County of Madera 311 Customer Service Center Program Achievement Awards Application

Transcription

1 County of Madera 311 Customer Service Center Program 2016 Achievement Awards Application

2 Abstract County of Madera s 311 Customer Service Center provides citizens with one phone number to call when they need to obtain information about or request County services when they don t know where to call, as well as provides an online resource Citizen Request Management (CRM) system to request information and/or services and report issues and monitor and track the status of their requests either online or by calling 311. The program was developed and implemented in the 2011/2012 fiscal year to enhance customer service and increase citizen s overall satisfaction with County services and their interactions with County staff in response to reduced staffing levels and implementation of a furlough program to address the economic downturn. Several County departments route their calls directly through 311, allowing a reallocation of staffing resources or reducing staffing costs. CRM is also utilized internally for County departments and staff to efficiently and effectively submit, monitor and manage requests for internal services, such as personnel requisitions, facility services, and County Counsel assistance. Since August 1, 2012, the program has answered 220,315 calls, and received 11,810 external (of which 47% were submitted directly by constituents) and 9,469 internal CRM requests.

3 Problem Statement Beginning in fiscal year and through the fiscal year, the County of Madera implemented measures to address the impacts of the economic downturn, such as reduction in workforce, furlough program, hiring freeze, and additional budget reductions. It was vitally important to ensure good customer service to constituents remained intact while the County found more efficient and effective ways to manage the same, or even increasing, workload with a shrinking workforce. In addition, it was equally important to provide staff with an effective solution to manage internal and external service requests while providing County decision-makers with a tool to monitor workloads and manage customer service levels. In the fiscal year, the County began to look for ways to address the impact of a two-day per month furlough program and reduced staffing levels that resulted in the need to address constituent concerns, as well as document and provide up-to-date departmental workload status reports. It was also necessary to take a hard look at internal processes and begin to streamline those that were handled manually through paper forms and convert them to an automated process to allow staff to work more efficiently.

4 Description of the Program County of Madera s 311 Customer Service Center provides citizens with one phone number to call during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am 5:00 pm) when they need to obtain information about or request County services when they don t know where to call, as well as provides an online resource Citizen Request Management (CRM) system to request information and/or services and report issues, and monitor and track the status of their requests either online or by calling 311. The program was developed with the following objectives in response to the impacts resulting from the economic downturn: Enhance customer service and increase citizens overall satisfaction with County services and their interactions with County staff. Provide constituents with access to one County contact for general inquiries and to request certain services. Provide departments with reduced staffing levels a mode to answer incoming phone calls and provide general information, thereby allowing for a reallocation of staff resources. Provide constituents with an easy method - either self-service through CRM or by calling to submit a variety of service requests. Provide staff/departments with an efficient and effective method to submit and track internal service requests. Provide constituents with a website to search Frequently Asked Questions about a multitude of County services/topics using a key-word search function. Provide up-to-date information on non-emergency services. Overall, present a consistent customer service presence county-wide. To begin the process of undertaking a new county-wide program, staff obtained Board approval in May 2011 to work with County departments to perform a preliminary needs assessment of a 311/CRM in Madera County. Through interviews with 18 departments, it was found that a majority of County departments (16) indicated that the proposed service would provide significant value. The consensus was that 311/CRM would provide value in answering calls, providing callers with general office information, providing callers with forms via /fax, provide more detailed information on services (if available to operators), and assist in communicating details of point-in-time/current issues or incidences. After determining there was an interest in the program, a preliminary Feasibility Analysis was conducted, which focused on the following areas: technical, organizational and operational, budgetary and external participation to assess the County s readiness to implement and maintain the 311/CRM environment. The analysis provided the following results: Technical: all technical aspects of 311 and CRM are achievable Organizational and Operational: o Staffing the call center is viable with existing staff; however, extensive training should be provided o Providing an adequate reporting structure is viable within the Administration department o Establishing a governance process within the County, consisting of members from all County departments in an advisory or administrative role is achievable. o Careful marketing and solicitation of involvement of the internal workforce must be of sufficient priority to achieve success.

5 Budgetary: the use of one-time funds for acquisition of the necessary technology and equipment is allowable; and annual recurring costs will be allocated appropriately. External Participation: engaging with governmental and non-governmental entities is achievable, subject to voluntary participation levels. In August 2011, staff presented the findings from the needs assessment and feasibility analysis to the Board of Supervisors, and the Board authorized staff to move forward with implementation of the program. In September 2011, the County s 311/CRM implementation project team was established with representatives from Administration and Information Technology as team leaders. In October 2011, the Board of Supervisors approved a budget resolution to create a new budget unit to appropriate funds for 311/CRM program implementation, authorized the CRM software acquisition and implementation contract with Eskel Porter Consulting, Inc., and authorized County Administration to conduct a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Marketing Services. In November 2011, the project implementation kick off was held between Eskel Porter and the County s project team; ongoing status meetings were held throughout implementation. Eskel Porter worked with the project team to develop the CRM structure form design, required fields, workflow obtain the necessary software licenses for County staff and create an external website for constituents to submit requests online. In addition, an overview of the 311/CRM program, implementation and department involvement, inclusive of a request to assign Department Champions (department representatives to serve as liaisons between the project team the departments, as well as work to promote 311/CRM within their respective departments), was presented to all County Department Heads. In December 2011, Department Champions were assigned. Also, a Branding and Marketing RFP Committee was established and the RFP was issued. In January 2012, a Department Champion Kick-Off meeting was held to educate the champions on 311/CRM program and what their role as a Department Champion would entail act as main point of contact within the department for 311/CRM, provide departmental FAQ s for the CRM knowledgebase, and identify opportunities for leveraging/enhancing 311/CRM. Following the kick-off, monthly meetings were held through July 2012 to engage the champions, gather departmental information and begin promotion of the program, determine a department s level of participation with 311 (High all departmental calls route through 311; Medium departmental calls are periodically routed through 311 based on need; and Low department continues to take all calls direct to its main phone number), and select the top County processes to be converted in to an automated CRM process, of which most were handled through a paper/manual process. Through this course of action, the following CRM processes were developed: o External (constituent-based): Animal Service Complaints, Animal Service Licenses, Code Enforcement/Zoning Violations, Environmental Health Code Violations, Public Records Requests, Constituent Issues/Complaints (General, Department, Employee)

6 o Internal (employee/department-based): Assessment Appeals, Facility Service Requests (Building and Grounds Maintenance, Security, Janitorial), Personnel Requisition, County Counsel Requests for Assistance, IT Project Requests In February 2012, the Board authorized issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award a branding and marketing contract with 12 Toes Promotions for the creation of a branding and marketing plan, inclusive of a logo design and tag line, design and production of marketing materials in both English and Spanish posters, postcards, press releases and newspaper advertisements, radio and T.V. commercials and placement, billboard design and placement, marketing video, and design of road signs. The contract was negotiated and approved by the Board in April 2012, and the branding and marketing campaign was developed and implemented during May, June, July and August of In April 2012, the Board of Supervisors approved the staffing plan for the new 311 Customer Service Center to be effective June 1, 2012, reallocating existing staff from the County s Revenue Services (collections) department. Two staff were transferred to the Probation Department as the bulk of collection activity for Revenue Services was generated by the Probation Department, and the remaining three staff would be transferred to the new program a good fit as the current staff were experienced in providing good customer service. In May 2012, the logo and tag line Madera County 311 At Your Service were approved by the Board of Supervisors In June 2012 through July 2012, the new 311 employees began an intensive training program consisting of training on the new CRM and 311 ACD software and equipment, review of department-provided FAQ s utilizing forms provided by the departments and using a key-word search of the CRM knowledgebase to verify information in CRM matched the department provided forms, one-on-one meetings with each department champion to review and clarify FAQ s and familiarize themselves with the department s operations, and review of call handling procedures for each department s calls. In July 2012, the 311 Customer Service Center was opened and the phone number was activated. The month of July was used as a soft opening and advertisement of an August 1 st start in the last two weeks of July generated some calls into the call center as well as numerous test calls made by departments provided additional on-the-job training of the staff. County staff were also trained on the how to use the CRM system to submit internal service requests. On August 1, 2012, the 311 Customer Service Center went live, acting as the primary point of contact for Animal Services, County Administration, Environmental Health, Engineering, Building Inspections, and the Library Main Branch from (8am 11am); then adding Information Technology, County Counsel, and Information Technology in the fiscal year. Constituents also call directly to reach County departments, obtain information and submit requests. Since its official start date of August 1, 2012, the 311/CRM program has consistently served Madera County constituents and County departments, answering 220,315 calls (through February 2016), and processing 11,810 external (of which 47% were submitted directly by constituents on the 311 website Madco311.com) and 9,469 internal CRM requests.

7 Responding to Economic Downturn In the fiscal year, the County of Madera began to realize severe budgetary impacts due to the economic downturn taking place. The County was forced to implement a two-day per month furlough program for all General Fund departments as well as initiate strategic staff reductions and a hiring freeze. With the start of the fiscal year, the County was faced with a $7 Million deficit, which continued for several fiscal years. While departments were facing a reduction in workforce and reduced operating hours due to the furlough, it was necessary to implement a program to assist those departments while enhancing and improving customer service to both County residents and staff. With the implementation of the 311/CRM program during the fiscal year and officially starting in the fiscal year, an existing department was reorganized which provided for the necessary staffing of the 311 Customer Service Center; the County did not incur any additional staffing costs to operate the program. In addition, the following departments with reduced clerical positions, beginning with the fiscal year and in to the fiscal year, began using 311 as the departments primary point of contact for constituents, realizing a cumulative savings of $440,000 annually: Administration, which saw a reduction of one clerical position in the fiscal year, resulting in an annual savings of $40,000. Animal Services, which saw a reduction of four office/clerical staff in fiscal year , resulting in an annual savings of $90,000. In addition, by moving to an automated CRM process for receipt, dispatch and monitoring of Animal Service Requests, the remaining staff are able to more effectively manage Animal Control services. Auditor-Controller, which saw a reduction of two clerical staff in fiscal year , resulting in an annual savings of $75,000. In addition, the use of an automated call attendant was eliminated, providing personal interaction with callers. County Counsel, which saw a reduction in three clerical/administrative staff over the course of the and fiscal years due to a reorganization, resulting in a savings of $120,000. Engineering, which saw a reduction of one clerical staff in the fiscal year, resulting in an annual savings of $40,000. Environmental Health, which saw a reduction of one clerical staff in the fiscal year, resulting in an annual savings of $40,000. Information Technology, which saw a reduction of one clerical position in the fiscal year, resulting in an annual savings of $35,000. The use of CRM for internal service requests was vitally important to the following departments with significant staffing reductions and reorganization to ensure continued consistent service to County departments: Building Maintenance, which had a reduction of six staff in the fiscal year Grounds Maintenance, which had a reduction of five staff in the fiscal year County Counsel, which first began staffing reductions in the fiscal year, then contracted out through a phased approach in the fiscal year, and completely contracted out in the fiscal year. CRM allowed the County to seamlessly transition a department s services previously provided by County employees to an outside contractor while still providing the same services to all County departments. While the County has worked its way out of an operating deficit, the staff reductions described above have not been reversed, demonstrating the resourcefulness of the County and its departments to approach workload in a more efficient and effective manner.

8 Use of Technology During implementation and through today, the 311/CRM program utilized the following technology: Microsoft Dynamics CRM software stored on local server, staff with appropriate licenses/permissions authenticate through network log-in Toshiba Call Manager (Automated Call Distribution software for 311) TASKE Contact (for call center monitoring and statistical reports) OAISYS Management Studio (recording of calls for training and quality control) Internet for 311 website Intranet - SharePoint for after-call survey completed by 311 staff for reporting on the nature of each call (county or non-county and department or topic) and call resolution (answered question, transferred based on need, transferred due to information not in FAQ, or submitted service request) Microsoft SQL Server for back-end databases Cisco VPN technology to provide in the field CRM access for employees to check service requests Apple iphones with Cisco AnyConnect client and SSL certificate based authentication Microsoft Internet Information Services web server

9 Cost of the Program The County of Madera incurred capital and professional and specialized services costs for implementation of the 311/CRM program and incurs recurring annual costs for operation of the program, inclusive of salaries and benefits and services and supplies. The implementation costs were funded through general government development impact fees which were allowable to use as the program was created and implemented to meet a need of the growing community while the County organization was downsizing as a result of the economic downturn. The following costs were incurred for implementation: Expense Amount 311 Technology/Service ACD System: Equipment/Server and Software 35, Provision of 311 Service with Carriers 8, Total for 311 Technology/Service 43, CRM Technology CRM Implementation Contract 27, CRM Software & Licenses 76, Equipment (servers/computers) 53, Total for CRM Technology 157, Branding & Marketing Branding & Marketing Contract 7, Billboards 9, TV Advertisement 5, Radio Advertisement 5, Newspaper Advertisement 2, Promotional Video Development 2, Posters and Postcards 2, Banners Road Signs 9, Car Decals for County Fleet Magnets for Giveaways 1, Total for Branding & Marketing 47, Total Program Implementation Cost 248, Annual operating costs include salaries and benefits of the 311 staff, as well as services and supplies which includes annual software maintenance agreements for the 311 servers and software. The following is the actual costs for FY and adopted budget for : Actual Adopted Salaries and Benefits 140, , Services and Supplies 24, , Total 164, ,247.00

10 Results/Success of the Program The County of Madera has enhanced customer service to both constituents and County staff/departments and has realized savings of General Fund salary costs with the County s 311/CRM program. More specifically, the following program objectives were met almost immediately due to a successful implementation of the program, including the development of the 311 website madco311.com and with the official opening of the 311 Customer Service Center on August 1, 2012: Provide constituents with access to one County contact for general inquiries and to request certain services. Provide constituents with an easy method - either self-service through CRM or by calling to submit a variety of service requests. Provide constituents with a website to search Frequently Asked Questions about a multitude of County services/topics using a key-word search function. Moreover, creation of the 311/CRM program helped to alleviate impacts to several departments that experienced a reduction in workforce beginning in the fiscal year and through the fiscal year, as well as provide an annual General Fund cost savings of $440,000. The objective of Provide departments with reduced staffing levels a mode to answer incoming phone calls and provide general information, thereby allowing for a reallocation of staff resources was met by becoming the primary point of contact for several departments, freeing up staff resources to handle other departmental workload as discussed in the Responding to Economic Downturn section of this application. In addition, the implementation of CRM to facilitate internal service requests allowed departments with reduced staffing levels to move from paper form requests to an automated process. This provided for easier tracking and monitoring of requests, as well as the ability for staff out in the field to receive requests on their County-issued smartphones as requests were submitted rather than wait until they are in the office, thereby meeting the objective of Provide staff/departments with an efficient and effective method to submit and track internal service requests. The Building Maintenance, Grounds Maintenance and County Counsel departments have realized the greatest impact from this objective as discussed in the Responding to Economic Downturn section of this application. The 311 Customer Service Center is also a valuable resource in meeting the objective of Provide up-todate information on non-emergency services. Within two months of opening, 311 was tasked with providing County residents with continuous updates regarding the change in solid waste providers the County had chosen to contract with a new service provider and was in the process of transitioning to the newly contracted service provider when the current provider stopped providing the service and removed containers from residents homes before the new contract went in to effect. The 311 Customer Service Center was the primary point of contact for residents to receive information and be connected with the new service provider. More recently, during the wildfires in Eastern Madera County in the summer of 2015, 311 worked with County Office of Emergency Services to provide residents with another source to obtain information on evacuation centers, road closures and fire status updates. Overall, through implementation of the 311/CRM program, the County has been able to enhance customer service, increase citizens overall satisfaction with County services and their interactions with County staff, streamline internal processes, and present a consistent customer service presence countywide.

11 Worthiness of Award Through the implementation and continued operation of the County of Madera s 311/CRM program, the County offered a new service to county residents, and continues to look at other County processes to add to CRM for residents to utilize. The 311/CRM program also has and continues to promote intergovernmental cooperation and coordination in addressing shared problems by reviewing current processes and issues and developing plans to utilize CRM to improve or alleviate issues facing County departments. 311 continues to assist County departments by becoming the primary point of contact to answer general questions and submit service requests the County Fire Department will begin forwarding its non-emergency calls to the 311 Customer Service Center in April The 311/CRM program continues to provide a cost savings; departments that reduced their clerical staff, beginning with fiscal year , have not added those positions back in to their staffing allocations, as the service 311 provides adequately meets the need of those departments. In addition, the use of CRM has and continues to enhance employee productivity as more internal processes are being converted to an automated process, such as personnel status change forms (currently completed on a triplicate form using a typewriter). Madera County s 311/CRM program is innovative for a county of its size and population. While there are several major cities in the United States with a similar program, it is not common practice for counties 311 is available in approximately seven other counties throughout the United States. With implementation of an innovative and demonstrated cost-saving program for a county of its size and population, the County of Madera should be awarded with a 2016 Achievement Award.