Henrico County is seeking a solution for residents and businesses frustrated with not reaching the right county agency on the first try.

County leaders are looking into a Citizenship Relationship Management initiative that would give residents and businesses one phone number to call or one e-mail to send for a variety of county services. They hope it would more efficiently serve the public and reduce the non-emergency calls made to 911.

"The goal is seamless contact with Henrico County so that we have improved customer service," Deputy County Manager Angela N. Harper said.

Last week, the Henrico Board of Supervisors unanimously approved awarding a $225,960 consulting contract to Atlanta-based Empower Solutions Inc. to develop a system that would fit the county's needs.

One aspect would be a 311 call center with receptionists fielding questions and requests for the most frequently requested county services. The city of Richmond's 311 program, the first in the metropolitan area, was implemented this year.

Harper said many people calling with a question or for help end up playing a frustrating game of "blue-page bingo," where they look for the right department in the phone book.

"They wind up not knowing which department to contact. They don't know whether or not a pothole is under utilities or works or the Virginia Department of Transportation," she said. "We would like to make it possible so that a citizen does not have to be referred multiple times to get the information they need or to get the service they request. We want it to be a one-call operation."

Harper said callers could also track the status of their request online or receive updates by telephone. Similar systems are in place in Hampton and Virginia Beach and such cities as Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Miami, she said.

A 311 non-emergency telephone system could also reduce the number of non-emergency calls to the 911 emergency communications center. Many calls come in after normal business hours, when other county departments have closed, said Henrico police spokesman Lt. Doug Perry.

"Some type of system would be beneficial because it would be better customer service to our citizens and would also relieve some of the unnecessary calls to the center that are not police-, fireor rescue-related," Perry said.

Of the 501,433 calls that the communications center received last year, 330,945 were considered non-emergency.
Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or mmartin@timesdispatch.com.