I'm at the Association of Government Contact Center Professionals' annual conference this week in St. Louis.  (AGCCE, now AGCCP, is a research partner of ICMA.) Whenever I come to conferences like this, it's a real learning experience.  The thing that struck me yesterday was the new and innovative ways that local governments are using 311 contact centers.  For example, Virginia Beach, VA, is starting to use their system for human services, and Minneapolis, MN, has been providing information on where citizens can go to get assistance to avoid foreclosure.  It's exciting to think about where this field will be heading in the next few years.