A buyer's checklist for choosing 311 software
Forty practical questions to ask any 311 vendor, grouped by who in the city cares about them. Print it and bring it to your next demo.
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Notes on running 311 in a small city
Plain-language articles for city managers, public works directors, council staff and IT. How 311 works, why it matters and how Sentra 311 does it.
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A buyer's checklist for choosing 311 software
Forty practical questions to ask any 311 vendor, grouped by who in the city cares about them. Print it and bring it to your next demo.
Security and privacy in Sentra 311: what we do and what's next
A plain description of how Sentra 311 protects city and resident data today, and what is on the roadmap. No vague promises.
Why we price by population, not by seat
Per-seat pricing punishes cities for getting more people involved. Sentra 311 is one plan priced by population, with unlimited staff, residents and field workers for every city.
Open311, webhooks and an OpenAPI file: notes for city IT
For the IT team: how Sentra 311 connects to other systems, how it keeps cities separate, and what the API conventions are.
Moving off an old 311 system without losing your history
Years of requests are worth keeping. Sentra 311 imports them from a spreadsheet export, matches them to your new types, and can undo an import if something looks wrong.
Spanish today, more languages next: reaching every resident
A report form only works if residents can read it. What Sentra 311 does in English and Spanish today, and how we are adding more languages.
The ADA Title II web rule and your 311 system
The Department of Justice rule requires state and local government websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Here is what it covers, the current deadlines and what to ask your 311 vendor.
Using your city's GIS layers and parcel numbers in 311
Your city already maintains GIS layers for council districts, trash days and parcels. Sentra 311 reads them, so every request knows where it is in your world.
Show residents the work you have done
A public "Work we have done" page turns 311 data into something residents can see: what got fixed, how fast, and where. Here is how it works and what it never shows.
Council district reports, emailed on a schedule
Council members want to know what is happening in their district. Sentra 311 builds the report and emails it to anyone you choose, daily, weekly or monthly.
Measuring worker efficiency without punishing the hard jobs
Numbers about people need care. Here is what Sentra 311 measures for field work, how it gives credit, and how to use it without turning it into a scoreboard.
The worker app: built for crews, gloves and bad signal
Field workers need big buttons, a clear list and as few taps as possible. Here is what the Sentra 311 worker app does today and what is coming.
Dispatch for several workers, with routes along real streets
Pick the jobs, pick the workers, and Sentra 311 splits the work by area and orders each route by drive time. Then print it or send it to the worker app.
Business-hour SLAs and escalations, explained
A due date is only fair if it follows your working hours, holidays and time zone. Here is how Sentra 311 calculates them, and how escalations keep requests from stalling.
Closed means closed: proof to close and honest status
When a resident sees "Closed," it should mean the problem is gone. Here is how Sentra 311 keeps that promise, and what happens when the city can't fix something.
An AI chat that files requests and checks status
Some residents would rather type a sentence than fill out a form. The Sentra 311 chat can take a report or look up a request, and it never files without a yes.
A knowledge base that answers before anyone files
Many requests are really questions. Short answers shown at the right moment save residents a report and save staff a phone call.
Snap a photo first: how residents report a problem
Walk through the resident report flow step by step, from the photo to the tracking page, and why each step is there.
What residents expect when they report a problem in 2026
Residents now compare city services to the apps they use every day. Here is what they expect, and what a small city can realistically deliver.
Why small cities need a 311 system
Small cities get the same potholes, streetlights and graffiti as big ones, with fewer people to sort them. A simple 311 system pays for itself in hours saved.