OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT - Chattanooga

1 OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT Stan Sewell, City Auditor 101 East 11th Street Chattanooga , Tennessee 37402 (423) 425-6202 FAX: (423) 425-6204 E-MAIL: December 19, 2012 Mayor and City Council City of Chattanooga Chattanooga , TN 37402 RE: IS 311 call center Operations, AUDIT 12-06 Dear Mayor Littlefield and City Council Members: Attached is the OFFICE of INTERNAL AUDIT 's report on Information Services 311 call center Operations, AUDIT 12-06. We thank the management and staff of the Information Services, Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Neighborhood Services departments for their cooperation and assistance during this AUDIT . Sincerely, Stan Sewell, CPA, CGFM City Auditor Attachment cc: Dan Johnson, Chief of Staff AUDIT Committee Members Mark Keil, Chief Information Officer Jana Lowery, Application Services Manager Liz Henley, 311 Customer Service Supervisor Steve Leach, Public Works Administrator Larry Zehnder, Parks and Recreation Administrator INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT 311 call center OPERATIONS AUDIT 12-06 INTRODUCTION In February of 2003, the City of Chattanooga launched its new 3-1-1 call center to implement a One call to City Hall program.

2 The call center simplifies citizen access to government by providing a single point of contact for all City services. There have been almost 800,000 completed service requests taken and over 2 million calls handled by the call center as of 2011. Exhibit 1: call Volume Statistics Calendar Year200720082009201020112012 Service Request*76,401 72,663 66,443 114,711 135,692 111,876 Incoming Calls249,462 254,281 264,076 271,720 284,690 119,453 Abandoned Calls58,849 55,380 51,671 66,287 89,720 19,762 Answered Calls188,373 196,278 208,508 200,509 189,775 98,311 Abandonment Source: 311 call center s Annual ACD Statistics Reports. 2012 data is six months only excepting *service requests reported on fiscal year basis per City s CABR for all years.

3 311 Service Request data are used as a budget tool to enable directors and supervisors from each department to understand what resources are needed for the upcoming year. The 311 staff provides support for departments such as Public Works, Neighborhood Services, Storm Water Management, Parks and Recreation, and City Court. The Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) are tasked with knowing what is happening within the Municipal Government, such as road construction, special events and changes in department policies and procedures. There are over 300 different service request types in the Citizen Service Request system and each CSR received training to know which department handles the issue a citizen is reporting. The creation of the 3-1-1 call center has given all city government departments the ability to re-evaluate the way citizen complaints are expedited, the time needed to complete a given task, and what areas of the city need the most attention.

4 2 Financial Information In fiscal year ending 2012, the call center s expenditures were $535,000. Employee wages and benefits account for approximately 91% of total expenditures during each fiscal year. Exhibit 2: call center Expenditures Fiscal YearTotal Expenditures2008438,808$ 2009466,925$ 2010488,180$ 2011525,016$ 2012535,274$ Source: City Financial Records STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES This AUDIT was conducted in accordance with the INTERNAL AUDIT Division's 2012 AUDIT Agenda. The objectives of this AUDIT were to determine if: 1. The 3-1-1 call center provides quality customer service; 2. The program provides accurate and quality information to City departments; and, 3. The program provides accurate and relevant performance data to management.

5 STATEMENT OF SCOPE Based on the work performed during the preliminary survey and the assessment of risk, the AUDIT covers call center Operations from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. When appropriate, the scope was expanded to meet the AUDIT objectives. Source documentation was obtained from Information Services department. Original records as well as copies were used as evidence and verified through physical examination. STATEMENT OF METHODOLOGY We interviewed personnel involved in the call center initiative from various City departments including Information Services, Public Works, Neighborhood Services, and Parks and Recreation. We interviewed personnel from various City departments about the service request process to determine whether the call center provides accurate information to the departments handling the service request.

6 To evaluate the efficiency of the call center , we observed customer service representatives interactions with citizens. We conducted a citizen satisfaction survey by telephone. We also listened to a sample of call recordings to test quality control. 3 To develop our recommendations, we reviewed industry best practice documents. We also contacted two similar sized cities call centers located in the southeast and interviewed personnel to identify common and best practices among the City s peers. The cities selected for review were: Columbus, Georgia and Knoxville, Tennessee. The sample size and selection were statistically generated using a desired confidence level of 90 percent, expected error rate of 5 percent, and a desired precision of 5 percent. Statistical sampling was used in order to infer the conclusions of test work performed on a sample to the population from which it was drawn and to obtain estimates of sampling error involved.

7 When appropriate, judgmental sampling was used to improve the overall efficiency of the AUDIT . To achieve the AUDIT s objectives, reliance was placed on computer-processed data contained in the Motorola CRM system and Symposium phone system. We assessed the reliability of the data contained in the two systems and conducted sufficient tests of the data. Based on these assessments and tests, we concluded the data was sufficiently reliable to be used in meeting the AUDIT s objectives. STATEMENT OF AUDITING STANDARDS We conducted this performance AUDIT in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the AUDIT to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our AUDIT objectives.

8 We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our AUDIT objectives. AUDIT CONCLUSIONS Based upon the test work performed and the AUDIT findings noted below, we conclude that: 1. Overall, the call center provides quality customer service. However, opportunities exist to increase efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. 2. call center staff provide accurate and quality information to City departments. 3. In some instances, the statistics generated from the CRM system do not reflect the true performance of a department. While the findings discussed below may not, individually or in the aggregate, significantly impair the operations of the 311 call center , they do present opportunities and risks that can be more effectively controlled.

9 4 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Overall, citizen satisfaction surveys indicate the majority of citizens are satisfied with the 311 call center . Customer satisfaction surveys are used to discover what the call center is doing wrong, what areas need improvement and how the City is perceived by its constituents. Surveys should be ongoing, to determine if actual improvements occur after issues have been identified. Without information about customer satisfaction, City administration and the governing body cannot determine the true value and operating effectiveness of the 311 call center . We conducted a citizen survey and compared the current results to the previous two citizen satisfaction surveys performed by The University of Tennessee in 2004 and 2005. Each survey consisted of a random sample of persons contacting the call center for service request during a historical six month period.

10 It should be noted the surveys do not provide feedback from citizens who contacted the City for information purposes only. Customer service courtesy ratings continued to receive high marks, with 91% rating courtesy as excellent or good in 2012 compared to and in 2004 and 2005, respectively. We found call agents showed great strides providing assistance to citizens without referrals to other departments with in 2004 compared to in 2012. Consistent with 2005, of citizens indicated calls were answered by a CSR within two (2) minutes. The 2012 survey indicates the call center met its goal of maintaining satisfaction ratings of good or excellent for 90 percent of 311 contacts. Since the surveys were conducted using historical data, the results may not accurately reflect the customer s true experience.