Customer Inquiry Call Center

Customer Inquiry Call Center Background Overview In 1990, a Governor s executive order, 90-28, established a statewide Child Support Hotline (renamed the Customer Inquiry Call Center) within the Office of Child Support. The purpose of the Customer Inquiry Call Center is to provide correct and timely responses to general and case-specific, child-support related questions. These questions may involve policy information or specific child support payment issues. The Call Center receives an average of 250 calls per day from obligees, obligors, Child Support Enforcement Agencies (CSEA), caretakers, legislators, employers, other internal JFS offices, and advocacy groups. In Spring 2000, Ohio began phasing in the federally mandated centralized collection and disbursement of child support payment system. By October 2000, all the counties had converted to the centralized system called Child Support Payment Central (CSPC) and no longer processed payments at the CSEAs. As a result of this conversion, the purpose of the Call Center began to change. The Call Center continued to provide policy information to customers, but also became responsible for providing information on payments to the custodial parents. The Call Center is now required to provide information on the status of child support payments. Although previous statistics were not maintained, the number of calls to the Call Center have increased dramatically. The duties of the staff include answering incoming phone calls, entering information into the Remedy Tracking System, researching cases that cannot be answered immediately, continually providing customer service through call backs, researching and writing response letters, and responding to e-mail inquiries. The calls are received by the Call Center staff through a statewide toll-free phone number. There are currently six incoming phone lines that are equipped with voice mail back-up. More than 250 calls per day are distributed to open lines through a Universal Call Distribution (UCD) system. Additionally, letters, e-mails, and voice messages are often received by the s. It is the goal of the Call Center to return those calls or e-mails within 24 hours of their receipt. Business hours are weekdays from 8 am - 7 pm and Saturdays 8 am - 12 pm. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-1

Organizational Structure Office of Child Support Bureau of Bureau Chief/ Deputy Diretor Customer Inquiry Call Center Management Analysis Supervisor 2 Communications/ Constituency Contacts Management Analysis Supervisor 2 Internal Communication Management Analysis Supervisor HSPA2/Supervisor Public Information Specialist Administrative Assistant 1 Public Information Specialist Assistant Source: Department of Human Resources Chart 11-1 provides an overview of the responsibilities and organizational structure of the Customer Inquiry Call Center. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-2

Chart 11-1: Responsibility for the Customer Inquiry Call Center Governing Laws, Rules, and Regulations The Call Center has written policies and procedures which provide detailed instructions on the handling of new inquiries, follow up inquiries, voice mail, logging tickets into the Remedy system and searching the SETS system. Key Issues Overview The Customer Inquiry Call Center is the primary channel of direct communication between JFS and parents. By increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of this process, JFS will positively affect customer and the public s perception of the effectiveness and efficiency of the child support enforcement system. The Call Center receives many request which to which it cannot effectively respond. Calls requesting changes to be made to case information in SETS cannot be resolved by the Call Center and must be referred to the county handling the case for resolution by a caseworker (Finding 11-1). The Center does not have the ability to monitor the quality of staff interactions with customers (Finding 11-2). The Center underutilizes the call center software which can be used to measure performance and improve customer service (Finding 11-3). Finally, the Call Center has not systematically sought customer feedback from CSEA s and parents that would enable it to determine customer needs and provide expected services (Finding 11-4). Findings and Recommendations Finding 11-1: The Call Center could increase the level of quality services to its customers by taking action to reduce the number of calls it receives that fall outside the scope of its responsibilities and capability to respond. The Call Center Staff can provide information but not resolve problems that require entries into SETS. Requests concerning changes to case information must be handled at the CSEA level. The Call Center s inquiries may involve any of the following issues: Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-3

Table 11-1: Issues addressed by the Call Center Category of Call Arrearages County Complaints EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) Enforcement Interstate Issues Lump Sum Payment Issues Payment Status Custody Guidelines Emancipation Category of Call Location Modification Payment Issues Most Wanted Posters PRWORA Arrearages SETS Complaints State Hearing Requests Visitation Tax Offsets Other Issues The Call Center is limited to case inquiry only. They can give information on all areas of a case and procedures to follow in various circumstances, however, issues needing corrective action must be handled by the CSEAs. Staff members are not allowed to contact the obligor s employer to determine why a payment is late or why it is not for the entitled amount. Therefore, the staff member must request the CSEA caseworker to contact the obligor s employer to obtain this information. The Call Center staff spends time referring the client back to the CSEA to resolve the items dealing with case changes or employer contact, thus using up time that could have been spent resolving issues (see Table 11-1) within the scope of its capabilities. The Call Center does not have methods in place to proactively communicate items of broad and general interest to its clients. Proactively communicating such items to its clients would result in a decrease in the number of calls. This communication could be accomplished through periodic newsletters and postings to JFS Website. The Call Center does not provide feedback to the CSEAs management on the types of issues that have been received. Therefore, the CSEAs are unable to identify areas in which the their staff may require training. AOS survey results indicated that some CSEAs are unaware of the Call Center s limitations. Additionally, the majority of the CSEA respondents felt that reports on the types of calls received would be useful. Ideally, the Call Center should not only attempt to resolve an issue in an efficient and effective manner, they should identify methods of decreasing the number of future calls. This may be accomplished by providing an alternative source for obtaining information, especially for frequently asked questions from clients. The Call Center should periodically review the number of calls that are received both by county and by issue type. Based on this review, the Call Center should identify those counties and those issues in which there has been a significant number of telephone calls. The Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-4

Call Center should provide information to the clients on frequently asked questions and to the CSEAs on caseworker performance or supervision items. Recommendation 11-1: JFS should develop and implement a communication strategy that would educate all customers and stakeholders on the responsibilities and capabilities of the Call Center, as well as, the appropriate channels for problem resolution. The Call Center should develop a brochure that describes and distinguishes between the procedures and the responsibilities of the Call Center and the CSEAs. This brochure should be provided to both the obligor and the obligee for all existing cases and when a child support case is initially established. Additionally, the brochure could be provided to individuals who contact the Call Center. At a minimum, the brochures should include the following information: The order in which the individuals or agencies should be contacted by the clients in order for their clients issues to be resolved. A list of restrictions imposed on the Call Center which may restrict their ability to research and resolve client issues. Brief description of the child support enforcement rules, including the rules regarding the responsibilities of the obligor, the obligor s employer, the Child Support Payment Central, the CSEA, and the Call Center. Guidelines for determining amount of support and various enforcement options (e.g., amount to be paid/received, when the payments are made, the flow of the payments from the obligor through the Office of Child Support to the obligee). The Call Center should establish and periodically review and update a website that provides information to obligors, obligees, and other parties interested in child support-related issues. The website should include: basic rules and regulations for child support a description of the parties involved in the child support payment process a list of the order in which the individuals or agencies should be contacted in order to have a question answered a list of restrictions that the Call Center staff must abide by a list of frequently answered questions Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-5

The Call Center should send out periodic communications to the obligors and obligees. The Call Center could include a list of frequently asked questions, a description of any changes in the child support rules and regulations, and a list of child support-related websites. The OCS should prepare and issue a Call Center policy informing the CSEAs the procedures to be followed in order to resolve client issues. The Call Center should specifically state the types of issues which it cannot resolve. The Call Center should inform the CSEAs that any clients who initially contact the Call Center with these types of issues will automatically be referred back to the CSEA caseworker. The Call Center should obtain the ability to enter information in the SETS Running Record Screen. The Running Record Screen allows memorandums to be kept dealing with a particular case. The Call Center staff currently have read-only access to the SETS Running Record but are in a position to learn case details for which records should be kept. If the Call Center had write-access to the SETS Running Record, the staff would be able to inform the CSEA caseworkers of any calls that they have received for any case and to share information that was obtained from the obligors or obligees. These records should also be kept for calls that are referred to the CSEA for resolution. The Call Center should provide each of the CSEAs with a report that shows the number and types of calls that have been received pertaining to the respective CSEA. The Call Center would incur the following expenditures as a result of implementing the recommendations. In order to send out periodic fact sheets to the 885,000 families involved with child support, the Call Center would need to purchase the following: Table 11-3: Financial Implications for Communication Description of Item Estimated Cost Per Brochure (Qty. 885,000) 8 ½ X 11 Paper - Black Print - 2-sided printing- double fold $12,521 # 10 Recycled Envelopes - no window /Black Print / diagonal seam $9,831 1st Class pre-sort Stnd. Postage (.19 x 796,500) + (.233 x 88,500)+ sort fee (.012 x 885,000) $182,576 Total $204,928 Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-6

Once the initial distribution has been made to the customers currently in the system procedures should be put in place to ensure each new customer entering the program receives a copy. This cost could be calculated by JFS based on the estimated annual growth of its customer base. The Call Center will not incur any additional expenditures by preparing a website. The Call Center would have to determine what information should be included in the website. Then, the Call Center could submit the information to the Information Technology section. As time allows, the staff of the Information Technology section could then develop the website. The Call Center will not incur any additional expenditures to obtain write access to SETS Running Record. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services could provide a password to the staff of the Call Center. The Call Center will not incur any additional expenditures to provide reports to the CSEAs. The Call Center has the ability to utilize the Remedy System to prepare the reports and then the reports could be e-mailed to the CSEAs. Finding 11-2: The Customer Inquiry Call Center does not have the ability to monitor the quality of staff interactions with its customers. Currently, the telephone system does not allow supervisors to monitor or record telephone calls. However, they are in the process of obtaining an Automatic Calling Distributor (ACD) that will allow them to monitor calls by listening in but will not be capable of recording the conversations. for later review. Recording calls would permit the supervisors to review the conversations and identify any strengths and weaknesses in how the call was handled by the staff member. Recommendation 11-2: The Customer Inquiry Call Center should implement quality control procedures by consistently monitoring the performance of the staff. The Call Center should ensure the ACD system being purchased will allow supervisors to monitor calls through listening in, as well as, by recording calls. The supervisors should establish a schedule detailing how often the calls are monitored, how many calls per staff member are reviewed, how the calls will be selected for review, how the reviews are documented, a brief description of what the supervisors are looking for during the review, and the type of feedback given to the staff members based on a review of the calls. The supervisors should discuss the new procedures with the staff Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-7

members to ensure that they are aware of how they will be evaluated. The capabilities of the ACD system being purchased would determine the financial implications of this recommendation. If the Call Center purchased a separate ACD system, the financial implications would be the cost of that one capability. If they are using the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) ACD system, they will not have the ability to monitor the calls by recording them. Agencies using the DAS system only have access to the capabilities that DAS has purchased and DAS does not currently have the ability to record calls. Finding 11-3: The Call Center has not learned to utilize functions available with its automated software that would enable it to improve customer service through increased data analysis and timely and consistent response to customer inquiries. Approximately 87.6% of calls are not tracked in the Remedy system. The majority of the reports utilized for tracking the progress and nature of calls received, do not accurately reflect the number and types of calls received by the Call Center. Only those calls that could not be resolved immediately are entered into the Remedy System which is used to compile the tracking reports. Approximately 87.6% of calls received by the Call Center are resolved immediately and are tracked by manual tick marks per operator. Therefore, the reports do not identify the overwhelming majority of calls that could be answered immediately. In addition, the Call Center cannot comprehensively identify and compile the types of inquiries being made by customers. Accordingly, the Call Center does not have the ability to isolate and communicate answers to frequently asked questions. This communication could lead to a decrease in the number of inquiries received by the Call Center. The Call Center has not fully implemented all of the tools available to them through their current software, the Remedy system. Currently, the Call Center staff are only able to search for similar issues by viewing numerous records within the same broad class category (see Table 11-1). The staff member is unable to select and view on screen a quick summary on the main issue of the record. Therefore, the staff member may need to look at many records before finding a similar issue, thus rendering the process ineffective. The staff member is able to verify that they have not received a similar call from the individual making the call, but they do are unable to ensure that similar calls have not been received from other clients. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-8

When compiling the reports for review and analysis, the information should completely and accurately represent all of the calls received and resolved by the Call Center. When reviewing and analyzing the Call Center for efficiency and effectiveness, it is imperative that the data included on the reports is a true representation of the calls received and resolved by the Call Center. Additionally, we noted Remedy features that had not been implemented by the Call Center. One area of the Remedy System, in which the full potential may not have been examined, is the use of a knowledge base. A knowledge base provides a quick reference tool by providing a database of the types of calls that have been received by the Call Center, along with brief summaries of the issues and subsequent resolutions. The staff members could quickly select those tickets with similar issues based on the brief summary and review the resolution that had been provided to previous clients and, therefore, resolve the issues in a more effective and efficient manner. The Call Center should ensure that they are using the Remedy system s full potential. When software is implemented, all options should be explored so that the software package provides the most benefit to the operations of the Call Center. Recommendation 11-3: We recommend the Call Center improve customer service by tracking all types of calls received. This will enable them to identify trends and patterns. Additionally, the Call Center would have reports that are a true representation of the volume of inquiries received and issues addressed. The Call Center should review all of the capabilities of the Remedy system and identifying those areas that can be utilized to ensure that issues are resolved in the most efficient and effective manner. We recommend the Call Center begin tracking the calls received by type as well as by number. By compiling this data, along with the calls logged into the Remedy system, the Call Center will be able to gain a comprehensive understanding of all the issues being addressed. The information may also identify areas where client service can be improved. Appropriate Call Center personnel should attend available training or seminars provided by the Remedy system vendor. In addition, they may establish periodic meetings with the JFS contractors to identify all of the capabilities of the Remedy system. The Call Center should select those functions of the Remedy system that will allow them to increase the efficiency their operation. This should include, but not be limited to, implementing a knowledge database. The staff of the Call Center should review the calls received and identify any issues that were received from multiple clients, were unusual in nature, took considerable research time to resolve, and were not case specific. The staff members should submit these issues and the resolutions to the supervisor of the Call Center. The Call Center supervisor should incorporate these issues into the knowledge base. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-9

Additionally, the supervisors should consider utilizing the Remedy system s online webcasts which provide free online training and presentations. The Call Center staff may also subscribe to various free newsletters and magazines that the Remedy system provides. Every quarter, the Remedy Corporation sends a quarterly magazine to Remedy users that describes new product information, technical tips and techniques, and Remedy s event calendar. Remedy enews is a monthly email newsletter that provides business critical information to help the Remedy user make the most out of Remedy solution. There would be no additional expenses incurred by the Call Center to enhance the log used to track calls resolved immediately. Once the log is altered to obtain the necessary detail, the report would replace the current version. If the Call Center meets with the JFS contractors, the Call Center would not incur any additional financial expenditures as a result of obtaining information on the Remedy System or creating a knowledge base in the Remedy System. The Call Center would have to meet with the contractors and to file a request with the MIS Department to create a section on the Remedy System that could be used as the knowledge base. If the Call Center meets with the Remedy System Vendor, they will incur tuition expenditures. The Call Center will incur approximately $3,000 and applicable taxes for training if the two supervisors take the following training courses: (1) Remedy Help Desk 4.x: Using (Web-Based Training), (2) Flashboards 2.x: Administering, and (3) Crystal Reports: Designing Reports for the AR System. Finding 11-4: The Call Center has not systematically sought customer feedback from CSEAs and parents that would enable it to determine customer needs and provide the expected service. Although the Call Center has been in operation since 1990, they have not systematically gathered feedback from their customers. The Call Center is responsible for providing services to custodial parents, noncustodial parents, CSEAs, employers, caretakers, advocacy groups and various legislative offices. However, there has not been communication with the users of the center to determine if the services provided are useful or to identify any areas for improvement. The Call Center was established to provide accurate and timely responses to its customers on general and case specific questions. Feedback is critical in order to determine if the services provided are meeting customer needs. It is also essential to continuous process improvement. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-10

Recommendation 11-4: We recommend the Call Center periodically survey the counties and parents and develop strategies to address any problems identified. This information accumulated should be communicated to the appropriate level of management. The Call Center should develop a customer survey to obtain feedback on their operation. The survey should address how the customers viewed the effectiveness and efficiency of past inquiries of the Center. It should also examine if there are services not currently provided that would be useful. The initial survey should be mailed to all existing parents and CSEAs. Additionally, surveys could be distributed to the various other users upon contact with the Call Center. The information obtained from the surveys should be compiled into a report and distributed to the appropriate level of management. Management should develop a strategic plan that incorporates areas of concern identified and takes a proactive stance to improving customer service. The cost of the initial mailing would be similar to the cost of the brochures detailed in Table 11-3. For a total cost of $204,928. Conclusion A customer - focused, efficient and effective call center operation can significantly improve customer satisfaction. In addition, it can gather and communicate customer feedback to the appropriate levels of management to drive continuous improvement efforts. The Call Center is clearly an operation going through transition and has not yet refined the various processes and activities for which it is responsible to a sufficiently high level to ensure customer needs are consistently met. We have developed four findings and recommendations that represent an opportunity for the Call Center to directly improve customer satisfaction, as well as, provide feedback to OCS management and the CSEAs that will provide a framework for significant improvement in the future. Customer Inquiry Call Center 11-11