Tampa, Florida Internet-Based Customer Service Center

Abstract

The City of Tampa, Florida developed and implemented an innovative Web-enabled enterprise-wide solution, addressing basic requests for services with centralized citizen access to four major areas: submission of requests, opinions, recommendations, and inquiries; online payments; public records research; and automatic redirection to non-city agency services. The TampaGov Customer Service Center resulted from a need to effectively track and manage the wide variety of service requests and communication exchanges between citizens and the city staff who serve them. Three primary issues were addressed: (1) Citizens are confronted with daily life events and do not know which government agencies to contact; (2) Citizens want access to government services at their convenience (24/7); and (3) Citizens want to know what is happening to their request. To be successful, the project needed to provide a ?exible, comprehensive method of communication and collaboration with citizens. This objective was met.