Social Security Administration: More Cost-Effective Approaches Exist to Further Improve 800-Number Service
HEHS-97-79
Published: Jun 11, 1997. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 1997.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) 800 number service, focusing on: (1) how well SSA's 800 number provides service to the public; and (2) what steps SSA needs to take to ensure that improvements to the 800 number are cost-effective.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | To serve the public's growing demand for SSA's 800-number services with limited resources, SSA needs to take additional steps toward improving the 800 number in a cost-effective manner. These steps should include developing a plan for expanding automated services that both systematically identifies additional transactions for automation and, for sensitive transactions, protects against fraud and inappropriate disclosure of private information and ensures program integrity and customer privacy. |
Closed – Implemented
While SSA does not have one formal plan for expanding automated 800-number services, it has taken numerous actions in this direction, and considers this something it now does in the course of business. Recent and ongoing actions include: (1) forming a work group in the summer of 1999, that came up with recommendations and an action plan to improve the 800-number; (2) working with a new vendor (MCI) to streamline the automated service menu; (3) studying "mainframe access" to allow more sensitive automated transactions; and (4) exploring natural speech language software that would remove menu restrictions. In addition, SSA routinely identifies the top 25 reasons why customers call the 800-number to evaluate their potential for automated message service. Finally, SSA's new 2010 Vision for customer service emphasizes the Agency's commitment to expanding automated services over the 800-number, and its strategic plan spells out specific automation goals.
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| Social Security Administration | To serve the public's growing demand for SSA's 800-number services with limited resources, SSA needs to take additional steps toward improving the 800 number in a cost-effective manner. These steps should include developing and implementing a plan for reducing the number of call centers to save money and enhance service provided by SSA representatives. |
Closed – Not Implemented
SSA has no plan to reduce the number of call centers. Instead, SSA might reduce the number of automated call distributors (ACDs) as it replaces older ACDs, which can reduce costs by electronically consolidating calls, rather than consolidating telephone service centers (TSCs). SSA also plans to use new software ("Intelligent Network Routing") with its new ACD platform, to create one virtual queue, and thus improve service to callers. SSA expects to award a contract to replace its ACDs at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2000, and to make replacements over a 6 to 18 month period starting the first quarter of FY2001. It is not yet clear how much would be saved by this action, and whether it would compare favorably to the option of closing TSCs.
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| Social Security Administration | To serve the public's growing demand for SSA's 800-number services with limited resources, SSA needs to take additional steps toward improving the 800 number in a cost-effective manner. These steps should include comparing the cost-effectiveness of expanding the 800-number service with that of other service delivery methods, such as face-to-face service. |
Closed – Implemented
SSA agreed with this recommendation. One key SSA official said that cost-effectiveness of initiating new toll-free services would always be taken into account. Furthermore, he said decisions would not always be made in favor of the least costly approach--the fact that a new way of delivering a service improves overall customer service can take precedence. For example, the Deputy Commissioner of Operations recently conducted a pilot to evaluate the feasibility of taking claims over the toll free number, but did not produce a formal cost-effectiveness study. Roll out of this initiative began February 2000, and should be completed by September 25, 2000, on the basis of its customer service merits.
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| Social Security Administration | To serve the public's growing demand for SSA's 800-number services with limited resources, SSA needs to take additional steps toward improving the 800 number in a cost-effective manner. These steps should include establishing additional performance measures to more fully assess the consequences of expanding 800-number services, including measures for the promptness and completeness of 800-number customer service. |
Closed – Implemented
In accordance with GAO's recommendation to more fully measure promptness of 800-number service, the agency recently developed two new performance measures for the 800-number, one of which tracks the average speed of answer, including time spent on hold. The agency is currently establishing targets for these two measures, and plans to formally adopt them in its fiscal year 2005 performance plan. In the meantime, SSA will be tracking its performance against these measures prior to their official adoption.
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CentralizationCost controlCost effectiveness analysisCustomer serviceFederal agency reorganizationGovernment information disseminationPerformance measuresSocial security benefitsStaff utilizationSupplemental security incomeTelephonesMedicare