Transcript Document

211 Toronto:
Influencing Citizen Behaviour
with an Effective
Communication Strategy
7/17/2015
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Or ….
We’re really not that smart, we
just have a good idea that people
find useful and
we’re trying not to blow it
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Structure of Presentation
Explanation of Information and Referral,
the 3-digit number 2-1-1 and a brief outline
of the 211 service in Toronto
Decisions, challenges and strategies on the
211 communications strategy
Effectiveness of 211 in Toronto
Future considerations
Questions (and maybe some answers …)
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Community Information Toronto

Bringing People and Services Together
Community Information Toronto (CIT) is
a community-based nonprofit agency,
providing assessment, information, referral
and advocacy services to individuals and
communities … through both telephonebased helplines and the collection,
maintenance and dissemination of human
services information … according to
provincial, national and international
standards
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What is Information & Referral ?
An Information and Referral service provides
appropriate human services referrals for
individuals, families and organizations
Community Information and Referral is a critical
component of the human services (social,
community, health and government) infrastructure
in communities across Canada, bringing people
and services together
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What is 211 ?
211 is an easily recalled telephone number
that assists people to access appropriate
services more efficiently. 211 helps people
get the information and referrals they need
When someone doesn’t know where to turn,
they can call 211. A trained Information and
Referral Specialist will answer the call
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What are the benefits of 211 ?
Highly visible number that is easy to
remember
Single point for obtaining information about
community, social, health and government
resources
Simple for everyone, especially for
vulnerable populations
Means of increasing efficiency and effective
use of community resources by directing
people to appropriate services sooner
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Who calls 211 ?
A family facing eviction that doesn’t know where
to turn for help
A recent immigrant needing language and
employment training
A young mother worried about how to properly
care for her newborn child
A laid-off worker wanting to find out about
employment insurance
A family searching for child care services in their
community or close to work
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History of 211
211 Atlanta launched by local United Way in 1997
In U.S., FCC reserved 3-digit number for national
use in July 2000
Currently, 19 states in U.S. have a 211 service
Consortium of 4 partners applied for CRTC
approval for 211, resulting in national designation
in August 2001
211 Toronto publicly launched in June 2002
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211 in Toronto
Basically, it’s what CIT has been doing for
over 40 years …. (only more so – lots more)
Perversely – CIT, despite (or because of)
211, remains one of the City’s best kept
secrets – and we have to be OK with that.
People don’t know who we are, but they
know the service
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211 in Toronto
Free, confidential and non-judgmental
24-hour, 7 days a week
Serves 2.5 million people in the City of Toronto
Existing 10-digit number maintained for people
calling outside the city
Operated by Community Information Toronto in
partnership with the United Way of Greater
Toronto and the City of Toronto
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211 in Toronto
First 211 service in Canada
Staffed by professional social workers s)
Service currently available in 16 languages
from Arabic to Urdu
Serves all people, but nearly 70% of callers are
on financial assistance/low incomes
Online database allows quick answers to
complex questions such as “a meals on wheels
service in Scarborough available in the
Cantonese language” or “child care for special
needs children in the M8 postal district”
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211 on the Internet
Community Information Toronto’s 211 Database
is available in an up-to-date searchable format at
www.211Toronto.ca
People willing and able to access Internet can find
information online – leaving more time for I&R
staff to spend directly with people who need more
facilitated access
211 and 211 website are jointly branded and
promoted
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Promoting 211 in Toronto
Considerations :
Timing of launch
Soft (or “stealth”) launch v. hard launch
Concerns of other agencies and 911 – creation
of 211 Toronto Community Advisory
Committee
Co-branding of website
Funders, sponsors, partners and “Logoland”
Build on knowledge of N11 numbers
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Soft Launch of 211 in Toronto
Publication deadlines of telephone directory
Secured inside front cover as 24-hour
service
Operational February 2002
Allowed more time to address technical
issues and more training to new staff
Informed existing callers of 211 option
40% increase of Atlanta and Connecticut
achieved in Toronto within 4 months of soft
launch
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Public Launch of 211 in Toronto
June 13th 2002
Timing to allow for co-branding with
www.211toronto.ca
Over 300 people in attendance – media,
speakers, balloons, cake, etc.
Over 1,000 calls received the next day in
accordance with staffing
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Promoting 211 in Toronto
Role of United Way of Greater Toronto
Secured pro bono creative services of Vickers
& Benson Arnold
Full page newspaper ads (pro bono)
Transit ads and bus shelter ads (pro bono)
Posters and brochures to community
Hydro inserts (free but ….)
2003 Grassroots/Ethno-specific outreach
Over $2,000,000 of free advertising space
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Measuring Effectiveness of 211 in
Toronto
Demographics of callers
Call volumes, call answer rates
Reasons why people call
How they learned about 211
Referral destinations
Customer satisfaction rates
Advocacy, service coordination and
endangerment
Unmet needs
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Effectiveness of 211 in Toronto
100,000 calls answered within first 5
months of public launch
The first full year of 211 will result in a
120% increase in calls (against 40%
projection)
www.211toronto.ca receiving
1,000,000 hits a month
Word of mouth from follow-up surveys
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211 Implementation –
Operational Issues
Dealing with :
Increased call volumes
Increased expectations of both
community and individuals
Problems of organizational growth
Sustainable funding
Balance of courage and risks against
“controlled” promotion
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211 Future Challenges –
Evolving into 211 Systems
In Toronto, 211 currently exists on its own
In future, to integrate with specialized and
neighbourhood I&R services to create 211 System
To integrate with other geographical 211 Systems
to increase overall capacity, improve knowledge
and better serve people
To persuade other providers to simplify their
public messages (redefine branding for
effectiveness)
To integrate quality standards
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211 –
Changing Future Behaviours
Every report about every human services sector no
longer talks about access to information about
services being an issue
Integrated 211 database systems so that an
organizational record is only collected once
(information donor fatigue)
Services don’t spend time/resources trying to get
people to remember their numbers, just
concentrate on explaining the service and get them
to call 211
Forging 211 into a social utility through which
people can get help and give help
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The Omnipresent Issue
The mantra to keep you honest in
any decision:
Does This Help People?
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Questions
How come … ?
What about … ?
So what if … ?
Why is it … ?
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