City to constituents: Contact us anytime

Winnipeg, Manitoba, will offer residents the ability to access information and request city services from their mobile devices. The city has selected the Lagan Mobile 311 application from KANA, which is part of the company’s next-generation self-service offerings. It provides access to government services across multiple electronic channels including Web, smart phone and Open311 APIs, according to KANA.

Residents will be able to report potholes, snow removal issues, graffiti, broken streetlights and other issues from a variety of smart phone mobile devices. Those reports will then be seamlessly logged into Winnipeg’s 311 system and automatically routed to the right department, streamlining the ability of residents to connect with city government in near real time.

Winnipeg’s 311 inquiry service allows citizens to communicate at their convenience. KANA reports that customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to address inquiries in both English and French. Winnipeg’s 311 system has been in place since early 2009. Its contact center receives close to 2 million calls per year--5,000 to 8,000 per day--along with 200 to 250 daily e-mails.

A vast majority of service issues are reported by citizens who might be miles from their computers, but have access to mobile devices. The new mobile capabilities will give Winnipeg citizens a convenient and efficient way to report issues, and the Lagan backend system enables the city to automatically respond to issues outside of traditional contact center business hours and communication channels, according to KANA.

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