Sarasota County Contact Center celebrates 2 million calls

SARASOTA COUNTY – The Sarasota County Contact Center answered its two-millionth call Friday morning, marking a milestone for one of the county’s most important information hubs.

Duncan Keith was caller No. 2 million. He dialed 941-861-5000 from Fairfield, Conn., to ask about a tree permit. Keith lived on Siesta Key as a boy, and he and his partner, Karen Hinch, are building a home in Sarasota and plan to move back here in a few months.

Mary Ann Noordzy was the lucky customer service representative to answer the two-millionth call. She’s been working with the Contact Center for more than seven years.

Customer service representative Mary Ann Noordzy took call No. 2 million at the Sarasota County Contact Center on Friday.

“It’s a good feeling to know we can help the people of Sarasota County,” Noordzy said.

The Sarasota County Contact Center was launched in June 2004 to provide convenient, one-stop access to government services and other important information. At that timie, the team worked on the fourth floor of the Sarasota County Administration Center in downtown Sarasota.
Today, 13 professional customer service representatives answer an average of 1,000 calls a day from the new Emergency Operations Center on Porter Way in Sarasota, providing information about everything from bus routes to library programs to permitting. The team reached 1 million calls in June 2010, when an Englewood resident called to ask about the Friends of Elsie Quirk Library.

County Administrator Tom Harmer considers the Contact Center to be an invaluable resource to not only the community, but county staff as well. The Contact Center was originally developed as a resource for answering citizen questions without having to transfer them to another county employee. Now, more than 60 percent of all calls received by the county are processed through the Contact Center, and call volume in 2015 is up by 9 percent over last year.

“We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service at Sarasota County,” Harmer said. “Our team works hard every day to get residents and visitors the answers and information they need.”

To reach the Sarasota County Contact Center, just dial 941-861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net.