To increase responsiveness to constituents, Houston 311 Help and Information is implementing an escalation path for service requests. Escalated Service Requests will be utilized to resolve cases where citizens are unsatisfied with the City’s initial response.
“We are continuously improving the way we serve,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “I want satisfied customers. If we don’t get it right the first time, we will continue to work on it until it meets constituent expectations. I am going to personally monitor these escalated cases to ensure departments are responding appropriately.”
To be eligible for an Escalated Service Request, citizens must call 311 with a prior or outstanding service request for the same issue and that request must meet one of the following criteria:
- An open service request that is overdue for response
- An issue that poses an imminent threat to health and safety such as a tree limb hanging over a busy hike and bike trail or a missing stop sign
- A recurring issue for which there has been at least one previous request within the last six months
- A prior service request that was closed without action and the customer remain unsatisfied with the response
Departments will have three business days to make actual contact with the complainant.
This is the latest in Mayor Turner’s continuous improvements that started with a promise to fill potholes faster. Since January, more than 4,000 potholes have been filled in response to 311 calls and 96% of them were repaired by the next business day. During the same time frame, the City has proactively filled approximately 45,000 potholes.
Service requests may be made by calling 311, online at http://www.houstontx.gov/311/ or via the 311 app available for iPhone and Samsung Android smart phones.