02 - Customer Service Request (CSR) Portal

In order to improve business operations, BOE created the Customer Service Request (CSR) Portal (located in the Customer Portal) to allow members of the public to make contact with City Staff for questions and/or assistance on any permit or development services related matter. This portal allows for back and forth communication between the applicant and City staff along with the ability to attach documents and/or photos.

Customer Initiation of a CSR

1. Applicant proceeds to  Customer Portal and log in (may have to create an account) 
2. Click on "Online Service Available" under the "Customer Service Request" box
3. Click on "New Request"
4. Fill in the following fields:
   1. Customer (may be auto filled)
   2. Email (may be auto filled)
   3. My Request Relates to (Service):
   4. Send My Request to (Location):
      1. The appropriate District Office can be found using NavigateLA, inputting the subject property in the search field, selecting "Parcel Is In Report", and reviewing the information provided for "Engineering" under "Districts"
      2. For Bond related questions, select "Permit Case Management (PCM)"
   5. Reference Number (Optional)
      1. Input the reference number for another permit here, if applicable
   6. Permit Number (Optional)
      1. Input the permit number for another permit here, if applicable
   7. Property/Job Address (Optional)
   8. Property/Job Zip (Optional)
   9. My Question is (Required):
      1. Place your correspondence here on what you are seeking to do. Examples of correspondences may be:
         1. Please fill out the attached address verification form.
         2. Please provide clearances on the attached Building Permit Clearance Summary Worksheet.
         3. I need help with what permit I may need. (Further information will be needed)
5. Select "Submit"
6. If you have attachments, select "Choose Files" and select the appropriate attachments. Please note your request has already been submitted as you have a Service Request ID assigned.
7. Select "Upload Files" if any were selected. If not, choose "Cancel".
8. Applicant will receive an email from the CSR portal confirming the creation of the record as well as when BOE Staff leave a message in their CSR request. Applicant will be able to view messages but will be unable to respond.
9. Once the CSR request is evaluated by Staff, the request may be returned as follows:
   1. Customer Action Required - Staff should provide further details of what is necessary in the "Response" field. Follow the directions prior to continuing.
   2. Completed - Staff has completed the CSR request.
   3. Canceled - The CSR has been canceled and there should be a note as to why it was canceled in the "Response" field.
10. If further correspondence is necessary, select "I have a related Question/Action"
11. Place the question/action requested in the "My Question/Comment is:" field
12. Select "Submit"
13. If you have attachments, select "Choose Files" and select the appropriate attachments. Please note your request has already been submitted at this time.
14. Select "Upload Files" if any were selected. If not, choose "Cancel".

CSR Processing by City Staff

1. Staff to login to CSR Portal
2. Select "Received" in the top menu
3. Choose one of the following fields on the top of the page:
   1. New - This will be the default field. These are all new requests that are requested by applicants.
   2. Follow-up - This list shows only CSR requests that have already been responded to by Staff at least once.
   3. My Assignments - This list only shows CSR requests that have been assigned to you.
4. This list is generally sorted by "Days In Queue". If not, you may select this as your sort or another field.
5. Select one of the following items in the last column on the right:
   1. View Request - Jump to the main CSR request page
   2. Attachments - Jump to the attachments page of the CSR request. Staff are able to view and/or add attachments to this request on this page.
   3. Messages - Jump to the messages page of the CSR request. Staff are able to send messages to the applicant in the interim. These messages will be emailed to the applicant but he/she will be unable to respond to this message.
   4. Assign to - Select the staff to assign this CSR request to. Note: If there is a follow up to a request, the follow up is automatically sent to whomever responded.
6. Verify if the request is in the correct location.
   1. If request is not in the correct office, transferring the request can be done by selecting the appropriate office under "Send My Request to (Location)". Update will happen as soon as an office is selected. Place a note in "Response" that the office location has been updated.
      Note: These activities will not generate an email to the applicant but can be seen through the Customer Portal. "Staff Internal Comments" is not visible to the applicant and should only be used for situations where correspondence is necessary without applicant visibility.
7. Once Staff reviews the request, a response to the request is provided in the "Response" field.
8. Select the appropriate selection for "Status". This will generate an email to the Applicant indicating that their status for their request has been updated as follows:
   1. Canceled - Choose when there are multiple requests for the same issue or if the applicant has requested to cancel
   2. Completed - Choose when the request has been completed
   3. Customer Action Required - When additional information is needed from the applicant.
   4. Pending - Default status when CSR is still pending Staff response/review.