State: Georgia Program Category

1. 
   Program Name
   

Faster, Friendlier, Easier Service to Georgians – The Governor's Customer Service Initiative

2. 
   Administering Agency
   

Administered by the Governor’s Office of Customer Service

3. 
   Contact (Name and Title)
   

Joseph Doyle, Director

4. 
   Address
   

The Governor’s Office of Customer Service

2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

Suite 356 East Floyd Tower

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

5. 
   Telephone Number
   

404-656-1760

6. 
   FAX Number
   

404-463-8683

7. 
   E-mail Address
   

8. 
   Web Site Address
   

At this time, the program is focused on state agencies and state employees. All Georgia government workers have access to a state intranet site, the "Team Georgia Connection." The site includes a special section devoted to "Customer Service." Here, employees can learn about the initiative, read news and successes, share their own success stories, and download communication and marketing materials.

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  E-mail address: success@ocs.ga.gov
  
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  Password: customer
  

Once you access the home page, click on the "Customer Service" tab at the top of the page to visit the "Customer Service" section.

9. 
   Please provide a two-sentence description of the program.
   

The Governor's Customer Service Initiative is a unique effort to engage all state of Georgia employees in improving service to citizens through a three-pronged strategy to become faster (speeding up services); friendlier (developing a customer-focused culture); and easier (adopting an enterprise approach to managing call centers). This program encompasses a statewide communications strategy; uniform customer and employee job satisfaction surveying; customer service focused pre-employment screening, orientation, training and performance measurement; and creation of a central point of access for state services by telephone and the internet.

10. 
    How long has this program been operational (month and year)? Note: the program must be between 9 months and 5 years old on April 2, 2007, to be considered.
    

The Governor’s Office of Customer Service (OCS) was established in January 2006 to implement this program.

11. 
    Why was the program created? What problem[s] or issue[s] was it designed to address?
    

Upon election in 2002, Governor Sonny Perdue set the goal for Georgia to become the best managed state in the nation. He established the Commission for a New Georgia to engage a public/private partnership in achieving that goal. Among the findings was the need to elevate the level of customer service Georgians experience when dealing with state government.

• 
  Government is too slow; it takes too long to get anything done.
  
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  Employees often are not helpful.
  
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  Government is confusing; it is difficult to figure out who to contact for service.
  

And, because citizens tend to view all agencies collectively as “state government,” the program had to involve every state agency.

12. 
    Describe the specific activities and operations of the program in chronological order.
    

13. 
    Why is the program a new and creative approach or method?
    

The Governor's Customer Service Initiative encompasses all state services and fosters a culture change throughout state government. The initiative sets a new direction and system-wide expectations for employees of the executive branch. Agencies have never before been expected to view themselves as a single entity: “Team Georgia.” The unified approach is evident in: a) focus on the customer’s point of view; b) consistent performance measures; c) standard messages to employees; and d) the centralized point of contact for all state services whether by phone, fax, email, or the internet.

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  Direct and continuous personal involvement of Governor Sonny Perdue
  

Team Georgia engages agencies with 110,000 employees and 750 different services. Participation includes 47 state agencies and 35 campuses of the University System of Georgia. The Office of Customer Service serves as a resource; provides tools and techniques; and sets statewide goals that agencies meet in their own ways. This is monitored through the annual Customer Service Improvement Plans that each agency submits to the Governor. Each plan begins by looking at services from the citizen’s point of view.

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  Strong “buy-in” from both agency heads and frontline employees
  

The point of synergy for this program is the Agency Customer Service Champion, who is appointed by the agency head and is responsible for developing and implementing an annual Customer Service Improvement Plan. These plans are built on a uniform template and share common elements. The expectations for service are identical, whether a program involves education and human services or law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Large agencies with regional locations and small single-function offices share the same goals, values, and commitments to customers. The Champions meet regularly and work in teams to help create tools and approaches all can use.

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  Unified communications effort to reach all employees, no matter their job title or agency responsibility
  

Employees comprise a single group sharing the goal of having the best customer service of any state in the nation. A section of the Team Georgia Connection, the state’s intranet, is dedicated to customer service and a monthly newsletter focuses on recognizing customer service success. In addition, the Governor has sent two e-mails with videotaped messages directly to all state employees. The Office of Customer Service has designed and distributed collateral materials, including banners, posters, table tents, and coasters, to support various messages,.

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  Common customer expectations measured across programs based on common values and metrics
  

These performance expectations are to be reflected in a statewide dashboard to monitor state services. The single unified Team Georgia approach is reflected in the direct participation by representatives of a variety of agencies with the Office of Customer Service in the development, review and testing of tools before they are offered statewide. These tools include the Pre-employment Screening for Customer Service employees; the Georgia Service Quality Index (customer satisfaction survey); the employee job satisfaction survey; and the 6-module customer service training program.

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  Processes that directly impact citizen services selected for the improvement process
  

Government has frequently attempted to apply business process and tools to its service environment—with limited success. This program is different because the approach to streamlining processes has adapted Lean management practices to public services. Applying an industrial “rapid process improvement” (guided by engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology) has allowed programs with complex or lengthy processes to empower teams of employees and managers who focus on separate processes that can show significant improvement in a short amount of time – weeks, not years.

Process Improvement Teams and Call Center Improvement Teams are testing working jointly in the same program.
866-411-PEACH: one number to reach Georgia government

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  Creation of a General Information Center or Contact Center, which will improve citizen access whether by telephone, fax, email or via the internet
  

The existing Directory Assistance operation for the state of Georgia will be transformed into a central point of access for state government services, with a single toll free telephone number (866-411-PEACH) when it becomes operational in January 2008. This is the place to go for citizens who do not know how to reach a service. A special feature is the “warm transfer,” which ensures that people talk to people. This is critical because research has shown that 47% of Georgia citizens prefer to access government services by telephone. (Peach State Poll, conducted by University of Georgia, August 2005-March 2006)

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  Development of first-ever database or encyclopedia of state services
  

The "KnowledgeBase" supports the General Information Center or Contact Center. After validation and testing, it will ultimately be available online to the public for self-service. As a single site, it will not require a citizen to visit several different agency sites or even know what agency or department offers a particular service in order to access it.

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  Job opportunities for individuals to work at home
  

The technology for a statewide outsourced, Multi-Channel Contact Center (MCCC) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution for all call handling will support remote workers, expanding employment opportunities. Already, DHR’s Office of Child Support Services has offered a work-away program for its 70 call center employees. Implemented in April 2006 with a few agents, the call center now has over 87% of its agents working from home.

14. 
    What were the program’s start-up costs? (Provide details about specific purchases for this program, staffing needs and other financial expenditures, as well as existing materials, technology and staff already in place.)
    

The start-up budget for FY06 was $ 1.1 million.

Space was provided by another agency; computer equipment was purchased for the staff.

15. 
    What are the program’s annual operational costs?
    

The Office of Customer Service budget for FY07 is $ 3 million.

• 
  to speed up processes $ 190,000
  
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  tools and support to create the culture 790,000
  
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  to improve call handling on an enterprise-wide basis 2,020,000
  

16. 
    How is the program funded?
    

The program is funded through annual appropriation by the Georgia General Assembly.

17. 
    Did this program require the passage of legislation, executive order or regulations? If YES, please indicate the citation number.
    

Yes. The Governor’s Office of Customer Service was created by Executive Order number 01 25 06 01 issued on January 25, 2006.

18. 
    What equipment, technology and software are used to operate and administer this program?
    

All Georgia government workers have access to a state intranet site, the "Team Georgia Connection." The site includes a special section devoted to "Customer Service." Here, employees can learn about the initiative, read news and successes, share their own success stories, and download communication and marketing materials.

This technology includes:

Multi-Channel Contact Center (MCCC)

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  ACD, Web Chat, E-mail, Recorded Monitoring, Random Announcement, Interactive Voice Response,  Automated Attendant, Remote Work, and Administrative Tools
  

Contact Relationship Management (CRM)

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  Request Tracking, Historical Reporting, Analytical Reporting,  Knowledge Base, Identify First Call Resolution, Workflow Management, Efficient Work Processes, and Scripting Tools
  

Knowledge Base:

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  Oracle database accessed via the Contact Relationship Management (CRM) Tool
  

19. 
    To the best of your knowledge, did this program originate in your state? If YES, please indicate the innovator's name, present address, telephone number and e-mail address.
    

Yes. The Governor’s Office is unaware of any state undertaking an initiative of this scope, involving not just technology, but also people and processes.

Georgia State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

20. 
    Are you aware of similar programs in other states? If YES, which ones and how does this program differ?
    

No. We are not aware of similar programs in other states.

21. 
    Has the program been fully implemented? If NO, what actions remain to be taken?
    

The long-range goal of the Governor's Customer Service Initiative is to institutionalize all of the activities launched to date so that continuously improving customer service becomes the way we do business in Georgia.

22. 
    Briefly evaluate (pro and con) the program’s effectiveness in addressing the defined problem[s] or issue[s]. Provide tangible examples.
    

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  The Call Center Solutions Team has brought together managers who had never met before, much less shared experience and expertise. In partnership with the state’s human resources agency, a new series of job descriptions for customer service representatives was developed. The series provides a career track and is available for use in all agency call centers.
  

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  Four "customer service standards" for all Georgia state employees are being imbedded in agencies. A recent telephone survey to Customer Service Champions in each agency confirmed that nearly all agencies (at least 75% - all that responded) have successfully implemented the customer service standards in their internal communication and training programs, starting with the first standard, "GREET your customer promptly and courteously." Agencies are either implementing standard "greeting scripts" or educating staff about general guidelines for prompt and courteous greetings.
  

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  Customer satisfaction surveys are measuring the quality of customer experiences and levels of satisfaction. Piloted in four different programs, the result is a customer satisfaction score that has been validated by research faculty at Georgia State University. Baseline data have been collected; by next year, improvements to citizens' experiences will be measured against that data.
  

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  Employees are being recognized for excellent customer service. A number of agencies have revised their employee recognition and reward programs to focus on customer service. A statewide employee recognition program is now in development.
  

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  Department of Driver Services Customer Service Centers:
  

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  Average time to be served now just over six minutes; typical waits of 1 to 2 hours virtually eliminated.
  
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  More services available online.
  

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  Office of Child Support Services, Department of Human Resources:
  

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  Same-day service goal to prepare orders for court or settlement: Before rapid process improvement efforts, the in-house "order establishment" process took an average of 71 days to complete. A key change is to train agents on the entire process, rather than segments, so that one agent can take an application from start to finish.
  
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  Locating non-custodial parents more quickly using technology: The new process for locating non-custodial parents will focus on "validation," a simpler online check that the given address exists, instead of "verification," which involves waiting for the Post Office to send written address verification. In the first two weeks of piloting this process, cases delayed for parent location decreased by an average of 10 per day.
  
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  Early intervention, effective enforcement: Improved processes are expected to reduce child support enforcement actions by two-thirds, from 90 days to 30 days. A simple, key change is to call non-custodial parents instead of mailing letters to them. An "early intervention" process and Fatherhood Program help non-custodial parents understand expectations, find skills training and employment, and prepare to make payments on time.
  

These successes can be duplicated throughout state programs and call centers.

23. 
    How has the program grown and/or changed since its inception?
    

The program’s goals and strategic direction have not changed from the path set in January 2006.

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  States interested in implementing this initiative should be prepared to emphasize the fact that this is not merely a “feel good” program, but involves substantive strategies and tactics. The tendency of some who have been through other “improvement” programs to sit back and wait must be redirected by a strong positioning event and high-impact communications throughout.
  

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  Maintaining the strong support and leadership from the Governor, his/her key advisors and senior management is vital. This must continue despite potential future changes in administration. This program must be positioned to survive a transition.
  

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  Success also depends on recognition that state government comprises widely varying programs, customers, and types of employees. Implementation requires some flexibility in execution to meet the needs of vastly different organizations and styles of management.
  

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  Frontline employees must be motivated, and middle managers must be fully engaged. Leaders of such an initiative should be prepared to counter the arguments that it cannot be done without bigger budgets or salary increases.
  

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  A critical issue is the sustainability of the initial enthusiasm for this project. This underscores the importance of continuing to show results in the call centers and in agency processes, and to keep the Customer Service Champions energized until these values are institutionalized and a permanent part of the culture of state government.