Case Service
Citizen Reporting

FAQ's

What's the difference between Case Service and Case Number?
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Case Service is the technology used by law enforcement to facilitate automated engagement with citizens. The web portal CaseNumber.com, Case Number mobile applications (iOS and Android), and the voice system enable citizen service for non-emergency incidents.

How is automated citizen reporting different from online reporting?
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Case Service's automated citizen reporting includes voice, mobile, text message and web (online) automated engagement. Online reporting (web only) is inadequate for many citizens because they are either unable or unwilling to access a computer when they engage your agency. These citizens most frequently call your agency, so it is advantageous to simply transfer a caller to the Case Service voice system, and let them choose how and when they want to get service using the various options they are given.

How does Case Service work with my current Records Management System (RMS)?
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If a citizen has an incident that involves a police report, an approved report can be digitally transferred to your RMS. Versaterm's Case Service is being integraded into the Versaterm RMS and CAD as part of the Versaterm fully integrated and easy to use citizen reporting module. If you employ a CentralSquare RMS (Inform, Zuercher, TC or TE), your subscription includes an off-the-shelf link for your Case Service reports. If you use another RMS system, we provide an API to connect, but call us to see if the link to your RMS has already been created.

We want to send patrol officers to some non-urgent calls. Can we control which callers are helped using automation?
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Absolutely. As a telecommunicator, you have the control to send a unit, add their call to the queue, or transfer the caller to Case Service. Call volume and patrol staffing will likely impact the choice you make, as well as the incident types your agency chooses to target for automated handling.

How involved does our IT team need to be during installation and subsequent use?
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There is no hardware or software installation required for your agency. As long as your team has a web browser to access the Case Service agency portal, you do not need IT support.

We have a specific police report format we use. Can we change the Case Service report format?
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Yes. During on-boarding, agency-specific report configuration is possible, but most agencies find the default reports serve their needs well.

What happens if a citizen uses the voice system to start a report, but his/her cell phone cuts out?
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Once a citizen starts a report, he/she immediately gets details about how to continue the submission if disconnected. The caller is given the voice system number, but if the citizen calls you back instead, you can transfer the citizen back into the voice system and the caller can pick up where he/she left off. The system also gives the caller an access code and the citizen creates a 4-digit PIN. The code and PIN allow the citizen to re-connect smoothly. The citizen's phone number will also be used to avoid creation of duplicate reports. The citizen can also switch to, or resume a submission, using the mobile app or CaseNumber.com website at any time.

What if the caller only speaks Spanish or another language?
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The Case Service voice app will ask callers to specify English or another language. Case Service seamlessly supports 30 languages for voice, mobile and web engagement. Incident details are subsequently presented in English to your agency.

Why would we want to ask people to use Case Service instead of sending a patrol unit?
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Non-emergency calls are mostly administrative in nature and become lower priority when things are busy. With Case Service, many of these callers can get instant and effective service using this friendly and efficient system. Sending these callers to Case Service creates greater patrol capacity so your officers can focus on higher-priority activities, increase safety, and do more proactive policing. Citizen engagement with Case Service also helps keep citizens well informed as your agency processes their case. For any given call, your agency can choose to send a unit, add the call to the queue and make the citizen wait, or transfer the caller to Case Service immediately. In many situations, Case Service gives you first-call resolution of the calls you designate.