Denver 311 and Select Agency Case Management

Without more formal collaboration processes and oversight over cases created by Denver 311 and resolved by Denver 311’s partner agencies, the City and County of Denver may not provide quality or timely services to residents, leading to inefficiencies and resident frustration.

FINDING 1 – The city’s informal and siloed approach to managing and resolving 311 cases impacts efficiency, accountability, and communication to residents

• Denver 311 and partner agencies lacked a formal and coordinated approach to manage and resolve residents’ requests. Regular meetings with some partner agencies were no longer occurring. The city lacks clarity on authority and formal agreements between 311 and partner agencies to foster collaboration and accountability.

FINDING 2 – Gaps in information available to 311 agents in Salesforce and in formal documentation could lead to inefficient practices

• Case resolution messages sent to residents from case study agencies did not always contain meaningful details or reference topics relating to the case. Also, service timelines were not consistently available to 311 agents, which could lead to resident dissatisfaction.
• Missing information and outdated documentation could reduce efficiency of Denver 311 operations. A small number of cases were misrouted in part due to missing information in Salesforce. Incorrect agency contacts created potential barriers to agents’ ability to quickly obtain information from partner agencies.

1.1 Assign oversight role – The Mayor’s Office should identify an individual or group responsible for overseeing the service provided to residents by Denver 311 and its partner agencies associated with cases created by 311 in Salesforce. This individual or group should have the necessary authority to establish agreements with 311 and its partner agencies; monitor 311 and its partner agencies’ resolution of cases and the communication provided to residents related to updates or case closure; and implement changes when necessary.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025 

1.2 Establish formal collaboration mechanisms – The individual or group identified by the Mayor’s Office should work with Denver 311 and its partner agencies to establish formal mechanisms for communication, collaboration, and accountability. Such mechanisms could include documented agreements between 311 and each partner agency, like a memorandum of understanding, or policies and procedures applicable to 311 and each partner agency.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025

1.3 Document communication approach – The individual or group identified by the Mayor’s Office should work with Denver 311 and its partner agencies to establish and clearly document the frequency and format of meetings that should take place between 311 and each partner agency as well as a designated liaison within each partner agency who is responsible for updating and communicating with 311.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025

1.4 Establish service time expectations – The individual or group identified by the Mayor’s Office should work with key partner agencies to establish and publish service time expectations for use by Denver 311 agents and residents.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025

1.5 Assign data monitoring responsibility – To identify customer service issues, the individual or group identified by the Mayor’s Office should work with Denver 311 and its partner agencies to establish and clearly document who is responsible for collecting and monitoring Salesforce data on cases created by 311 and resolved by 311 and its partner agencies. As part of this, they should also document what kind of data needs to be monitored including, but not limited to, the quality of communication provided to residents upon case closure.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025

1.6 Develop escalation process – The individual or group identified by the Mayor’s Office should work with Denver 311 and its partner agencies to establish and clearly document an escalation process for identified issues with services provided to residents — including identifying who issues should be reported to.

The Mayor’s Office – Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 7, 2025

2.1 Correct Salesforce glitches – Denver 311 managers should work with the Technology Services Salesforce administrator to determine the reason for the Salesforce glitch and establish alternate approaches to ensure the issue template details are readily visible for Denver 311 agents.

Denver 311 in Technology Services Agency – Agree, Implementation Date – July 15, 2025

2.2 Review and update knowledge articles – Denver 311 managers should review and update the associated knowledge articles to ensure the required information for noise complaints is consistently collected by Denver 311 agents.

Denver 311 in Technology Services Agency – Agree, Implementation Date – Aug. 8, 2025

2.3 Update point of contact list – Denver 311 managers should contact their partner agencies to ensure the listed points of contact are still relevant and appropriate and update the point of contact documentation accordingly.

Denver 311 in Technology Services Agency – Agree, Implementation Date – Oct. 15, 2025

2.4 Develop process for point of contact updates – After working with its partner agencies to update the point of contact list, Denver 311 managers should establish and document an internal process to keep this point of contact list up to date. This process should include assigning a person responsible for updating the list and specifying the frequency with which the responsible person should contact each agency to determine whether the point of contact is still accurate.

Denver 311 in Technology Services Agency – Agree, Implementation Date – Sept. 15, 2025

2.5 Document partner agency criteria – Denver 311 managers should clearly document the criteria used to determine whether an agency is a partner agency. Using this information, 311 managers should update their list of partner agencies to describe what criteria apply to each partner agency.

Denver 311 in Technology Services Agency – Agree, Implementation Date – Oct. 1, 2025

Auditor's Addendum to Recommendation 1.1

The current siloed structure has led to inconsistent collaboration and communication to residents and uncertainty regarding leadership. This recommendation was intended to create a more centralized approach for overseeing services provided to residents. During our audit follow-up process, we will assess the degree to which clear leadership over the resident experience associated with cases created by 311 agents has been established.

Auditor's Addendum to Recommendation 2.4

The audit report refers to “partner agency” because this is a designation used by Denver 311, as we learned from discussions with Denver 311 staff and internal documentation.