CivicPlus Brings Citizen Request Tracker Facebook App to Government Websites

MANHATTAN, Kan., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Two-way communication between citizens and their local government took a giant step forward recently when CivicPlus, a leading developer of open government technology, added the Citizen Request Tracker (CRT) Facebook application to its CRT™ Suite for government websites.

Across the country, municipal governments whose websites were designed by CivicPlus are adding the benefit for citizens. An early adopter, the City of Burleson, Texas last month announced to residents that reporting a non-emergency concern about a stray animal, code violation or pothole was now as easy as logging into their Facebook account.

"Two-way communication is fantastic with Citizen Request Tracker," said Sally Ellertson, Burleson public information officer. "When a citizen enters a concern, the entire history of their request and comments from city departments is documented so they can track the request and we can ensure follow-up. The website has become our central hub of communications. By tapping into new technology and the popularity of Facebook, we allow people to communicate with government on the same platforms they use daily with family and friends."

Citizen Request Tracker for Facebook is the latest addition to the CivicPlus CRT Suite, which also allows citizens to report non-emergency issues using the CRT iPhone App or directly through their community websites. After adding the free CRT App to their Facebook pages, citizens can report local issues from anywhere they have access to the Internet and a computer. To report problems, citizens simply choose the category that best fits their issue, fill out the online form and submit it electronically. Their requests are automatically routed to the correct departments. A history tab allows residents to track their requests and comments from government departments. Website administrators may add safeguards to ensure prompt response, so if a request isn't answered in a specified amount of time, the request is automatically forwarded to another person or department.

Benefits of CRT on a local government website go beyond convenience, response time and increased satisfaction for local citizens. Implementing the Citizen Request Tracker can decrease the amount of phone and foot traffic to town hall, improve and streamline workflow, maximize employee accountability, and improve staff efficiency.

"The more local government organizations can offer electronically, the easier they make it for people to access services and get the help or information they need," said CivicPlus CEO Ward Morgan. "The idea behind our Citizen Request Tracker Suite was to make local government more accessible to the modern tech-savvy citizens who use social media sites and mobile devices in their daily lives."

As with all new CivicPlus applications, CivicPlus clients may use Citizen Request Tracker, along with the compatible iPhone and Facebook Apps, at no additional charge. The CRT Suite also is available to governments who are not CivicPlus clients for a monthly fee. For more information, call CivicPlus at 888-228-2233 or visit http://www.civicplus.com/crt.

CONTACT:

Lynette Viviani
973-534-1004
[email protected]

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SOURCE CivicPlus