Haverhill staff describe 3‑1‑1 call handling and limits of current system; app not restored

City staff outlined how Haverhill’s 3‑1‑1 system handles public inquiries, the proportion of calls resulting in service requests, and current gaps in user notifications and analytics.

A city staff member overseeing 3‑1‑1 told councilors the center received 10,615 calls in the prior year and that roughly 4,323 of those calls resulted in a formal service request—about 39% of volume—while the remainder were information transfers or short help. The staff member summarized how the center works: “3‑1‑1 knows where to send that call,” and non‑service calls (for example, asking how to pay a parking ticket) are routed rather than logged as a ticket.

Why it matters: councilors asked whether the city’s service‑request system lets residents see outstanding requests or whether repeated reports create multiple tickets. Staff said the current system can show if an address or name has prior calls and that repeated calls from the same person are not automatically created as separate tickets; instead, they are appended to an existing record to avoid redundancy.

Key operational points: staff said the city receives online requests and e‑mail reports that are entered into the same tracking system and that departments (water, sewer, highway, DPW) receive items routed to them; when departments complete work, staff said the system can email the original requester if the caller provided contact information. Several councilors noted that a previously available mobile app—used for push notifications when a request was completed—is not currently available in the App Store; IT removed the prior vendor and the city is evaluating alternatives. Staff said restoring the same app‑based experience would require additional procurement and cost.

Analytics and next steps: councilors asked whether the city has metrics on time‑to‑resolution; staff said analytics are not yet fully implemented after recent system upgrades and that adding response‑time tracking or searchable public dashboards would incur additional expense. Staff suggested they could return with options and cost estimates for analytics and app functionality.

Ending: Councilors requested follow‑up information on the app status, whether the city can offer a searchable public view of requests and the costs to add automated completion notices or response‑time analytics.