Clovis Works to Enhance “e-Services” for Customers
The City of Clovis Information Services Division has been working hard over the last year to enhance the City’s great in-person customer service with much improved e-services.
The City recently purchased new website software to make certain that all members of the community could find information and obtain services online regardless of their functional needs. Section 508 of the US Code sets standards for website accessibility. As such, the City of Clovis is making their online electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual’s ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily.
Customers sometimes wonder why government websites do not have a lot of multi-media and Flash type components. That is because those type of website features are difficult for the assistive technology devices used by the disabled community to translate into the information to a format usable according to the person’s specific needs. For example, a person with visual needs may have software that reads the text on a page out-loud to them. The reader software cannot read pictures and video unless the website has included alternative text with the images. It is very important to the City of Clovis that all customers have complete access to the same information and services.
Not only is the improved website compatible with the assistive technology devices used by people with functional needs, it now can be used by people fluent in languages other than English with the Google translation tool. The new Clovis homepage offers many one-click options, based on frequency of page use, so users can find the hot topics and frequently visited pages faster and easier.
As part of the website upgrade, Information Services staff revamped the online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software module. The CRM system is a software program that allows city customers to ask questions, request services, and report problems online. Anytime a customer clicks on a “Contact Us” link or the “Customer Service” link, they are automatically routed to the CRM software module with a list of frequently reported service categories and, of course, the “other” category for unique requests.
Once a customer submits a CRM request, the software routes the request to the correct city staff member to address the customer’s needs. Not only does the software send the request to the city, it also track the request to make sure nothing falls through the cracks in today’s busy municipal work environment. Customers that phone in requests to the city also have their request entered into the CRM system so that services can be prioritized and addressed in the most efficient and expedient manner possible.
City staff found that most of the CRM requests that the City receives are requests for information and not problem reporting, so the CRM system has been improved to offer answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ’s), based on type of inquiry selected by the customer.
For example, many CRM requests are to report a streetlight outage. Most of the streetlights in Clovis are maintained by PG&E, so the FAQ’s for streetlights provides that information and a link to the PG&E problem-reporting page for streetlights.
Plans for the near future for e-services include more online services, such as the ability to pay utility bills online, register for recreation classes, obtain building permits, and search city document archives. City staff is always anxious to make sure customers are getting the information and services they need from the City, so please “Contact Us” if you have suggestions for improvements to the website or the CRM, or need other services and information.
By providing information and services online, the City hopes to make the customer service experience for its citizens convenient 24 hours per day/7 days per week. Of course, friendly and helpful city staff members are always available during normal business hours to assist the community with services in-person and by phone.
