Toronto’s 311 service gets high praise from residents. Then why do so many complain about it to the Fixer?

Thestar.com
Jan. 27, 2021

If there’s one person who’s not in the least shocked that so many people are giving 311 the thumbs-up, it’s the guy who runs it.

I’ve been writing about 311 lately, and particularly the startling --at least to me --number of people who emailed me with positive reviews for the one-stop number for all city inquiries and services.

About 100 emails rolled in from readers, with at least 90 per cent saying their experience with 311 was positive. I was surprised, since about one in five notes to me come from people who said they first tried 311.

But 311 director Gary Yorke said my numbers square with his customer satisfaction metrics, and that the vast majority of people who call or send an email to 311 get what they’re looking for.

About 3 million calls and emails are handled by 311 annually, said Yorke, who’s been in charge for six years. Most are general inquiries, about 70 per cent, while the rest are service requests.

In 2020, service requests numbered close to one million, but just 242 complaints were made, he said, noting that complaints totaled 341 in 2019, before the coronavirus descended.

Meanwhile, 882 people called or emailed last year to offer a compliment to the city, a good indication that more people were pleased with the service than those who weren’t, said Yorke.

When Toronto’s numbers are compared to other 311 services across North America, “we’re in the upper echelon. We perform well. A lot of people said they’re really happy.”

That leaves one big question: If 311 is performing to the satisfaction of the vast majority of the public, how does Yorke explain why approximately 20 per cent of complaints to The Fixer say they first tried 311 with no success?

He said that 311 “is the quarterback, but we still have to set up the play and execute.”

The main task of 311 is to route service requests to the right department, he said, then let the experts take over. In some cases, individual departments are swamped by demands and must prioritize what problems are dealt with, and when.

That means some problems are dealt with sooner than others, while the odd one may even be overlooked, said Yorke. But the bottom line is that most people are happy with the service, which squares with what readers have told me.