16 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MAY 2019
POINT OF VIEW
SUFFOLK311
GOVERNMENT MADE ACCESSIBLE
By STEVE BELLONE
Suffolk County Executive
Over the course of my time as county
executive, my office has worked diligently
to create a government that
is smarter, more efficient, and more
effective than ever. We are implementing
best practices and embracing
modern technology, and as part of
these reform efforts, the county will
now be leveraging a new tool that has
transformed the way government
and constituents interact.
I am proud to say that Suffolk311 is
here, working to make government
more efficient and accessible to the
public. 311 is deployed in almost all
of our nation’s major cities, such as
New York City, Boston, Dallas, and
Washington, D.C., with major success.
And here in Suffolk, we are the first
suburban county in New York State to
implement this kind of system.
So what is 311 and how does it work? It
is a sophisticated constituent response
system that uses cutting-edge cloud
technology to provide more professional,
timely, and effective customer
service for all municipal residents.
By dialing 3-1-1, residents will be directed
to a central call center that will
drastically simplify constituent interactions
for tracking and completing
common inquiries and concerns, such
as reporting potholes. And because
we know our residents are always on
the go and need access anywhere at
any time, the Suffolk311 system will
include a website, mobile application,
and social media platform so residents
may choose from a variety of methods
to initiate service requests.
Not only will 311 make county
government more responsive and
accessible, it will improve public
safety by reducing the burden on our
911 call centers. Our 911 call centers
receive over 900,000 calls a year. By
offloading the tens of thousands of
nonemergency calls to the new 311
system, our emergency call centers
will be better positioned to respond
to true emergencies.
On top of all that, this initiative will
transform the way county government
utilizes data to make critical
management decisions, better allocate
resources, and spend taxpayer
dollars. The system will capture
critical details on each call, question,
or request, allowing us to gather unprecedented
insight into the issues
our communities are facing in real
time. 311 is about connecting residents
to government, but also refining the
way our government functions.
By improving the lines of communication
between our residents and
each facet of county government, we
are creating an efficient, transparent,
and accountable problem-solving
process. This new system incorporates
the best elements of public
safety, data management, and constituent
satisfaction. Suffolk has, and
will continue to be, a leader across the
state when it comes to bringing county
government into the 21st century.
"311 is about connecting residents to government."
TAKE ON EVERYTHING
LONG ISLAND
HAS TO OFFER TODAY
Today is yours for the taking. And AARP is here in our
community, helping you make the most of it. Whether
you’re a family caregiver looking for some support or
have ideas to help improve your neighborhood, we’re
here to connect you to the tools you need.
So go make today and every day the best it can be,
Long Island. /aarplongisland @aarplongisland
Learn how at aarp.org/longisland
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