Calls for Service Continue to Climb

It opened with much fanfare and the promise that one call would do it all. Two years later, the City of San Bernardino’s SB Direct Call Center is proving particularly useful in getting citizens connected to the services they require, despite the financial constraints of a city in bankruptcy. The Call Center began in June 2011 to streamline and provide accountability in citizens’ requests for service such as potholes, graffiti abatement, streetlight repair, building permits and other municipal concerns. Since then, the Call Center has handled thousands of calls and has been the point of entry for people looking for information from various city departments. “With limited resources, the city has to focus on providing basic services,” said Mayor Patrick Morris. “We work to address citizen questions and communicate what the City is able to do with the resources available. Having a central call center allows us to provide this information in the most efficient way possible,” he said. While the city works through the financial constraints presented by bankruptcy, it continues to provide services and respond to citizen inquiries, demonstrated in the number of calls received through the SB Direct Call Center. In the last two years, the call volume increased from an average of 10,481 calls per month in 2012 to an average of 12,672 calls per month in the first 9 months of 2013. Between January and September 2013, 15,366[i] community service requests were submitted to the city. Of these requests, 6,293 (41 percent) were submitted electronically by citizens through a computer or mobile device and 9,073 (59 percent) were reported by phone or in person. Bilingual staff is available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Call Center number is 909-384-7272. Citizens can also submit requests electronically, 24 hours a day for non-emergency services, through SB Direct Access Online (www.sbcity.org).