Mayor Adams Celebrates 20 Years of NYC311 With Release of State of 311 Report

March 9, 2023

Report Details All-Time Stats, Historic Milestones, Most Memorable Calls from NYC311’s Service to New Yorkers

Mayor Also Releases Video Reciting List of Some of Most Outrageous 311 Calls Over Years

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of New York City's 311 service, the platform that provides New Yorkers seeking information and assistance from the city agencies direct answers and support to their needs. Since it launched in March 2003, 311 has received more than 525 million contacts — through phone calls, texts, social media posts, website submissions, chat support, and a mobile app — from New Yorkers. As part of the celebration, Mayor Adams today released a State of 311 Report, detailing all-time contact statistics, peak moments of service, and some of the most popular service requests. Mayor Adams also released a video reciting a list of the most outrageous questions and comments New Yorkers have made to 311 over its 20-year span.

“Since its launch two decades ago, NYC311 has become an indispensable resource for New Yorkers looking to make a noise complaint, report a cleanliness issue, learn whether alternate side parking is in effect, and so much more,” said Mayor Adams. “Responding to 525 million contacts is a testament to the thousands of public servants who literally respond to the call of service each and every day. From day one, our administration has been focused on improving the customer experience to make city services more equitable and accessible for New Yorkers, and we are grateful for the critical role NYC311 has played in this effort.”

“NYC311 is our city government’s front door for information and services that improves the lives of New Yorkers,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “This milestone anniversary proves that two decades of reliability, ingenuity, and commitment of the NYC311 team makes city government run better every day.”

“As a part of the new Office of Technology and Innovation, NYC311 has laid much of the foundation for how the city can use technology to meet New Yorkers where they are,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “Thank you to the NYC311 team for continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible within city government, and for their relentless dedication to helping New York run better.”

The first call to NYC311 came on March 9, 2003 for a noise complaint in Jackson Heights, Queens. Since that time, the service has expanded to take questions and comments not only via phone, but also via a mobile app, chat support, text, social media, and a website, and currently provides support in 175 languages. NYC311’s two decades of service is detailed in the State of 311 report, which is being released today. Highlights of the report include: 

• NYC311 has received more than 525 million customer contacts, 359 million of which were received by phone, 147 million through the website, 16 million through the NYC311 Mobile App, and the remaining contacts through other available forms of submission.
• The top three busiest call volumes took place during a blizzard in 2011, a blizzard in 2013, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
• The top inquiry of 2004 — the first full year of reporting — was for the removal of appliances using freon.
• The top inquiry of 2022, the most recent year of reporting, was for a parking ticket or camera violation.

At the start of his administration, Mayor Adams consolidated NYC311 with other technology agencies across the city to create the new New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). In 2022, OTI completed a major upgrade to NYC311’s technology architecture to ensure the long-term health of its systems.

“The success of NYC311 is made possible by our people,” said Joseph Morrisroe, deputy commissioner of 311, NYC Office of Technology and Innovation. “I am grateful to the extended NYC311 and OTI teams for their unwavering commitment to customer service in New York City.”

A customer satisfaction survey conducted by CFI Group found that New Yorkers give 311 agents a nine out of 10 rating in annual surveys.

NYC311 provides information and services for over 200 agencies and non-profits. For more information on NYC311, New Yorkers can visit the NYC311 website.

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