Mayor Walsh launched Boston 311, a non-emergency service hotline and platform that aims to streamline residents’ access to city services. The system has been adopted by many major cities across the country, including New York, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. Boston 311 is an evolution of the Mayor’s 24-hour hotline at 617-635-4500, which will still remain in service.

“This has been talked about in the city of Boston for probably over 10 years now,” said Mayor Walsh, speaking to a crowd at South Boston’s District Hall on Tuesday. “Other cities around the country have done it and their service volume has gone up, their efficiency has gone up. The service level gets a lot higher with cities that have 311, and that means there’s a better connection to city hall, with more people calling for services and with questions.”

The Mayor’s hotline, on average, receives 5,762 calls per week, with requests ranging from complaints about trash pick-up, pothole repair, and streetlight outages. In addition to the new hotline number, Boston 311 services will be available through their app, BOS:311, which is replacing the Citizens Connect app, as well as through Twitter @BOS311 and online at boston.gov/311.

Walsh proffered that even more so than the Mayor’s hotline, 311 give residents a better means of accessing city services and improving their neighborhood.

“311 offers a simpler, more effective way for people to connect to city government. It’s a direct line to city hall, and it’s a direct line to public employees across the city who are ready to serve,” he said. “As residents we all have a role to play in the success of our city, for today and for the future. When we see a problem in our neighborhoods, no matter how small, we need to make sure that that problem doesn’t go ignored. So if you have a broken street lamp, missed trash pick-up, graffiti on a building, or anything else that concerns you, use the new system.”

Niall Murphy, Director of Boston 311, said the new system will expandsthe breadth of service requests that residents are able to make.

“In the past, the channels of communications to report issues were branded with different names,” explained Murphy. “The result was a lack of predictability for residents. Now, we are bringing communication under the umbrella of Boston 311. We now have the ability to track more data than ever. Our infrastructure is stronger, with less technical interruptions.

“The BOS:311 app has 10 additional service requests, providing more options for reporting problems,” said Murphy.

Additionally, the new system incorporates two customer satisfaction surveys, one with each case creation and case closure.