In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have added new service types to our library. Our Clients will find them under Category heading "2020 Coronavirus/COVID-19". We can quickly help you do this with your website, and help manage related incoming calls and emails.
Category: Local GovernmentPSR – What We Do (The Public User)
Now we see the Public using PSR everywhere.... Everyone knows how frustrating it can be to report problems, file complaints, get service, get answers to questions, and GET RESULTS from Public Sector Organizations. For a much more satisfying experience when dealing with your Public Service Provider(s), download our App and give it a workout, or use any browser to go to our website: The
Report Illegal Dumping (Fly-Tipping) with PSR
Illegal Dumping (aka "Fly-Tipping") is an unsightly scourge; it destroys the landscape and is a health hazard. Residents want to feel proud of where they live, whether it be in an urban environment or the countryside. Illegal dumping is a bio-hazard, a danger to children and the environment, and it attracts vermin. Unfortunately, one of the frustrations is that when residents come across cases of
Water Meter Problems
So you've decided to change your old water meter to a new, more accurate type, but unfortunately, you've encountered problems. What kind of water meter problems might you encounter? Here are a few examples Incorrect meter reading. This could be the fault of the water company or, unfortunately, even your own. An accurate meter reading will insure that you are aware of
Customer Service & Website Branding Consistency
When adding a full-function (3rd Party) Customer Service, or 311 system, to a Customer-facing website, Service Providers insist on consistent website branding. That's why we offer the services of our highly creative Design Specialist to assemble a widget image that blends perfectly with your existing branding, including perfect color matching, and the use of vector graphics to allow unlimited
Road Blocks – How to report them using PSR
What contributes to Road Blocks? The main contributors to road blocks are spillages, flooding, roadworks, landslides, potholes, fallen trees, cars etc. Road Blocking: An obstruction placed across a road, especially of barricades or police cars, for halting or hindering traffic, as to facilitate the capture of a pursued car or inspection for safety violations. An obstruction on a road, as a
Winter Road Issues – Report Them Using PSR
What causes Winter Road Issues? The main culprits of winter road issues are snow and ice. "AKRON, Ohio - Nearly a week after a snow storm hit the Akron area, some streets in residential neighborhoods remained ice-covered and treacherous to travel. Neighbors living in Fairlawn Heights said they experience the problem every year and are frustrated they have to repeatedly contact the city for
Zoning Issues – Report them using PSR
When do Zoning Issues become a problem? Zoning issues become a problem when the proposed zone infringes on or close to residents' properties, or where the type of building planned for construction, or the use of the land is a cause for concern. "What is a zoning by-law? A zoning by-law controls the use of land in your community. It states exactly: how land may be used; where buildings and
Building and Planning Issues – Report them using PSR
When do Building and Planning become an issue? Building and planning issues arise when local residents feel that they are being inconvenienced by, or not fully informed about proposed changes. "Well-designed, well-planned communities attract jobs and investment. Ontario’s land use planning system gives municipalities the major role in planning decisions. The ministry identifies and protects
Drain Issues – Report them quickly and simply using PSR
What is a Drain? Drain issues occur frequently in all urban and rural environments. Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditions that harm root growth), but many soils need artificial drainage to improve production or to manage water
Culvert Issues – Report them quickly and simply using PSR
What is a Culvert? Culvert issues occur frequently in all urban and rural environments. A culvert is a structure that allows water to flow under a road, railroad, trail, or similar obstruction from one side to the other side. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. —Wikipedia Where do you go
Pelham Water and Wastewater Lowest Fees in Niagara Region
Congratulations to our original "launch" Customer, the Town of Pelham, Canada, for the third year in a row where water / waste-water fee increases have been kept to ZERO! In fact they are the Lowest Fees in the entire Niagara Region. For more details, please take a look at their recent Press Release on this important topic. We work with Pelham Staff, all the time, to get their feedback on
Pelham Path to Continuous Improvements in Customer Service
It's an important final step to commit to a common system for Customer Service across all Departments and all Staff. At the Town of Pelham, in the heart of the Niagara Region, they use their Seasonally published "Leisure Guides" to reinforce the message that the Town and its Staff are responsive to all Citizen Service Requests through the 24/7 convenience of the Town's web site with a view to
Collaborative Service Delivery (Fixing The Disconnect)
Transparency, accountability, engagement (and all those other buzz words that we perhaps overuse), have a downside - heightened Public expectations for improved Service Delivery. The Public sees, ever more clearly, that we are not being cost and resource efficient in getting this done. Collaboration as an approach to the delivery of local services, focuses on sharing costs and benefits by two or
Want to see our cascading widgets?
Imagine being able to add Customer Service functionality, configured to the topic of each of your web pages? Sounds tedious, complicated and expensive? With PSR's cascading widgets, it's none of the above. Take a look at one of our Client's website and you see how they've achieved this. You can go even further and customize each widget image to match its associated web page. The Public can get
The Personal Price of Public Service
In this post, we take a break from public service efficiency and effectiveness to share the very moving personal story of Dr Allen Ault who served as the State of Georgia's Chief Correction Officer until 1995. Please watch and read excerpts from his interview here. Please share your thoughts. As a public official, has your work taken its toll on your personal life? If so, in what way? How have
CoPQ? What on earth is that?!?
When seeking to measure and compare the performance of employees, many public service provides often focus on efficiency measure. To illustrate, take a moment or two to ponder this hypothetical scenario: Given the same resources (time, tools, training, etc), one of the workers in your team (let's call him Bob), on average, repairs 10 potholes in a day whilst his colleague Billy repairs only 7
So what’s your story?
As we highlighted in a previous post, the value delivered by public services is often opaque. As result, a rationale or ‘story’ needs to exist to justify the provision of funding for the public service provider. Every now and again, this rationale is put in the spotlight and re-examined by actors and events outside the control of the public service provider. For example, when a high-profile
Customer Service Performance Measures for Sustainable Communities
From ICMA Center For Sustainable Communities (Cory Fleming 311/CRM Program Director, ICMA) This past Wednesday (November 20), I led an online discussion on “Building Customer Service into Local Government.” One participant came up with a great but challenging question – what performance measures do you use to evaluate customer service? I suggested customer surveys and comments cards, but I
Wasting away….
As our name suggest, facilitating quality service delivery is what we are about. To that end, we will be writing a series of blog posts on how to develop and maintain excellence in public service delivery. The first post in this series will address the issue of reducing (elimination is the ultimate goal but we’ll start with reduction) waste in service delivery. Waste reduction has taken on
