The City of Knoxville's 311 Call Center staff in 2014 responded to 181,694 calls for help or information. 

Of those, 46,205 calls led to service requests - a report of a code violation to be investigated, for example, or maybe a request for a pothole patch or a sidewalk needing a repair. 

Today (March 11, or 3-11) is National 311 Day, so it's a natural time to reflect on the Knoxville call center's history and culture of service as it nears its 10-year anniversary, said 311 Director Russ Jensen. 

Since its launch on May 5, 2005, the 311 Center has handled 2.1 million calls. But it's not the volume that makes Jensen, the man who's directed the call center since its inception, most proud. It's the percentages of satisfied Knoxvillians that he regards as the critical numbers.

For example, based on a survey of about 1,000 people a year: 

* 99 percent of callers making a service request said the call center representative was courteous and responsive.
* 98 percent said their questions were answered appropriately.
* Following up, 85 percent said their service request was handled in a timely manner. 

"As an early adapter, we've been positioned to lead and to innovate customer services, both at home and across the nation," Jensen said. "Our high marks in customer feedback surveys have been steady for more than five years." 

The City's 311 Call Center was recognized with the 2014 national CS Week 311 Synergy Group Award of Excellence. The award recognizes one center that has consistently demonstrated a customer-focused approach to improving local government service. 

The Knoxville call center follows through on phoned-in service requests - making sure the requests are acted on and closed, measuring whether the callers are happy with the response, and tracking the response time. The measures help guarantee that calls don't fall between the cracks. 

"We have expectations internally of how long it should take to complete a requested City service," Jensen said. "And the public's perception matches ours. That tells us that our internal standards are meeting customer expectations - and, because this is recurring year after year, it's not a fluke. 

"As I've said before: We are a reflection of our leadership. Mayor Madeline Rogero is very service-driven and reminds us regularly that we are fortunate enough to serve the people of our community. At the 311 Call Center, we're proud to be Knoxville's phone number and the voice of city government. Helping people is something we enjoy doing and a responsibility we take seriously."