Team Georgia-Georgia Customer Service

Need help finding a state service? Georgians can call 1.800.georgia (1.800.436.7442) to speak with a trained agent (not an automated system) who listens and connects them to the person or place responsible for the service needed. When possible, the agent provides a “warm transfer,” which means she or he stays on the line with the caller until the person who can help answers.

Employees like Bobby Cowart and Anita Lee also help customers via email and online chat. Agents use a robust database of almost 2,000 state services, with information about locations, hours of service and answers to frequently asked questions. Georgians can also search for this information at www.connect.georgia.gov.

The 1.800.georgia team consistently enjoys a 98% customer satisfaction rating (based on monthly, third-party surveys) and recently received the Governor's Award for Contact Center Excellence. One customer praised Anita: "I commend her professionalism and customer service while assisting me. She was courteous and extremely efficient!"

"Here's a lesson for an 11-year-old," writes Jacqueline Vanzant-Zachary, who works remotely as a default prevention counselor for Georgia Perimeter College. Jacqueline helps students and parents resolve financial issues so that students may continue their education.

"One night, while I was cleaning up my office at 8:14 p.m. (my office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.), my phone rang. I answered the phone, and it was a student. He had several questions and wanted me to stay on the phone with him to make sure he did not make any mistakes in reference to some documents he was about to submit. Our call ended at 8:41 p.m.

"My daughter Randi kept telling me to hang up and let him call back so that the answering machine would pick up. I explained to her that I look at each of my students as if they were her. I told her that I would want someone to be there for her if she needed assistance, and I would not want her being made to feel rushed if the call was after work hours.

"I told her, no matter how long you work, if a customer calls and you answer the telephone, treat them as if they are your very first customer for that day. The customer should always hear the smile on your face as well as in your voice. Most of all, think of nothing other than the customer on the telephone until you hang up."

"You have to keep the 'human' in Human Resources," says Brad Patterson, HR program manager with the Georgia Dept. of Corrections (GDC). To provide great service, Brad believes in building relationships. "It's about remembering that little thing about someone and asking them how they're doing. If you start to practice this, it becomes a habit," he says.

Brad commutes from Evans (near Augusta) to his office in Atlanta. He often travels around the state to conduct employee-training programs. He enjoys meeting fellow staff members in person to learn how he can help them succeed.

"It's important to make yourself accessible to your customers," says Brad. "Don't always make them come to you – go to them, where they are. Get to know them and earn their trust. Give service as you would want to be served."

"Brad went out of his way to help me prepare for a new training program," shares Cathy Smith, GDC's Customer Service Champion. "Our schedules were both full, but Brad made it happen. He met me at my office at 6:30 a.m. to make sure I got what I needed. I'll never forget that!"

"The impossible can always be broken down into possibilities," reads a sign on the wall at the University System of Georgia's Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC), based in Athens. Here, employees like Melinda Pethel and Angel Maldonado (pictured) provide access to educational print materials for students with physical, sensory and learning disabilities. The team uses diverse technologies to convert regular print textbooks into more accessible formats including Braille, audio CDs and electronic files.

Approximately 9,000 students within the University System of Georgia have print-related learning disabilities. Without accessible learning methods, most of these students would not be able to perform to their potential or even graduate. AMAC's services make the college dream a reality.

In addition, by serving the entire system, AMAC has helped save more than $1.3 million in accessible electronic textbook re-use services. Only Georgia provides a comprehensive service, including post production, adaptive technology and a unique student download center to its colleges and universities, making AMAC's system-wide approach a model for the nation. Learn more at www.amac.uga.edu.

Ask the faculty, residents, students and patients of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) School of Dentistry, and they'll tell you that Michael Budd epitomizes the phrase, "I'm Here For You." The school offers discounted dental care to local community members, including cadets at Ft. Gordon Youth Challenge Academy. As the office manager in Admissions, Michael is the first person patients see when they arrive.

"Michael is unfailingly polite and patient in explaining the somewhat confusing process of becoming a patient at the dental school," observes Dr. Jan Mitchell, a dentist and residency director at MCG. "His intelligence and creativity in working out how to make the system work for the patients, doctors and students are really something special."

Dr. Mitchell added, "When we started treating the cadets, Michael spent many hours setting up accounts for them as well as creating innovative ways for us to keep track of their care, Medicaid numbers and parent permission...not an easy job! He is my definition of someone who goes far beyond his job description in customer service."

Thanks to Dr. Mitchell for submitting this story online. Recognize an outstanding employee!

"A true hero thinks of others before thinking of themselves, which is exactly what Raquel Lerma does when speaking with our customers," says Raquel's manager, LeCretia Johnson.

Raquel Lerma is a Qualified Spanish Interpreter for the DHS Office of Child Support Services (OCSS). As the only Spanish-speaking agent in the Call Center, Raquel is a crucial link between the agency and Georgia's Spanish-speaking families in need. She is also part of a new task force created to review the agency's Web site to update all information in Spanish versions.

Raquel often goes the extra mile to assist Spanish-speaking customers by directing them to other community-resource agencies as needed. She recently successfully helped a mother and her children, who were victims of abuse, receive assistance and a place to stay.

One customer wrote: "I want to thank you for having people like Mrs. Raquel Lerma to serve Hispanic people like me who are often afraid to call because we don’t speak very good English. She was so educated and professional by phone when she explained my case. I understand everything now."

Patrick O'Hanlon, Dept. of Driver Services (DDS), helped 25 local church members prepare to become certified to drive a church bus.

Patrick made DDS more accessible to these citizens by hosting a special information session for them at their church. He presented a two-hour program, provided training manuals, conducted a full walk-through of a bus inspection, and helped each person better understand what to anticipate during the testing process.

Mr. Harris, a church member who attended the training session, voiced his appreciation for Patrick's service. Mr. Harris said he never expected a state agency to be so customer-service oriented.

Allison Keene is a customer who was delighted at the fast, accessible service she experienced at the Dept. of Driver Services.

"Last week I visited the Department of Driver Services (Turner Field site) carrying with me a 3,000 page novel I was hoping I wouldn't finish before I was served (giving credence to the disastrous mythology of the DMV).  Instead, I never got off page one of the Prologue.  Though the initial line was long, it moved swiftly, with service being prompt and friendly. In fact, I whizzed through the process of renewing my license (which I couldn't do online because of a post office error) with unbelievable speed and efficiency.  I hardly had time to sit down before my number was called. I was in and out within ten minutes (which, in my experience, breaks all conceivable records)."

Allison added, "The process was again quick and painless, and I was so impressed I felt the need to recount it for you, simply to make you aware that there are men and women in Georgia truly doing their part to make these typically tedious errands far less so, to the point of excellence.  Keep up the great work!"

Carol Paige Lightsey, the public health nurse for McIntosh County, is the only healthcare provider many citizens living in this rural community will see. Because of this, remaining accessible to her customers is a must, especially during flu season.

"For many residents of McIntosh County, the Health Department is their only access to preventive healthcare," said Carol. "To encourage citizens to take advantage of our services, we sometimes hold special events such as a drive-through flu-shot clinic. The clinic allows for quick, convenient vaccinations. Residents simply roll down their windows and roll up their sleeves to get a flu shot. We also provide flu-vaccine outreach clinics at senior citizen centers and other locations throughout the county. In addition, no appointment is necessary to get a flu shot during flu season."

Jesseka Gay and LaToya Rogers Bradley, call center representative and supervisor at the Employees' Retirement System (ERS), recently reached out to an elderly customer lost in Atlanta. Upon learning that their customer had spent more than three hours looking for the ERS building to collect a refund check, Jesseka and LaToya took it upon themselves to help.

"I knew we needed to find out where she was, make sure she was safe, and deliver her check in person," said Jesseka. LaToya added, "We made sure to follow proper procedures and protocol, and then Jessica met the customer at a nearby McDonald's, delivered the check, helped her fill out the necessary paperwork, and made sure she didn’t need any other services.

"Jesseka went out of her way to make service accessible for our customer. This is a great example of the level of customer service we want to provide at ERS," said LaToya.

"Providing accessible customer service sends the message that the agency's philosophy is 'the customer comes first,'" says LeCretia Johnson, call center director for the Department of Human Services' Office of Child Support Services (OCSS). "This is exactly the message all should strive to send, especially government agencies."

The OCSS call center has won state and national recognition for answering and resolving customer calls quickly. LeCretia says the following strategies have helped their team succeed:

• Customer reviews. The team constantly reviews customers' needs and adapts procedures and tools to meet these needs.
• Knowledgeable agents. Agents trained on policies resolve more needs on the first call, resulting in fewer repeat callers. OCSS has also established "research agents" to work on issues that are more complex.
• Self-service. OCSS offers an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and online portal that lets customers enter information and check the status of requests.
• Access to experts. LeCretia's team can quickly escalate calls to OCSS subject matter experts when needed.
• Language access. Be ready to provide for customers who speak little or no English.

"It is rewarding for me to be the one that is here for so many people," says Shakeya Roberson, a customer service specialist for the Teachers Retirement System Call Center. Shakeya handles calls from current and former educators seeking retirement information and assistance. "There are so many aspects of life where you have to make major or life-changing decisions. I feel that my work makes me a part of my customers' journey, and it is as important to me to provide support as it is to them to receive it."

Shakeya's coworkers, Thomasina Richards and Eileen Kouyaté, offer this tip for being more accessible to your customers. "Give every caller your undivided attention and a wonderful personal experience by arriving at work a few minutes early to allow time to clear your mind of issues that may have occurred at home or on your way to work. Being fully accessible means being mentally prepared and ready to serve."

The Teachers Retirement System Call Center is one of the state's most accessible call centers. TRS employees answer all calls in 30 seconds or fewer. In 2007, the team won the Governor's Annual Customer Service Award for Call Center Excellence.

Pictured clockwise from top: Thomasina Richards, Shakeya Roberson and Eileen Kouyaté.

"We encourage people to rethink 'accessible' as a customer-oriented culture," says Mike Galifianakis, State ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator. Mike's team, part of the Georgia State Financing & Investment Commission, helps state agencies make their programs, services and activities accessible and usable by everyone.

The team recently helped a state university improve access for a student who is quadriplegic and uses a wheelchair. Whenever the student attempted to take an elevator to his classroom, the elevator would arrive already packed with students so he could not get on and was late to class.

Senior ADA Architect Tim Bromley advised the administration to begin a dialogue with students with disabilities to identify positive solutions and spread awareness. Tim also advised putting up signage asking people to make room on the elevator for persons with disabilities and personal mobility devices.

"A few weeks later, we received an email from the student stating that as a result of the conversations with the administration and the signage, other students were consistently making room or exiting the elevator so that he could get on and get to class in time," said Tim.

Pictured clockwise from top: Barbara Tucker, Mike Galifianakis, Stacey Peace and Tim Bromley of the State ADA Coordinator's Office..............................