Date: March 26, 2003 

Miami Beach Answer Center Opens at City Hall
-- A Better Place to Serve the Public –

Miami Beach, FL – The City Miami Beach Answer Center is the easiest way to contact City Hall. Friendly, professional, bilingual operators assist the public with information, referrals, comments, and service requests. Using a new state-of-the-art customer relationship management system (“A Better Place”), a service request is directed to the exact person who can handle the issue and tracked electronically until it is resolved. The Answer Center’s system handles citizen inquiries and service requests by providing fast and accurate logging of information, on-line assignment and dispatching and step-by-step tracking of resolution activities. 

“Enhancing our outreach to our residents and improving our services in the neighborhoods has been a focus of mine since I became City Manager. With this in mind, last year I created the Neighborhood Services Department and tasked it with coordinating our effort to improve the services we provide to our residents. The Answer Center was built to help maintain a high level of customer service and service delivery to the community,” said Miami Beach City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez.

Citizens have the opportunity to choose how to access the system: via the Internet, telephone, walk-in, e-mail or mail. The Answer Center is designed to work with each person’s comfort level and redirects the focus of government towards the needs and concerns of its residents. The Answer Center is located on the first floor of Miami Beach City Hall at 1700 Convention Center Drive. By phone, call 305-604-CITY. The Answer Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with expanded hours expected in the future. The public can access the customer service system 24 hours a day and 7 days a week via the Internet at the City’s new website www.miamibeachfl.gov – just go the homepage.

“Whether the request is a barking dog or a broken water main, a citizen makes one request and the system does the rest – from initiation through to resolution and closeout – every request is tracked. With this service, a request will have less of a chance of getting lost in the system. City staff can track your request every step of the way until resolution and residents can track the progress of their request on the City’s website,” said Neighborhood Services Director Vivian Guzman.

The Answer Center also accepts passport applications Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. only. All original required documents must be provided in person at the time of application. They also offer passport photo service. Appropriate fees will apply. For more information on required documents, call the Answer Center or go to the City’s website.

The Answer Center is a division of the City of Miami Beach Neighborhood Services Department. The Neighborhood Services Department’s mission: “Fostering a more positive relationship with our residents, one step at a time.”

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www.miamibeachfl.gov
The City’s website has moved to another domain address. Create a new Bookmark for www.miamibeachfl.gov or Add to Your Favorites. The city’s website offers many services: online payments for utilities, parking tickets, and business licenses; service requests and opinions online with a “Better Place”; registration for recreation programs; download forms and information; access Cable Channel 20 to watch Commission meetings; and search the City Code. 

A Better Place
Contacting your local government, City of Miami Beach, has just gotten easier. The City of Miami Beach website features 24-hour customer service for each citizen. With just a click of the mouse your service request and concerns will be routed automatically to the appropriate department for handling. This system provides citizens with an efficient web interface that allows constituents to reach needed government departments online. Citizens have immediate access to be in touch with a department and the City is able to reply and address issues in a timely manner.

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Call 305-673-7575/VOICE to request material in accessible format, sign language interpreter (five days in advance), or information on access for persons with disabilities.