Georgetown provides new service for residents to connect with city

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Big changes are coming to the way Georgetown residents can connect with their city.

A new service called AskGTX has officially launched and will give people a one-stop shop to find answers, report issues, and access city services.

Meet AskGTX

What they're saying:

"It's about simplicity. It's about making it easier to communicate the information they need to communicate to the city," said Seth Gipson, customer care director with the AskGTX team.

It’s Georgetown’s version of 311. Meet AskGTX.

The newly launched service aims to streamline how residents interact with the city, whether they need to report a traffic signal issue or simply find information on city services.

"That this is a solution to really help connect customers with the information in the simplest way possible, as well as create some efficiencies within our departments," said Gipson.

The AskGTX contact center off of Southeast Loop is staffed by nine employees who will route requests to the right department, track issues, and provide feedback on reported issues.

"They're really dedicated to answering those phone calls, answering those emails, and helping guide people to the information they need. If they have a question about the website, they have a question about a city service. Then we can look up that information and share it. Or we can also enter a service request for them and push that off to the department that's needed," said Gipson.

Residents can access the service through the city website or by calling 512-930-CITY.

The team is also launching a smartphone app in the coming months.

"We didn't have a centralized platform to help kind of manage all of those different communications. So this is where that stepped in to help streamline that," said Gipson.

Through the online portal, users can upload photos and videos to help pinpoint exactly what needs attention. A built-in FAQ section also provides instant answers to common questions.

"You can report things like a pothole. You have a street sign. Maybe there's a question about a sidewalk or requesting a new sidewalk," said Gipson.

"You can look at and understand kind of what trails are by your house or what parks are by your house, or report, maybe a parks maintenance issue. Those types of things can be reported through it," said Gipson.

The new service has an annual budget of $1.1 million and is expected to ease communication between all city departments and community members for years to come.