Citizen service of the future: Meeting of the 115 service centers in Wandsbek!

Citizen service of the future: Meeting of the 115 service centers in Wandsbek!

An important meeting of the management of authority number 115 took place in Hamburg on November 12th and 13th, 2025. In Wandsbek, at the Telephone HamburgService, over 40 managers from various service centers exchanged ideas about the future of citizen service. The event was organized by the product management of the Federal IT Cooperation (FITKO) and the German IT Planning Council. Christian Kower, head of citizen services in the district office, warmly welcomed the participants and thereby opened a platform for intensive exchange.

The main topics of the meeting included first-level support for online services and the exchange between the service centers in the 115 network. The participants presented best practice examples in the areas of personnel planning, digitalization and utilization management. The aim was to improve the service and create uniform quality - because users should always receive the best possible support.

The authority number 115: An important service offer

The authority number 115 is a central telephone contact point for administrative questions that is available to citizens around the clock. The offer is accessible to around 70 million people in Germany and includes 54 service centers spread across 15 federal states. Every year, around 6 million calls are received on 115, with the Telephone HamburgService alone processing over 1.5 million inquiries annually. The use of the number is basically free, only the provider's telephone costs apply. Calls from the German landline usually only cost the local rate and are included in many mobile phone flat rates, which makes accessibility even easier 115.de explained.

115 not only offers information on common administrative questions, but has now developed into a real service standard in German authorities. Thanks to an extensive knowledge database, which is continuously filled by participants from all three administrative levels – local, state and federal – citizens can be informed quickly and competently. This innovative form of citizen service proved successful during the floods in 2013, when the 115 affected citizens were provided with important initial information.

A future-oriented development

The quality and range of services of the 115 are continually developed as the system learns from new questions and tests. The big advantage of the authority number 115 is its nationwide introduction, which is intended to include other municipalities and regions. Currently, over 26 million citizens from more than 550 municipalities use this service. In addition to being accessible by telephone, 115 should also be made accessible via all common communication channels, which would further increase the quality of service.

Given all these efforts, efforts to provide efficient citizen service and continually improve operations and services on the 115 are an important step in the right direction. We are working together to ensure that citizens in Hamburg and all of Germany can benefit from this progressive system.