Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | midnight
Henderson residents trying to find information or to report problems to the city have a new way to do it with the launch of the city's new online messaging system called Contact Henderson.
Contact Henderson, which officially launched Sept. 17 on the city's Web site, www.cityofhenderson.com, allows residents to submit a complaint or inquiry to the city online and have it directed to the correct department quickly.
A click on the Contact Henderson link from the city's home page takes viewers to a list of topics from animal control to water and sewer. Each topic has answers to frequently asked questions. If the answer is not available there, residents can submit an inquiry to that department directly from the page.
"It's easier to share information and it's easier for us to avoid duplication of calls," city spokeswoman Kathy Blaha said. "Instead of filtering through multiple layers of phone calls and e-mails, the inquiry goes to the appropriate department immediately so that the proper staff can begin working on it."
In a presentation at the Sept. 16 City Council meeting, Henderson Neighborhood Services Manager Skeet Fitzgerald said that Contact Henderson had logged 3,500 inquiries and 11,800 hits to the frequently asked questions lists since its soft launch in June.
Of the 3,500 inquiries, Fitzgerald said, 93 percent were answered, with an average response time of 42 hours.
"We think it's an excellent start," he said. "Again, this has all been without any public outreach."
Fitzgerald said city employees will continue to take phone calls and walk-in questions from residents. If an employee doesn't know the answer to a question, he or she will log the inquiry into Contact Henderson to expedite a response.
Blaha said the city saw the potential of Contact Henderson when it recently did marathon paving sessions on Eastern Avenue, which had the road mostly closed for two straight weekends. Blaha said the city was able to post information about the closures and the best detours to take to avoid them on Contact Henderson.
"It really provided that time-sensitive information," she said.
When using Contact Henderson, residents will have the option of leaving their contact information for a response or submitting a comment or concern anonymously. If residents leave contact information, they will be able to track their inquiry as it is routed to a particular department and staff members address it.
"It doesn't get lost, and you're not just sitting there waiting for somebody to call you back," Blaha said.
Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or [email protected].
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