A Call Center Reinvented: One Public Health District’s Journey in Communicating the Message of a Healthier Georgia…
Abstract
Established over a decade ago, the District Call Center has experienced multiple reinventions and remains in a continuous state of improvement to best communicate across the service area. In 2013, the pilot program began with service to only three counties. Today, Call Center Agents are responsible, on average, for over 500 daily inbound calls and 250 outbound calls, including coverage of 16 counties and many district programs and services. While the original model was staffed with only part-time employees, the current team includes 13 agents, with the majority employed full-time. Meeting the need of providing immediate assistance to non-English speaking clients, the Call Center now has two on-site Spanish-language interpreters and receives additional support from multiple bi-lingual staff members throughout the district. The Language Line is utilized as an option for service to speakers of other languages. The role of a Call Center Agent is ever-changing and includes the provision of meaningful customer service experiences through scheduling and rescheduling appointments for a variety of programs, managing patient information, transferring calls throughout the district, providing general information for public health programs, and much more. With such an array of responsibilities, the agents rely on a shared digital notebook to stay current on individual county and program information. The system is updated daily and immediately available for view by agents, as well as county and programmatic staff. For quality assurance and improvement, Call Center Supervisors recently implemented a process for Call/Email Monitoring and can expedite changes in service delivery through just-in-time training with agents. Having participated in recent listening sessions with the Office of Growth, Learning and Innovation, Call Center staff realized the need for greater visibility throughout the district. The team is currently in the process of not only strengthening internal relationships through routine staff meetings and team building exercises, but also establishing greater connections with counties and programs.
Keywords
Continuous Improvement, Communication, Connection
A Call Center Reinvented: One Public Health District’s Journey in Communicating the Message of a Healthier Georgia…
Established over a decade ago, the District Call Center has experienced multiple reinventions and remains in a continuous state of improvement to best communicate across the service area. In 2013, the pilot program began with service to only three counties. Today, Call Center Agents are responsible, on average, for over 500 daily inbound calls and 250 outbound calls, including coverage of 16 counties and many district programs and services. While the original model was staffed with only part-time employees, the current team includes 13 agents, with the majority employed full-time. Meeting the need of providing immediate assistance to non-English speaking clients, the Call Center now has two on-site Spanish-language interpreters and receives additional support from multiple bi-lingual staff members throughout the district. The Language Line is utilized as an option for service to speakers of other languages. The role of a Call Center Agent is ever-changing and includes the provision of meaningful customer service experiences through scheduling and rescheduling appointments for a variety of programs, managing patient information, transferring calls throughout the district, providing general information for public health programs, and much more. With such an array of responsibilities, the agents rely on a shared digital notebook to stay current on individual county and program information. The system is updated daily and immediately available for view by agents, as well as county and programmatic staff. For quality assurance and improvement, Call Center Supervisors recently implemented a process for Call/Email Monitoring and can expedite changes in service delivery through just-in-time training with agents. Having participated in recent listening sessions with the Office of Growth, Learning and Innovation, Call Center staff realized the need for greater visibility throughout the district. The team is currently in the process of not only strengthening internal relationships through routine staff meetings and team building exercises, but also establishing greater connections with counties and programs.
