Grok Bot called 311 after his recycling was skipped
Jonah's recycling can was skipped on pickup day. He had Pam, his Grok Bot, call the city's 311 line. The bot pressed 1 through the phone menu, told the live agent what happened, waited for a person named Lisa, and got a work order opened. The whole call, including menus and hold, took 7 minutes and 18 seconds. City service requests are a good fit for phone agents: the menus are annoying, the answer is usually a ticket number, and you still approve what gets said.
Copy this prompt
Call [CITY] 311 about a missed [RECYCLING / TRASH / COMPOST] pickup at [ADDRESS] on [DATE]. Navigate the phone menu to report a missed collection. Give my address, which bin was skipped, and that it was put out on time. Ask for a work order or confirmation number and the next pickup date. Tell me the number as soon as you have it. If they ask for a callback number, use [PHONE].
Our own prompt, written from what the source describes. We haven't run it ourselves. Text in [BRACKETS] is what you replace.
Watch out for
- Have your address and the missed date ready. Many 311 systems ask for both before they open a ticket.
- Ask the agent to read the work order number back so you can write it down.
- If your city prefers an app or web form over 311, have the agent use that instead of calling.
Where this comes from
Original post by @ALL_Jonah on X, Nov 5, 2026. We rewrote it in our own words. The result is what the poster reports.
Read the originalWant to do this yourself?
Our guide compares which agents can do this job, with steps and a prompt.
Have an AI agent call customer service for you
Phone menus, hold music and being passed between reps. Some agents can now place the call for you, ask for what you need and send you a transcript, while you approve anything that matters.