The city of Aurora’s newly-launched “first point of contact” — called myAurora 311 — is now fielding around 400 calls each day.
That’s according to Rikki Benjamin, Aurora’s Customer Relations manager, who recently told The Beacon-News that this is triple the call volume the city’s customer service call center was receiving before it launched the new 311 initiative in March. That’s in part because the new 311 initiative is absorbing calls that previously used to go out to individual city departments, she said, but also because the city has been marketing the new 311 service.
As the name suggests, those with non-emergency questions, concerns or requests for Aurora city government can call 311 within city limits to speak with one of its full-time operators any time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday to Friday. For those who are not within the city, the center can be reached at 630-256-4636.
Outside of the center’s regular hours, or for those who prefer a screen to a phone call, complaints and requests can also be made online through the new 311 mobile app or website: aurorail.citysourced.com
The 311 call center also accepts walk-ins at its physical location within Fire Station 8 at 3770 McCoy Drive, as well as emails, of which the center gets around 3,000 per month, according to Benjamin. The center’s email address is: 311@aurora.il.us
Recently, the center has been getting calls about the trimming of city trees, the replacement of lead pipes, potholes to be filled and similar topics, Benjamin said. The topics change with the season, she said, and heading into the summer many residents are asking about what construction is being done on their street or are asking the city to enforce grass and weed ordinances.
The city is trying to push the message that 311 should be used, whether through a phone call or an online request, for nearly any non-emergency request, according to Benjamin. Basically, as long as the police department or fire department doesn’t need to respond, use 311.
“You shouldn’t be calling 911 or the non-emergency police number to let them know there’s a dead raccoon in the street or that a small branch fell from your tree onto the parkway,” she said. “That’s what we are here for, to try and take some of that work off the police department.”
And even for community information on topics that may not have anything to do with city government, people should still call — the center has a lot of “inside knowledge” that can’t be found online or by calling a single local non-profit, Benjamin said.
“We not only answer for the city but also for the community by putting them in touch with resources that the city doesn’t provide but has connections with,” she said.
Plus, Benjamin said people don’t always know everything the city has to offer.
While some requests can be handled in-house, for those that need to be pushed out to other city departments will go immediately with no hold times or queues like there were before, according to Benjamin. She said that will happen regardless of where the request was made: through a phone call, through the web portal or through the app.
The myAurora 311 app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play store, features a variety of quick-links to important city webpages alongside a way to submit requests that can include locations and photos. Users can log into the app to track their requests and receive messages through both the app and email.
In addition to the increased call volume, the 311 initiative has also boosted the number of online requests, Benjamin said.
All the services available over the phone are also available for walk-ins during the same hours, she said, but those who walk-in can also access additional services like water bill payments and the purchase of garbage stickers.
The customer service call center was first moved into Fire Station 8 in 2007, according to Benjamin. She said that the center’s employees used to just be part-time but were moved to full-time in 2024.
This year the center hired additional employees, up to the nine call-takers plus the manager and specialist it has now, in preparation of launching the 311 initiative, Benjamin said. With the launch of the initiative, the city also implemented a new software alongside the app to streamline the request process.
According to a news release from the city about the 311 initiative when it launched in March, an enhanced in-person customer service location is set to open in late 2025.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
