"Technology increasingly plays an integral role in improving the level of service we deliver to the public on a daily basis. Together with SolutionsIQ, we developed a new call center system that allows our staff to handle more incoming calls, while reducing the time it takes for citizens to speak directly with a court clerk and receive assistance."
— Tricia Crozier, Chief Administrative Officer
King County District Court is the largest and most technologically advanced court of limited jurisdiction in the state of Washington, with 13 cities contracting for its services. Currently processing about 250,000 cases per year, the court is a leader in many areas involving public safety and access to justice, including the use of problem-solving courts, jail alternative programs, and judge-managed probation services.
Challenge
The King County Disctrict Court Call Center project was started in 2002 as a result of budget cuts of nearly $2.1 million that required staff be reduced by 60 employees. The court established the call center to more efficiently handle the roughly 500,000 phone calls they receive annually.
When it opened, the call center received a far greater call volume than anticipated. More than 15 call center clerks were fielding hundreds of calls each day, with questions ranging from driving directions to the court, to how to obtain an emergency protection order, to how to pay a ticket. When dialing into the call center, callers were presented with 10 options that could take up to a minute to review. Callers often faced long wait times, and many calls were dropped.
Solution
As cheif administrative officer of the court, Tricia Crozier was tasked with finding a solution that would allow her to balance staffing needs with her budget and with the need to deliver a high level of service to the public. Crozier engaged with SolutionsIQ to develop a new automated call center system that would utilize existing technolgoy while enhancing customer service and increasing efficiency.
"With stretched resources and a limited budget, we partnered with SolutionsIQ to address the problems confronted by thousands of citizens calling in to the district court," explained Crozier. "In line with the court's overall mission, the project was designed to provide all King County citizens with fair and equal access to the information and resources they need concerning the district court services."
The SolutionsIQ solution included the following components:
- System enhancements made it much easier for callers to find the information they need via the automated system, so clerks are only needed for more complex inquiries.
- Reducing the number of caller options from 10 to 5 significantly reduced call time and caller frustration.
- New call center training program made clerks more effective in addressing caller questions.
- Data and statistics regarding usage are now available, and court officials can access detailed reports on the total number of callers, their questions, and wait times.
"Technology increasingly plays an integral role in improving the level of service we deliver to the public on a daily basis," explained Tricia Crozier, Chief Administrative Officer of King County Court. Together with SolutionsIQ, we developed a new call center system that allows our staff to handle more incoming calls, while reducing the time it takes for citizens to speak directly with a court clerk and receive assistance."
Results
King County District Court realized enormous cost savings while increasing citizen satisfaction.
"The results have been dramatic," said Crozier. "With an enhanced system and proper training, the call center staff now handles more calls with shorter wait times. Increased numbers of citizens can now speak directly with a court clerk and receive assistance much more quickly and efficiently. The project serves as an example for other government entities looking to improve access and services to citizens."
SolutionsIQ and the King County District Court worked together to achieve the following results:
- Number of dropped calls decreased from 44 percent to 7 percent
- Average number of weekly calls employees are able to handle increased from 296 to 347
- Average wait time before reaching a clerk reduced from almost four minutes to less than one minute.
- Overall call volume dcreased from 10,700 montly calls to 8,300
- Increase in job satisfaction among call center staff, resulting in reduced turnover
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