The study, prepared jointly by CFI Group and the Federal Consulting Group, found that the biggest increases in caller satisfaction resulted from the shorter amount of time it takes on average to reach a live agent and improved interactive voice response systems. Both of these issues historically have been the bane of the call center experience for callers.
“What makes improvements in these areas so remarkable is that they occurred during a time when budget cuts could have easily derailed the process and caused scores to move the other way,” said David Ham, CFI Group’s public-sector program director, in a release. “This type of short-term rise only happens when an organization, in this case our government, not only makes the effort to listen, but takes action on what it hears to actually improve the way it does business.”
Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the report shows that the private sector saw a 3 percent increase in satisfaction of its private call centers. But overall, satisfaction for government call centers still lags behind their private-sector counterparts, 69 to 77 (out of a possible 100).
But the study also notes that expectations for call centers vary by sector. Callers will evaluate an experience with a private company based more on the process (i.e., the amount of time it takes to reach an agent). But for government callers, it’s the interaction with an agent that primarily determines how they feel about the call.
“When someone calls a private company to find out about a shipping delay or question a billing statement, it’s mostly an inconvenience, which means that speed and efficiency take precedent,” Ham said. “While calls to a government agency are not necessarily life or death, they tend to be much more important. The agent on the other end of the phone may seem like their only lifeline, so having an agent who instills confidence and empathy becomes the determining factor of how we feel when we get off the phone.”
As citizens continue to turn to agencies for services and support, the report illustrates the significance of a representative’s role in call center performance and, in turn, satisfaction.
In one example, the Social Security Administration added 1,400 new employees in 2009, including 260 to handle its National 800 Number teleservice centers. As a result, the average speed in answering the National 800 Number calls improved 25 percent compared to 2008.
However, the report also mentions that customer expectations will probably shift as technology evolves. In other words, the performance of government call centers may not easily translate to other means of contact and access. Therefore, according to the report, managers must “continue to develop agent skill sets to effectively engage customers in these various mediums.”
