City of Corpus Christi launches 311 Call Center. Here's how it works.
Corpus Christi residents can now call 311 to report non-emergencies or ask questions about city services.
Residents who dial 311 will be connected to a trained customer service agent who can help with paying utility bills; reporting problems such as potholes, illegal dumping, graffiti and animal cruelty; checking the status of service requests; and answering questions about garbage or recycling collection and other services.
Call center services are available in English and Spanish.
The City Council approved more than $2.2 million to support the call center, which has been about three years in the making. The service is meant to improve response times, limit phone transfers and reduce calls to 911, City Manager Peter Zanoni said.
The city’s existing hotline, 361-826-2489, is still available to those outside the city limits.
“Corpus Christi 311 is a non-emergency telephone number that is designed to make city government more user-friendly and responsive to you, the resident,” Mayor Paulette Guajardo said during a news conference Wednesday.
The number is accessible within the city limits from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Residents can also download a free 311 mobile app, MyCC311, from the App Store and Google Play Store. Through the app, users can choose from a list of service requests, add the exact location, upload photos of the issue and track the progress of each request.
The app is currently in English, but Zanoni said the city is working to make a Spanish version.
Another way to access 311 is by going to 311.cctexas.com, where members of the public can send requests online and use a live chat feature. The live chat option is only available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Guajardo called the 311 service a “major technology upgrade” for Corpus Christi, adding, “It’s critical to the overall effort to modernize our city, because as the eighth-largest city (in Texas), we continue to make strides.”
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: City of Corpus Christi launches 311 Call Center. Here's how it works.
