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Sarasota County highlights 311 contact center gains, seeks staffing and technology improvements
Summary
County communications staff told the Board of County Commissioners that the 311 contact center handled roughly 297,000 calls in 2024, improved several service metrics after reorganizing into one contact center, and is working on staffing, QA and technology enhancements to reduce current wait times.
Sarasota County officials on April 23 told the Board of County Commissioners that the county’s 311 contact center has improved several performance benchmarks since it was consolidated under the communications office, but remains under pressure from storm‑driven call spikes and new programs.
Jamie Carson, director of communications, introduced the presentation and said the 311 team operates from the county’s emergency operations center and aims to provide "first call resolution." Tim Mushee, the county’s 311 manager, told the board the center’s priorities are “convenience, efficiency, service level and first‑time resolution.”
Mushee presented 2024 contact statistics, saying the center handled just under 297,000 phone calls in 2024, received roughly 33,000 emails and carries a large volume of app and social‑media reports. He said 2025 average daily call volumes are running near 21,000 in the primary queue and that storm activations—named storms listed in staff materials—drove abandonment and longer average speed‑of‑answer times.
County staff compared performance to public‑sector benchmarks: before the storm season Sarasota’s abandonment rate had been below 5 percent and average speed of answer under a minute; storms pushed some measures closer to industry averages (about 8 minutes for some utility queues, higher abandonment in peak months). Mushee said the county’s operational goal is a 60‑second speed of answer and a service level at or above 80 percent.
Commissioners questioned training timelines and surge staffing. Mushee described a typical training period of six to eight weeks to bring a new hire fully onto the phones, noted that some team members can be ready in three weeks with intensive hands‑on training, and said the county uses cross‑training, after‑hours vendors and an internal surge strategy during activations. Jamie Carson and Mushee said the communications division and other county departments provide staff during peaks.
On technology and quality assurance, Mushee said the center uses real‑time dashboards and has introduced automated QA tools that flag conversational patterns for coaching; he emphasized the county’s preference for human agents for issues that require direct engagement while expanding self‑service where appropriate.
Commissioners praised the staff for rapid improvements and asked staff to continue exploring cross‑training and retention strategies to reduce turnover and maintain service levels during storms. The presentation closed with the county’s 311 contact number and an offer to return with further detail if requested.
