Late last month Social Security released Vision 2025, which is basically the agency’s blueprint on how it will achieve three priorities over the next 10 years. These priorities include providing a “superior customer experience,” maintaining “exceptional employees,” and establishing “an innovative organization over the next decade and beyond.”
“We must be prepared to adapt as technology and society changes at an unprecedented rate,” said Carolyn Colvin, Social Security’s acting commissioner. “Vision 2025 is our way of making sure we keep up with these changes, and how we position ourselves to best serve the public in the future.”
Recently, Social Security has expanded its number of online services related to retirement and disability benefits, but has also received criticism for scaling back its level of in-person services as the total number of Social Security field offices have been reduced.
The direction Social Security will take in the future was shaped by input the agency received from employees, labor unions and management associations according to Colvin. Social Security contends that it does not have future plans to further limit face-to-face contact with customers as the agency’s commitment includes “sustaining a field office structure that provides face-to-face service and is responsive to members of the public who need or prefer face-to-face service.”
There is no doubt that any business or government agency has to adapt and adjust how it does business over time, especially when it has been around for close to 80 years like Social Security, but only time will tell if the changes made over the next decade will really be “customer friendly.”
Colvin said the entire idea behind Vision 2025 is to provide outstanding customer service. “We are proud of our longstanding commitment to customer service and continual efforts to improve efficiency,” she said.
To learn more about Vision 2025 and Social Security’s plans for the future click here.
ceive assistance. For these reasons Social Security should not further limit in-person services.
For more discussion on this issue click here.
