Madison Park

All About 311

What is it? When to use it!

The “411” on 311

What is 311?

311 is a 24 hour-a-day, seven days-a-week customer service line, providing greater access to city and county government. With one easy number for the public to remember, 311 streamlines customer service calls into one central location, has a human being answering every call, has specialists on-hand to address tax and utility issues, and keeps transfers to a minimum. 311 can also be used during a regional emergency.



How many calls does 311 take on a monthly basis?

311 averages 110,000 calls per month.



What city/county departments are represented by 311? 311 performs customer service functions for the following departments: Animal Control, Code Enforcement, Non-Emergency Police Services (CMPD Crime Reporting Unit), Solid Waste Services, Storm Water Services, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, Mecklenburg County Tax, and city/county Parks and Recreation Departments.



What other types of information can a caller get from 311 other than the services listed?

Calls are made to the existing customer service lines for hundreds of reasons, too many to actually list. But callers also can get directory assistance to city and county offices, schedules for meetings of city and county government, information about various city and county services, just to name a few. Callers who need bus information also can be connected to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) customer service by contacting 311.



Will the public get the same service at 2 a.m. as they would at 10 a.m.? Yes. However, because call volumes are lower during the overnight hours, the number of 311 staff assisting callers is reduced.



What will 311 not do?

The 311 call center does not handle police emergencies, fire, or medic calls. If a callers’ problem warrants extensive investigation and cannot be handled by a specialist within the call center, the caller will be directly connected to the department to ensure the problem is addressed as quickly as possible.



How does 311 update information?

Two ways. Managers at 311 use the internal 311 Alert System to update all customer service representatives to late-breaking information (such as emergencies and road closures) which may result in heavy call volume. 311 also works with departments to update department information related to programs and services.





How do non-English-speaking callers access a bilingual customer service representative? The phone system directs Spanish-language callers to select a Spanish-speaking customer service representative. For all other languages, or if there is too long of a wait for a Spanish-speaking representative, any customer service representative can do a three-way call with the AT@T language lines.



Will the use of 311 expedite a citizen’s complaint, resulting in quicker resolution? While it is the goal of 311 to resolve complaints as quickly and thoroughly as possible, a call to 311 does not guarantee a quicker resolution. The highly-skilled staff and latest technology in 311 does however enable 311 customer service representatives to communicate more quickly and efficiently to city and county departments in order to resolve a caller’s problem.



Are residents in outlying communities in Mecklenburg County able to use 311? (Matthews, Mint Hill, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville)?

Those communities that are within Mecklenburg County and receive a service provided by the county or city of Charlotte, can dial 311 regarding their service or to obtain information about city/county services.



How do you access 311 outside of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County?

Call 704-336-7600.



Can the public access 311 via a cell phone?

Yes. Cellular companies have programmed the 311 number to their towers. However, the public can still call (704) 336-7600 and be connected to 311.



Can the public utilize 311 via the internet? The 311 web page at www.charmeck.org will provide basic information about 311 and enable residents to use the 311 online service request system for over 20 different service requests.