Bloomberg Campaign Press Release - Mike Bloomberg's Plan for a National "311" Service Will Transform Interactions With the Federal Government

Mike will deliver responsive, transparent, and accountable public service through a new digital customer service platform

NEW YORK — Mike Bloomberg today announced his plan to connect Americans to all federal services through a single, easy-to-remember number and mobile platform. Mike's national "311" will raise the standard of government customer service delivery to levels comparable to the private sector, by identifying the most-used federal services, simplifying the information needed to access them, directly responding to citizens' problems and complaints, and providing real-time updates on the status of requests. As mayor of New York City, Mike created NYC311, the country's largest non-emergency service platform to answer questions and address concerns, which included people being able to contact the NYC government directly by dialing 3-1-1. Mike recognizes that improving the government's capacity to respond to its citizens' needs is critical to restoring public trust.

Last week Mike also held a National Digital Town Hall, allowing anyone to call and talk to Mike and his team, mirroring part of what a national 311 would encompass. Mike answered calls along with mayors from across the country. Callers expressed views on many issue areas, with health care being the most common topic. The program ran through Saturday morning, February 29.

"Governments are known for having poor customer service, but in New York City, we showed it's possible to change that," said Mike Bloomberg. "The 311 service we launched helped millions of residents get connected quickly and easily to important services and information — including updates during storms and information on where to get help on a broad range of issues, from quitting smoking to starting a small business. At a time when Americans are growing increasingly alarmed about the coronavirus, the importance of providing the public with answers to their questions cannot be overstated. President Trump has spent three years undermining our government's basic functions and our ability to respond to a crisis. I will change that — including through a national 311 hotline that gives Americans instant access to critical information and resources."

Mike's Vision for a Government that Delivers for Citizens

For the majority of citizens, getting information from government agencies is often a time-consuming and frustrating experience — one falling far below the standards for private-sector customer service. As president, Mike will ensure that accessing federal services – from Medicare to applying for federal student loans to filing taxes – is a first-rate customer experience by:

• Establishing a national 311 system that citizens can call, text, email, tweet and access from their computers and phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Citizens will be able to get instant information and services and report problems to a central hub.
• Identifying the 20 highest-priority consumer-facing government services and upgrading customer service to a standard comparable to the private sector. This includes little-to-no wait times, mobile-friendly "trackers" on the status of requests, and the resolution of all requests in a short time frame.
• Investing in technology that will help integrate the information citizens need with the tech they are already using.
• Conducting a comprehensive review of customer-service quality across all 250+ federal agencies and empowering the General Services Administration's Office of Customer Service Experience (OCE) to implement improvements and boost resources.
• Coordinating the federal government's customer-service system with existing programs in cities nationwide to route callers that need assistance to the right place.
• Setting a goal of creating local "311" services across the country so all citizens have access to services that connect them directly with their local governments.
• Offering a range of language options and making the service accessible to people with disabilities.

Mike will get this done because he's done it before as mayor of New York City. Mike's 311 plan operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in nearly 180 languages. New York City's 311 system also allowed people to submit photos and videos with their requests for service improvements. New Yorkers called for help 160 million times and rated their satisfaction above the private sector standard.

Before Mike's mayoralty, the city government had 40 different call lines to city agencies and no centralized way for the public to get information from the right source. Insights from residents enabled innovative new methods to identify and resolve quality of life issues. By making the administration aware of issues through their requests, residents also made New York City a better place to live. The service became an essential tool for government accountability and a data-driven guide to areas that the city should address. New York City's 311 plan became a model for similar programs in international and other U.S. cities.