Customer Service Setup (31)
Description:
Before launching a RUC program, the state should set up the customer service center and train staff so customer service can be offered on Day One. This process involves physically setting up the customer service center according to the specifications as well as training staff to respond according to the content developed during the Customer Service Standard Operating Procedures and Frequently Asked Questions building block. Customer service can be provided in-house by state staff, or outsourced by a third-party customer service company or through a RUC vendor.
Details:
The state or vendor chooses a customer service provider or performs the customer service in-house. The customer service system is physically set up, and all customer service representatives are trained on the standard operating procedures and frequently asked questions (FAQs). The system needs to be thoroughly tested before it goes live.
Primary Use:
Carry out customer service specifications and train staff so customer service staff are ready on Day One.
Best Practices/Lessons Learned:
- In-house customer service provides closer oversight of content, but it is generally more expensive to operate than outsourced customer service.
- Whether customer service is provided in-house or outsourced, testing is vitally important to ensure customer service representatives are trained correctly on standard operating procedures and FAQs. Testing generally involves contacting customer service through various channels to see whether the customer service representatives respond appropriately.
- RUC may not be the only service that customer service representatives support. They may handle multiple different services if their supporting system can facilitate this.
- Ideally, formal customer service is offered during end-to-end testing to test customer service and to train staff or test staff.
- Real, formally operational customer service must be offered during a small-scale operational trial because it is a vital part of the end-user experience.
- Customer service engagement tends to be greatest at the start of a program, so prepare for heavier loads in the first days and months.
State Government Context and Assumptions:
The implementing RUC agency and/or vendor, depending on who will be operating the customer service center, will complete this task. Preparation must be finished so that customer service is operational in time for small-scale operational trial testing; ideally, customer service should be ready in time for end-to-end testing.