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Baldwin County, Alabama has a picture perfect location on the shores of
the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. It’s 167,000 residents live in one of
the fastest growing counties and enjoy a first class educational system,
progressive healthcare, a variety of housing options and arts and
cultural opportunities.
Since the county has always embraced innovation and technology, it
came as no surprise to its residents when the county commission
opened a call center in July of 2004. The Call Center gave its citizens
easy access to government services and information by simply dialing
one number. Questions are answered by a live agent or forwarded
directly to an expert. The Baldwin County Commission’s Call Center
handles 25,000 calls per month on average.
In 2003, the Baldwin County Commission began looking at ways to
improve their current processes for handling citizen inquiries and
decided that a consolidation of the operators who at that time were at
three separate locations would offer better efficiency and customer
satisfaction, as well as reporting and information gathering capabilities.
In evaluating their current system, it was decided that a knowledge base
would be a primary feature to enable operators to consistently, correctly
and efficiently provide “first call resolution.” In addition, some calls would
result in a service request, so the ability to generate these requests
during the call was highly desirable. Finally, since citizens often call local
government for issues not handled by local government, a directory of
all government agencies would allow operators to provide seamless
service by connecting these calls.
Baldwin County chose Lagan to provide the solution to these three
challenges. The Call Center is accessible from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday thru Friday and is transitioning toward a full service contact
center for certain offices, such as Solid Waste and Transportation. In
many instances, the call center provides vital information about
government run and/or sponsored programs, such as the county’s public
transit system.
By the fall of 2009, a self service option will be available 24/7, where
citizens can access government information and place service requests
with the click of a mouse. Tech-savvy citizens can interact with
government when it is convenient for them, rather than calling in to a call
center with high call volume during regular business hours. This lower
cost alternative doesn’t mean lower quality or less customer service, just
more convenience.
Current statistics show that information in the knowledge base is being
utilized, with corresponding service request volume also increasing.
Lagan reporting allows Customer Relationship Manager, Shannon
Spivey, to track what information is given out to callers, ensuring that
information is consistent from call to call.
The real-time data available from call center reporting allows the county’
s website to be more accurate and timely than ever before. Information
on the website drives citizens to self-service features or valuable
information with the result being reduced call volume in the call center,
thereby reducing the call wait time for those who choose to call rather
than click.
While the Baldwin County Commission Call Center has provided
outstanding availability and customer service to citizens with its
consolidated call center, management strives to provide even more
access in the future. Shannon Spivey shares the vision for informational
kiosks in public places and the implementation of a single access
number, such as 311, to simplify access even further.
the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. It’s 167,000 residents live in one of
the fastest growing counties and enjoy a first class educational system,
progressive healthcare, a variety of housing options and arts and
cultural opportunities.
Since the county has always embraced innovation and technology, it
came as no surprise to its residents when the county commission
opened a call center in July of 2004. The Call Center gave its citizens
easy access to government services and information by simply dialing
one number. Questions are answered by a live agent or forwarded
directly to an expert. The Baldwin County Commission’s Call Center
handles 25,000 calls per month on average.
In 2003, the Baldwin County Commission began looking at ways to
improve their current processes for handling citizen inquiries and
decided that a consolidation of the operators who at that time were at
three separate locations would offer better efficiency and customer
satisfaction, as well as reporting and information gathering capabilities.
In evaluating their current system, it was decided that a knowledge base
would be a primary feature to enable operators to consistently, correctly
and efficiently provide “first call resolution.” In addition, some calls would
result in a service request, so the ability to generate these requests
during the call was highly desirable. Finally, since citizens often call local
government for issues not handled by local government, a directory of
all government agencies would allow operators to provide seamless
service by connecting these calls.
Baldwin County chose Lagan to provide the solution to these three
challenges. The Call Center is accessible from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday thru Friday and is transitioning toward a full service contact
center for certain offices, such as Solid Waste and Transportation. In
many instances, the call center provides vital information about
government run and/or sponsored programs, such as the county’s public
transit system.
By the fall of 2009, a self service option will be available 24/7, where
citizens can access government information and place service requests
with the click of a mouse. Tech-savvy citizens can interact with
government when it is convenient for them, rather than calling in to a call
center with high call volume during regular business hours. This lower
cost alternative doesn’t mean lower quality or less customer service, just
more convenience.
Current statistics show that information in the knowledge base is being
utilized, with corresponding service request volume also increasing.
Lagan reporting allows Customer Relationship Manager, Shannon
Spivey, to track what information is given out to callers, ensuring that
information is consistent from call to call.
The real-time data available from call center reporting allows the county’
s website to be more accurate and timely than ever before. Information
on the website drives citizens to self-service features or valuable
information with the result being reduced call volume in the call center,
thereby reducing the call wait time for those who choose to call rather
than click.
While the Baldwin County Commission Call Center has provided
outstanding availability and customer service to citizens with its
consolidated call center, management strives to provide even more
access in the future. Shannon Spivey shares the vision for informational
kiosks in public places and the implementation of a single access
number, such as 311, to simplify access even further.
Baldwin County, Alabama
