will work with its partners to advise the city in its efforts to secure a new CRM application.

Drawing on the experience gained from its five-year National Study of 311 and Customer Service Technology, ICMA began providing direct technical assistance to local governments looking to establish a 311 customer service system or evaluate an existing system in 2009. Working with a number of independent consultants in the field, ICMA will provide unbiased advice and guidance on the public investment decisions required for 311/CRM technology.

"ICMA exists to serve those who work to advance excellence in local governance and improve quality of life,” according to Robert O’Neill, executive director of ICMA. “By offering this new service and recognizing how 311/CRM technology contributes to better local government management, ICMA will help jurisdictions determine if a 311/CRM system makes sense for their community, and if it does, advise them on how best to implement a system for maximum benefit to their citizens.”

Learn more about ICMA’s 311/CRM technical assistance services.