In a recent report of Social Security’s upcoming budget priorities the agency contends that it worked “aggressively to procure equipment to overcome supply change issues to obtain additional hardware employees needed to serve the public remotely,” and that with additional funding Social Security could cut phone wait times to 12 minutes for service on the agency’s national 800 number.
This may not seem like a lofty goal to some people, but if you’ve ever had a need to call Social Security’s 800 number you likely know that, if achieved, reducing wait times for service down to 12 minutes would seem like a monumental achievement.
It appears that Social Security still has a long way to go before it reaches its goal of a 12 minute phone wait as there have been more calls than ever that Social Security agents have had to deal with over the last 15 months due to Social Security offices being closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although wait time for phone service is definitely in need of improvement so is the service that the agents provide. Too many times the agents that staff the 800 Social Security number have conflicting information to provide to customers especially if there is an active claim pending where accurate information is needed. Too many times claimants and representatives, who assist claimants, can be provided incorrect information about a claim, which leads to confusion. Hopefully, along with reducing wait times, Social Security also takes steps to improve the accuracy of the information that agents provide to claimants and their representatives. Below is a description of Social Security’s agenda to improve phone service.
In FY 2021, we expect our agents to handle over 36 million calls, including about 5 million calls handled through our automated self-service options. We have been steadily improving wait times, busy rates, and overall service through targeted hiring, revising training methods, and advancing automated services. By the end of FY 2022, we expect to reduce average wait times to 12 minutes. We also plan to reduce the average busy rate to 1 percent.
We are implementing our Next Generation Telephony Project (NGTP) to improve our telephone service across the agency. NGTP will replace our three current telephone systems with a single platform to improve service while integrating modernized telecommunications technology. We expect the single platform phone system will operate more efficiently than our current platforms. NGTP will provide callers with additional information and options to improve their experience, including providing expected wait times and scheduled callbacks, which will reduce the wait to speak with an agent. It will also include automated options for inquiries regarding Medicare replacement cards, 1099s, and claim status. Additionally, NGTP will help us to streamline and enhance our training for new hires, which will allow our employees to begin handling calls earlier. We have developed a robust program for measuring performance and communicating expectations, which NGTP will support. We plan to transition to the new system within the next year and then incorporate new features.
