Chateauguay launches new platform to communicate with residents

The City of Chateauguay has launched a new digital platform called MyAccount. Replacing B-CITI, the system installed in 2017, MyAccount will facilitate how citizens’ requests will be processed and improve communication with residents, says the municipality.

By Paula Dayan-Perez

Available online and as a mobile app, the platform allows people to report issues and monitor the progress of their request. For example, they can send pictures of a pothole along with geographic coordinates and comments. They will receive updates on the file’s status and can ask for clarification as needed.

Residents can also receive alerts from the city on several topics according to their preferences.

"It's something that we didn't have before. It's something that B-CITI couldn't offer us", Mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier said at a press conference on June 2nd. What we are able to do today: take the picture of a pothole, send it, generate an order. That was not being done before”.

Changes to the City's working process

According to the City, the most important addition is the centralization of requests in one place, which changes the way city employees work. "It’s true that at the citizen level, the platform may seem similar for now", indicated Director of Communications and Public Relations Stéphanie Gosselin. “You send a request, we process it, we respond, the alert system, all that. On the other hand, it’s the entire internal process [that changes]; the way in which we manage the request, how we follow up, the fact that we can offer flexibility with information. Everything is interrelated, that's the big improvement".

The system cost around $ 900 000 to develop. According to the project’s main designer Jean Lanoix, it’s difficult to compare the price with that of the previous system, B-CITI. “The new platform is integrated into the system. We don't even need a programmer. We change the menu, and the changes are done on all interfaces. So, comparisons are difficult. In terms of price, we wouldn't even know where to start. It's too different to compare prices”, he said.

In the coming years, the municipality plans to expand the platform to offer more services, like allowing citizens to apply for permits, pay their taxes and make reservations for sports and cultural activities directly online.

Chateauguay maintains it’s the first city in Quebec to implement the Salesforce system adapted for public services. Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform.