FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 17, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT

Maria Lee, Media & Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054

“Better access to City services continues to be one of the Council’s key priorities. We want it to be as easy and convenient as possible for people to get their questions answered and their needs met, and creating the Tacoma FIRST 311 Customer Support Center in 2013 was an important first step for us,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “As we reflect on what has transpired over the last decade, we remain very grateful to the dedicated team in our Tacoma FIRST Customer Support Center for the exceptional work they do each day to serve members of our community, and for their commitment to continuously improve service delivery so people of all abilities and all walks of life can get the help they need from the City of Tacoma.”

“Whether community members are calling to ask a question about a City service, report a problem, or get help with a complex issue, our Tacoma FIRST 311 Customer Support Center is ready to help,” said City Manager Elizabeth Pauli. “The Tacoma FIRST 311 Customer Support Center is vital to our ongoing efforts to improve service delivery.”

When it opened on October 1, 2013, the Tacoma FIRST 311 Customer Support Center was designed to provide a “one-stop shop” for City services, and offer a concierge feel in the way of reception, face-to-face interaction, 311 telephone support, online resources, and mobile app connectivity. In the years since, it has further improved its service delivery with language translation, better technology for location mapping and cross-platform communication.

“We have six people on our team who are the very definition of public servants, and they take great pride in being able to offer exceptional service to anyone who contacts us,” said Customer Support Center Manager La’Toya Mason, who played an integral role in the Tacoma FIRST 311 Customer Support Center’s initial development, launch and growth. “Our mission is simple. We want it to be as easy as possible for community members to access City services. That hasn’t changed. As Tacoma has evolved over the years, however, so have the needs of our community. Our team has really stepped up to be responsive to those needs. We have made great strides over the last decade, and we look forward to many more years of helping community members and making our services as easy and convenient to access as possible.” 

More information is available at cityoftacoma.org/TacomaFIRST311.

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