Have a problem or question, and need some help from the City of Corvallis? Our fair burgh has launched what they’re calling Corvallis Connect, an online service portal that they are hoping will help community members report problems, find resources, and engage with city services.
The new service portal is the next step for the popular Report a Problem service, which has been a fixture on the City website for nearly a decade as a convenient way for community members to report potholes, clogged storm drains, and many other common municipal service requests. Corvallis Connect offers the same reporting features, combined with informational resources and a dashboard that lets community members view the status of their requests.
Over the years, the online service portal has proven to be one of the most popular digital tools on the City website. Since 2017, the portal has received nearly 10,000 requests.
What the City is saying
The City says that with the upgrade to Corvallis Connect, community members will be able to submit requests easily and create a free account to view the status on their reports.
The portal invites users to select from a menu of common issues, then enter a location, followed by contact information that staff can use to request more information if needed.
Connecting citizens and staff
On the backend, City staff can assign the report to specific work groups and send out automated status updates as they work to resolve the issue. Managers can track reports over time to examine trends and help to direct City services more proactively
“The new system gives staff more capabilities for organizing and tracking requests in order to spend more time working on issues and maintenance. It also allows us to better provide the community with answers and resources for common request topics or questions we receive,” said Abbie Alexander, Innovation Manager for the City of Corvallis. “We’re excited about the improved customer service capabilities of this new service portal. And of course, all of the popular service categories will still be there, plus a few new ones that folks have been looking for.”
“The City of Corvallis maintains an extensive network of public infrastructure, including hundreds of miles of surface streets and bike lanes, thousands of underground water valves and hydrants, and a vast inventory of trees and vegetation in parks and public areas. Timely reports from the community can help the City identify and respond to urgent maintenance requests, which keeps the overall system operating efficiently and enhances community livability,” says a release from the City.
Corvallis Connect is available on the City website at www.corvallisoregon.gov/corvallisconnect.
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