County's informational hotline Solano311 debuts Sept. 2

County's informational hotline Solano311 debuts Sept. 2
By Danny Bernardini
Article Launched: 08/20/2008

Nearly nine months after county supervisors voted to create an all-in-one information hotline, Solano311 is set to go live in September.

Starting Sept. 2, Solano County will have a new way for residents to get information about county services and programs.

By dialing 311 while in Solano County, residents will be connected to a Solano311 customer service representative who can answer questions about county programs and services.

The Solano311 Customer Service Center in Fairfield is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. There are no usage fees for people to call Solano311, and it is accessible from most land lines and cellular phones.

"Without a doubt, I think Solano311 is the single most important advancement we can make in customer service," said County Administrator Michael D. Johnson in a press release.

For most of 2008, the contractor providing the 311 service, has been working with people throughout the county to build a database of questions and answers.

"Solano County offers hundreds of different programs and services, so it's easy to understand why it can be a challenge to figure out where to get the answers you need on the first phone call," said Ira Rosenthal, director of the Department of Information Technology. "Calling 311 takes the guess work out of knowing who to call."

In many instances, the Solano311 customer service representatives will also be the first link to service delivery. If a caller needs the expertise of a county staff member, the Solano311 representative will connect the caller with the right person.

The Solano311 representatives will also follow up with the caller to see if they got the service they needed in a timely manner, said Steve Pierce, public information officer.

Residents can also access 311 resources through the county Web site at www.solanocounty.com.