As we continue to move forward in the new era of full state-wideness in all areas of our work, it is more important than ever to ensure that we keep quality customer service as a top priority. Customer service assumes a much broader scope and impact with statewideness. In addition to our external customers, we are all customers of each other!
Ensuring that our customers receive the same level of quality customer service and communication, whether they call a large, small, medium, very small or very large county, or the state DCSS call center is a significant and an important challenge worthy of very close attention.
At the request of the Child Support Directors Association and in collaboration with DCSS, I agreed to chair a new Customer Service Forum, which focuses solely on Customer Service in the Public Service component of our respective operations. The Forum operates under the umbrella of the CSDA Customer Service Executive Committee which provides direction, support and excecutive level decisions as needed.
The objective of the Customer Service Forum is to bring LCSA and State customer service managers and supervisors together for the purpose of identifying, discussing and problem solving the customer service issues we are encountering in our day-to- day operations. Those issues may be gaps in staff training, managing customer expectations, inconsistent or inadequate customer education, inaccurate information being disseminated, staff communication skills needing attention. . .
The Forum is intended for managers and supervisors of call center and interview teams who are on the front line of customer contact. Our monthly meetings will be focused on pro-actively raising the bar and awareness collectively. Clear agendas, timely follow up and follow through will be our standard operating procedures.
Of course, identifying issues and developing the solutions is not the end of the story. Being willing to step up to the plate to bring the solutions home to our own departments is where we can make a difference. That takes commitment. It takes energy. And it takes ownership.
Committee Purpose
The purpose of the Forum is to bring together customer service leaders, from all LCSA's and DCSS, to collectively achieve statewide uniformity to ensure consistent Customer Service Excellence in California's Child Support Program for our internal and external customers.
Agenda & Minutes
Next Meeting
| Date : |
January 6, 2010 |
Time:
|
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Location:
|
State DCSS, Rancho Cordova, CA |
What's New
The Forum participants have remained focused and solution oriented. The May and June meetings consisted of comprehensive and detailed work to update and consolidate the pre-existing Abbreviation List and develop a uniform list for all California Child Support professionals to use. In addition, the Forum created recommendations for statewide standards for writing activity logs that will be understood by all child support workers.
The recommendations were presented to the Customer Service Executive Committee who approved all recommendations! The first two statewide standards developed by the 60 member Forum were provided to all LCSA Directors at the July Membership meeting.
Denise Hill, DCSS Training, will be rolling out the new standards to all Training Coordinators at their August meeting and the documents have been posted on CS Central, Training page, under the heading "Other Materials."
The July Forum focused on the next three workgroup proposals for statewide standards for audit definitions and time frames, where appropriate, Expectations for Services (for Internal and External Customers) and Inter-County Communication.
The August Forum will finalize more recommendations and they will be presented to the Customer Exceutive Committee for review.
Our list of 2009 Accomplishments continues to grow! In addition, requests for feedback and input from the Forum are coming in from a variety of CSDA and DCSS committees and workgroups who have recognized the Forum as a body of customer service subject matter experts, with broad state and LCSA representation and a "get it done" work ethic.
Miscellaneous