When a customer contacts 311, their request for service is entered into the system and automatically routes to departments for investigation or action. Citizens are provided an estimated time frame on when the request will be addressed by the department as well as a tracking number for follow up. The required investigation or activity is conducted by the Department and the outcome of this work is entered into the system. Results are then available for residents to stay up to date on the status of their requests. There is also proactive work completed by departments out in the field. Staff may initiate a request while conducting onsite investigations, inspections or carrying out other work.

Given the wide variety of municipal services and business processes, each request for service has a unique workflow associated with it. In some cases, the status of the service request provided to the resident may indicate the timeframe within which initial action will be taken but not necessarily when the issue will be completely resolved. This may include such things as a site visit or an inspection. Resolution for other service request types may be dependent on the season such as Sidewalk Construction and Repair. If the service request is entered in the summer, the repair can likely be completed within the 20 day set duration period. However, if this same service request is entered during the winter, an initial inspection and temporary fix would take place, but the final repair may not be made until weather conditions improve. This would therefore result in the department exceeding the set duration time in some cases. In other instances, the duration time indicates the complete service cycle. The service request is straightforward and not dependent on inspection, by-law compliance or season. For example, a Tax Statement Request can be easily fulfilled within the 2 day timeframe. In all cases, the service request process is communicated to the citizen so that they are informed of the expected timeframe and next step of the process.

It is important to note that in 2019 approximately 78.9% of total requests for service were closed within the set duration time, and 80% of total requests were closed within the set duration time in 2018. This demonstrates that departments continue to do an excellent job in meeting customer expectations and meeting established service level targets.

Changes or updates to service level durations are necessary and expected as service delivery evolves. Internal processes may change or new programs or services are added that may impact departmental workload and the ability to meet customer expectations. Conversely, changes in workflow or reallocation of resources can result in the ability to respond more quickly. This is true for the Building Department where during the last several years, Council has prioritized and supported the establishment of dedicated Building/Bylaw Officers specifically assigned to address building bylaws such as property standards and zoning in a more timely and effective manner. The allocation of additional resources toward this goal has resulted in significant improvements in response times.

Requested changes to service level durations for the coming 2 year timeframe are outlined in the table below.