The Blog

Karen Lee, Employment Security Commissioner

01/05/10

The recession is starting to ease, but it will take time for our unemployment rate to drop significantly. At the Employment Security Department, we’re not easing up our efforts to improve service to people who are claiming unemployment benefits. We’ve hired more intake staff, added phone lines and extended our call hours.

These measures have helped, but telephone wait times continue to be too long at times. That’s why we’re excited about a new service we�ve added that allows customers the option of being called back instead of waiting on hold.

This technology � called “virtual hold” � has been used successfully by airlines, utility providers and other businesses, and we think it’s a great fit for the unemployment-claims phone line.

Currently, about 250,000 people are claiming benefits in our state each week. We expect the call-back option to improve the call-center experience for our customers and for our agents. Our customers can go about their lives and save on cell-phone minutes while waiting to be called back.

How virtual hold works: An unemployed worker dials the unemployment call center (800-318-6022) to file a claim. If the wait time is more than a few minutes, the phone system informs the caller about the approximate wait time, asks if the caller would like to be called back, requests the person’s name and phone number, and provides an estimate of when the call will be returned.

As the caller approaches the top of the queue, the system automatically dials the caller back and, if the call is answered, connects it to an intake agent. If the unemployment-insurance claimant doesn’t answer the phone, several attempts will be made to reach the number that was provided.

So far, customer response to this new service has been very positive. Virtual hold is another way that Employment Security is helping to turn hard times into better times.