In 2002 Mayor Bloomberg introduced a call system to track citizens’ complaints and concerns. The system
allowed citizens to report potholes that needed to be filled, neighborhoods that needed policing, and other
issues. Citizen use of the system led the city to realize that it needed to develop a new system of responding to
complaints, because many of the reported problems crossed the boundaries of various city departments. The
system was later expanded to allow citizens to submit concerns using the Internet and text messaging.
Memo:
You work for the City of Boston and have been asked to evaluate the New York City 311 Call system, as your
boss would like to implement a similar program in Boston. Prepare a memorandum describing how the system
works and analyzing its success while considering the following:
What system was previously used to discover areas of concern for citizens of New York?
How is the 311 call system innovative? How has it been adapted to remain relevant and useful?
What other innovation strategies were used in conjunction with this program? How did these strategies
enhance the already successful program?
How might you ensure that a similar system has similar success in Boston? How would the new system be
advertised to citizens?
Would the program originally be implemented as a pilot program? What agency would be responsible for
processing the information gathered using the system?
Sample Solution