1	Court Services Customer Service Wait Times Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee January 17, 2006
2	Objective To observe Court Services customer service delivery in order to provide recommendations to: Reduce the amount of time a customer waits for service Improve the quality of service provided Enhance the overall customer experience
3	Approach Conducted scheduled and unscheduled site visits to observe workflow Consulted stakeholders for feedback on services provided by Courts Researched customer service delivery models deployed in other court and non-court entities Prioritized recommendations and developed Action Plans Conducted follow-up site visits to assess impacts of implemented recommendations
4	Customer Service Recommendations Overview Based on initial observations and analysis (see detailed list in “Appendix A”), over 30 recommendations made to: Increase and/or expand service time delivery hours Remove customers from the line by providing alternative options for customer service Process customers more efficiently Improve the perception of customer service by increasing the customer’s comfort level and providing other activities to engage the customer while waiting Recommendations are in various stages of implementation and have been planned on 30, 60, 90, and 180 days and beyond implementation schedules (see detailed list in “Appendix B”) Several recommendations have been implemented and the results are being seen
5	Impact of Implemented Recommendations As a result of improvements made so far, customers have experienced: Shorter wait times in line to speak with a customer service representative During initial observation period (Aug/Sep ’05), wait time ranged from 19 to 48 minutes During a recent observation (Nov/Dec ’05), wait time ranged from 0 to 30 minutes
6	Impact of Implemented Recommendations More convenient hours of operation Customer service windows open at 7:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. More windows are open during lunch hours and other peak times More readily available information Information booth in lobby is staffed at 7:00 a.m. when the building opens An additional information booth at the main entrance on Harwood is also staffed Service lines are monitored regularly by staff
7	Impact of Implemented Recommendations Opportunity to submit feedback Suggestion box placed in lobby area Public feedback telephone number posted at each service window Friendlier customer service Observed staff smiling and greeting customers more often
8	Next Steps Monitor customer wait times monthly to account for any seasonal variances Begin customer feedback programs April 2006 to gauge customer perception of service Continue to make adjustments to service delivery techniques as required Provide internet and telephone payment options Summer 2006 Continue with implementation of all recommendations as outlined in “Appendix B”
9	Appendix A Detailed Observations Customers Arrived in line at the lobby of 2014 Main as early as 7:15 a.m. Reported arrival times outside of the building as early as 6:30 a.m. (building opens at 7:00 a.m.) All customers are screened by security officers as they enter the building on Harwood Observed as many as 94 customers in line at 7:45 a.m. (56 in Magistrate Court, 19 in each of two service lines) Appeared confused and were unable to request information before 8:00 a.m. when staff arrived Wandered around building Stood for periods of time at information booth looking around Asked security officers for information that they were either unable to, or instructed not to provide Majority were Spanish speaking Many paid in cash Waited several minutes in line for service Observed customer wait times from as short as 19 minutes to as long as 48 minutes Out of 11 available windows, observed as few as three windows opened and as many as eight windows opened at one time (not including Magistrate or Attorney windows)
10	Appendix A Detailed Observations Customers Presented with more than one citation Customers removed “wads” of tickets from their pockets Many had multiple violations on a single ticket Customers already in line became restless when a crowd of customers gathered at information desk Seemed uninformed about court process and options to dispose of citations Defendants would occasionally ask customer service representatives to make a decision for them as to whether or not to set a court date or pay the fee Many were unaware of the options to dispose of tickets Most brought family members and/or friends with them; lines appeared longer than necessary Did not maintain control of children Mistakenly stood in line for services that could only be provided by the Magistrate Court Judge Dismiss “No Insurance” violations Dismiss ticket based on “Time served”
11	Appendix A Detailed Observations Customer Support Opened first general window between 7:59 – 8:05 a.m. (2014 Main) Information booth first opened between 8:00 – 8:23 a.m. Some staff projected less than customer friendly attitudes No greetings No smiles Appeared less than empathetic when customer did not understand options Periodically, Spanish speaking customers were required to step aside to wait until Spanish speaking staff became available Created some confusion in the flow of the line; it became unclear as to who was next in line Caused “mini” lines to form in front of various service windows On occasion, a “payment only” line was created by transferring customers from the main service lines Created perception of “skipping” if the announcement was not heard or understood
12	Appendix A Detailed Observations Customer Support Complete and consistent information was not always provided Options for disposition were not presented The insurance declaration page was not always explained as a requirement for showing “Proof of insurance” Customers were sent to the Magistrate Court “window” long after the last number had been given without explanation of the process of serving the first fifty in the morning and first forty in the afternoon Windows were staffed but did not accept customers Staff was completing process from previous customer Staff was processing documents (not sure about specific activity) Extremely difficult to speak with a customer representative by phone at 670-0109 Four out of five test calls resulted in no answer or busy signal when transferring to attendant from the Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) Three out of three test calls resulted in busy signal when transferring to attendant from the IVR
13	Appendix A Detailed Observations Facilities - 2014 Main Limited seating available for customers Only one bench provided with capacity for about nine adults Lobby area is congested with traffic to and from the courts Inadequate signage No clear signs directing traffic to specific areas for service Outmoded building directory Atmosphere does not promote high morale, impacting customer service Staff area appears dirty and cluttered with paper Offices seem dark and drab Furniture is old Limited workspace per employee Building is not ADA compliant Customers in wheel chairs must enter on Main Street via the exit Windows are not low enough to be easily accessed by customers in wheel chairs Not enough parking for staff No space beneath window for customers to use as a writing surface Some amenities were non functioning Pay telephone ATM Water fountain Limited restroom facilities A maximum of three officers visible at any time providing security for lobby area
14	Appendix A Detailed Observations Facilities - Lew Sterrett Limited seating available for customers Only one bench provided with capacity for about four adults Appears dark and drab Signs provide limited information Confusion existed between City and County service windows Quick drop box was being used as trash can No system in place to form or maintain service lines Broadcast messages over the public announcement (PA) system were hard to understand (PA system is owned by the County) Atmosphere felt unsafe Screening officers did not appear to provide security for the building Inmates were transferred in and out of building (with security guard) Potential customer appeared to be passed out in the corner; slept for three hours uninterrupted by security officers
15	Appendix A Detailed Observations Technology Printers are extremely slow and outdated Five transactions may be required to dispose of one ticket Staff has to allocate fees on cashier screen Telephone system does not appear to have capacity to handle volume of calls; the problem could either be with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) or the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system Entering new citations into the system took about 15 minutes In one sample, 14 pieces of paper were printed to process seven tickets Staff had to consult paper manuals for codes to process citations Several transactions performed manually: defensive driving, community service and work release programs
16	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations Implemented to Date
17	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations Implemented to Date
18	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations 30 Day Implementation
19	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations 60 Day Implementation
20	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations 90 Day Implementation
21	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations 180 Day and Beyond Implementation
22	Appendix B Customer Service Recommendations 180 Day and Beyond Implementation
23	Appendix C Statistical Analyses