In March, I’ll be leading a series of introductory webinars on the connection between local government customer service and 311/CRM systems to introduce ICMA’s new customized 311/CRM technical assistance services. After six years of studying and talking to people across the U.S. and Canada about 311/CRM systems, I’m a big believer in the technology. The benefits to both citizens and local governments are significant. 

All too often though, the questions I get asked about these systems are focused solely on the technology.  How much will it cost?  Can it be integrated with our existing legacy systems?  Should we looking at a software as a service (SaaS) model or an in-house solution?  And all of these questions are legitimate questions.  After all, 311/CRM is a new technology that people need to get their heads around.  But honestly, technology is the easy part of a 311/CRM system. 

The first thing that most local governments need to do if they think they want to implement a 311/CRM system is conduct a community readiness assessment, a thorough review of the organization’s processes, people, facilities AND technology.  Only when a local government understands where it is currently (the “As Is” Scenario) can it begin to develop a clear picture of where it needs to go (the “To Be” Scenario).

For example, organizational culture is a key element in determining whether a 311/CRM system will ultimately be successful.  A 311/CRM system may have the most courteous call agents with the best customer service training and outstanding performance metrics, but unless the service departments see the value in the new system for handling many of their calls and are willing to embrace it as a tool for continuous improvement, the new system will not achieve its desired goals.  A community readiness assessment needs to include some type of evaluation mechanism, either through a staff survey or face-to-face interviews, to determine what level of buy-in exists in service department that will be using the system.  If there’s little to no buy-in, then an educational program is likely needed before proceeding further.

To learn more, I hope you’ll join me next month during one of our free webinars:

 Local Government Customer Service and 311/CRM Systems: 

What 311/CRM Systems Are and How They Can Benefit Local Governments

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 – 4:00 pm Eastern/3:00 pm Central/2:00 pm Mountain/1:00 pm Pacific

Register at:   https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/479326842

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 4:00 pm Eastern/3:00 pm Central/2:00 pm Mountain/1:00 pm Pacific

Register at:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/723777618

Friday, March 30, 2012 - 4:00 pm Eastern/3:00 pm Central/2:00 pm Mountain/1:00 pm Pacific

Register at:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/837657506