Sunday, March 29, 2009

Offering Multiple Forms of Communication

Most inspectors have a small window, 1-2 hours, in which they can be contacted. Almost all city offices are using archaic approach to communication. The telephone is the primary mode of communication and practically the only mode. Inspectors mobile numbers are not provided to residents although they are usually in the field. When you track down an e-mail address or figure it out, you are responded to via phone. The City of Milwaukee needs to design new methods of communication, including mobile phones, web e-mail forms, e-mail addresses, e-mail on mobile phones, internal instant messenger to increase intra-organizational communication, etc. There is decades of communication technology research and organizational communication research that supports these multiple methods of communication. See Daft and Lengel, Media Richness, 1986, and corresponding research.

Hours of Operation - Offer Night and Weekend Hours

The Department of Neighborhood Services is open from 8-4 (or something like that). However, most folks do their investment real estate or their own property repairs as a home owner -- on the evenings or weekends. However, you cannot get a hold of an inspector on the nights or weekends. Therefore, you have to take time off work or out of your day to contact the inspectors or meet them.

The City of Milwaukee should start requiring inspectors to have flexible time, so that there are inspectors available on nights and weekends for the citizens of Milwaukee to contact with them.

This also would give employees higher satisfaction if they could plan their work schedule between 7am and 8pm rather than having to plan their life around an 8-4 work schedule.

Our society is moving to a culture of 24/7. City offices need to catch up with the rest of society.