Service Requests

Make it easier for people to ask for help, report an issue, and understand what happens next.

Why it Matters

Residents should not need to understand municipal departments or internal responsibilities before asking for help. Clear intake, routing, and status information can reduce frustration for the public while helping staff respond more consistently and efficiently.

Could a resident report a problem without knowing who handles it, and find out what happens next?

When it's working well

A resident reports a problem in a few simple steps without needing to know which department handles it. They receive a reference number immediately and can check progress without phoning. Staff receive the report in the right place, ready to act on.

Where to start

Add a "Report a problem" link to your main menu and to your roads, waste and parks pages. Replace the general contact form with a short list of common problems. Tell people what happens next and how long it usually takes.

If you don't have this yet

A request form that gives each report a reference number and sends status updates can usually be added to your current website. If your site runs on a municipal platform, check with your vendor first. Many include a request module that is not yet turned on.

Ideas that help

Guided Request Intake & Routing

TOOL

Help people submit the right information and get their request to the right place.

Residents should not need to know which department is responsible before reporting an issue or asking for help. Guided intake can use clear categories, simple questions, and conditional fields to collect the information staff need and route each request to the appropriate service or team.

Request intake should:

Start with clear, familiar request categories.
Ask only for information relevant to the issue.
Use conditional questions where they simplify the process.
Route requests to the appropriate team or service.
Confirm that the request has been successfully submitted.

A resident is asked what they would like to report. Choosing pothole, streetlight out or missed garbage sends the request to Public Works, Utilities or Waste Services automatically.

Request Tracking & Notifications

TOOL

Keep people informed after a service request has been submitted.

Submitting a request should not feel like sending information into a black box. Simple tracking and status updates can help residents understand whether their request has been received, assigned, or completed, while reducing the need to call or email staff for updates.

Request tracking should:

Provide a clear confirmation or reference number.
Show simple status stages such as received, in progress, or completed.
Notify people when meaningful updates occur.
Make it easy to return to the request and review its progress.

A pothole request on Main Street shows its progress from received, to assigned to Public Works, to repair scheduled, while a phone notification tells the resident the repair is scheduled for Thursday.

Internal Assignment & Reporting

TOOL

Help staff manage service requests efficiently once they reach the municipality.

A strong public-facing request process depends on what happens behind the scenes. Internal assignment, shared queues, and reporting tools can help staff understand who is responsible, what still needs attention, and where service patterns are emerging.

Internal request management should:

Assign requests to the appropriate staff member or team.
Show open, overdue, and completed requests clearly.
Support internal notes or updates where needed.
Provide reporting on request volumes, categories, and response times.

A staff dashboard shows this week's open, in-progress and closed requests, with a table of requests by type, location, assigned staff member and status.

Related ideas

Navigation & User Pathways: help people find the right information by starting with what they want to do or who they are.
Request triage (optional AI tool): help get each resident report to the right team, even when the wrong category is picked.
Internal Requests & Routing: the staff side of the same request, from assignment to approval and follow-up.

Also consider

Security & Privacy: protect municipal systems, accounts, and the information people provide.

How well does your website work for residents?

Take the free check-up. In about 20 minutes you'll walk through everyday situations, like reporting a pothole or finding a council agenda, and get a plain-language check-up report of what's working and what to tackle first.

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