Cities and Counties Nationwide Designated at Citizen Engaged Communities

    ALEXANDRIA, VA, December 23, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Five years ago, PTI created this annual designation program to recognize excellence in multi-channel contact centers and best practices for the use of Citizen Relationship/Records Management (CRM) systems, 311 services, web portal technology, telephony systems and mobile communications infrastructure.

Government contact centers have become the face of government to the public. Local governments are challenged today to provide centralized citizen contact centers that effectively utilize new technology for fast, friendly and responsive service. This seamless service must engage citizens through multi-channels, empower citizens by enabling direct interaction, and then demonstrate accountability through performance reporting, not just for calls but also for service delivery.

Every year local governments are invited to apply for designation. All applications are reviewed and scored using metrics and standards developed by PTI in four key areas for multi-channel contact centers:

- Citizen Participation Processes
- Integrated Communication Channels
- Integrated Technology
- Performance Reporting

This year especially, PTI recognizes the tremendous growth in the use of mobile and social media to engage the public, and the need for targeted data analytics to support better decision-making.

As a special note, when it comes to challenges and opportunities, PTI noted that all of the applications mentioned maintaining ongoing exceptional customer service with smaller than optimal staff, and retaining high quality employees to deliver service efficiently and effectively with budget constraints. PTI applauds the efforts of cities and counties all across the country who make exceptional customer service a priority during this difficult budget climate.

"I congratulate all the local governments that were designated as PTI 2014-2016 Citizen Engaged Communities" said Alan Shark, Executive Director of PTI. "The commitment of these cities and counties to collaborate with the public and to engage the community serve as an example for other local governments to follow."

PTI proudly presents the 2014-2016 Citizen Engaged Communities:

Under 75,000 Population
Bayside, WI

75k to 150k Population
Elgin, IL
Evanston, IL
Santa Monica, CA
Somerville, MA

150k to 300k Population
Buffalo, NY
Norfolk, VA

300k and Above Population
Boston, MA
Charlotte, NC
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Indianapolis, IN
Jacksonville, FL
Minneapolis, MN
Philadelphia, PA
Pinellas County, FL
Sacramento, CA
San Francisco, CA

ABOUT PTI
The national, non-profit Public Technology Institute supports local government executives and elected officials through research, education, executive-level consulting services and national recognition programs.

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