MC311, Montgomery County’s customer service center for all non-emergency County information and services, has surpassed one million calls since the COVID-19 health crisis began in March 2020. County Executive Marc Elrich noted the milestone was reached just before the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case was identified in China in 2019.
Throughout the pandemic, the County has directed residents to call MC311 for assistance. The call volume increased significantly as residents sought assistance of all kinds related to COVID—and also because lifestyles were changed by the health crisis leading to the need for more types of assistance. The call milestone is an indication of the tremendous need that people have had for local government services throughout the pandemic.
The accomplishment also is significant because the County successfully moved MC311 operations to 100-percent remote on March 17, 2020, to protect the health of employees on the team. This innovative approach, as well as the institution of new customer service tools, resulted in the County receiving an award from the National Association of Counties.,
“When the people of Montgomery County need information about the County’s COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts, social services, bulk trash pickup and property tax information, they often call 311 or visit MC311.com," said County Executive Elrich. “These dedicated employees handle roughly 2,000 calls per day with professionalism and courtesy, and we appreciate their work.”
During the height of the pandemic, MC311’s call volume increase led to the need to add more customer service representatives (CSRs) to assist callers. To accommodate that need, MC311 cut the time it takes to train new employees by 50 percent so that CSRs were ready to handle calls sooner. This change, as well as some process-improvement measures, helped reduce the rate of abandoned calls below five percent. It also reduced average customer wait times to less than 40 seconds. In addition, MC311 was able to maintain its customer satisfaction rate at more than 85 percent.
During the challenging time, MC311 became an indispensable resource for County residents seeking access to food, help paying rent, tree maintenance and numerous other County services.
MC311 is available 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. It provides assistance in hundreds of languages. The service can be accessed by dialing 3-1-1 from within the County or 240-777-0311 from anywhere. Its online component is available 24/7 at MC311.com,
The accomplishment also is significant because the County successfully moved MC311 operations to 100-percent remote on March 17, 2020, to protect the health of employees on the team. This innovative approach, as well as the institution of new customer service tools, resulted in the County receiving an award from the National Association of Counties.,
“When the people of Montgomery County need information about the County’s COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts, social services, bulk trash pickup and property tax information, they often call 311 or visit MC311.com," said County Executive Elrich. “These dedicated employees handle roughly 2,000 calls per day with professionalism and courtesy, and we appreciate their work.”
During the height of the pandemic, MC311’s call volume increase led to the need to add more customer service representatives (CSRs) to assist callers. To accommodate that need, MC311 cut the time it takes to train new employees by 50 percent so that CSRs were ready to handle calls sooner. This change, as well as some process-improvement measures, helped reduce the rate of abandoned calls below five percent. It also reduced average customer wait times to less than 40 seconds. In addition, MC311 was able to maintain its customer satisfaction rate at more than 85 percent.
During the challenging time, MC311 became an indispensable resource for County residents seeking access to food, help paying rent, tree maintenance and numerous other County services.
MC311 is available 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. It provides assistance in hundreds of languages. The service can be accessed by dialing 3-1-1 from within the County or 240-777-0311 from anywhere. Its online component is available 24/7 at MC311.com,
