After spending an afternoon with three different Call Center employees, one can see why it is important for the workers to be patient and understanding. Whether a Call Center worker is answering a client’s question about the status of his or her case or explaining the application process for assistance, each worker patiently takes the time to make sure all of the client’s questions are answered.

From 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, Shania Wallace, an information and referral specialist in the Call Center, answered 23 calls. Some of the calls were less than a minute long while some of the calls were longer than 10 minutes.

Wallace’s first call came from a client who was concerned because she had not yet received her check for cash assistance.

"Ma’am, you need to give the worker time to process your case," Wallace explained to the client. "The worker has 10 business days to process your case – the worker is working on your case and we have received your documents. I’d check back next week to see the status of your case."

Wallace received numerous calls from clients about the status of their cases. Many didn’t realize that agency workers had 10 business days to process the case once they received all of the clients’ verification documents.

In some cases, Wallace sends an e-mail to the worker so they’ll contact the client, especially if the client has more questions that Wallace is unable to answer just by looking at the client’s case history via CRIS-E. In other cases, if it is passed the 10-day mark, the Call Center worker will send the client to the Customer Service Office (CSO) to make an official complaint. The worker in the CSO will then check in with the worker and worker’s supervisor to see why the case is still pending and has not been processed.

With some calls, Wallace had to talk over babies screaming in the background or dogs barking at the client’s home. But even as some clients got a little frustrated because their cases were not processed yet, Wallace kept a level head and her voice remained calm as she continued to explain the situation to the client.

The same went for Michael Lee and Stanley Wright, also Information and Referral Specialists for the Call Center. From 1:30 to 2 p.m., Lee answered 14 calls; from 2 to 3 p.m., Wright answered 27 calls. Again, some calls only lasted seconds while others lasted 10 or more minutes.

One of Lee’s callers was a woman who explained she had a brain injury and didn’t understand how to fill out the paperwork to be reimbursed for what Medicaid did not pay for after she went to the hospital.

"I just don’t understand what all of this means," the client said to Lee. "I just need someone to come here and explain it to me. I cannot come down there due to my disability from my stroke and heart attack."

"I understand that, ma’am," Lee said. "From what I see on the computer about your case, the worker understands you need a phone interview. I am going to forward you to a supervisor to see if they can assist you even further."

"Oh, thank you," the client said to Lee. "I cannot thank you enough for your help."

Wright also received a call from a client who was extremely upset because she had not yet received the food stamps for January.

"I want the complaint line," she said as her voice broke, trying to hold back tears. "Every time I call, I get hung up on. I just want to know what’s going on with my case. I have kids to feed and I just need help."

"Ma’am, we’re going to figure out what’s going on," Wright said. "It’s going to be okay."

Wright then forwarded the caller onto the CSO to file an official complaint since the 10 business days had passed for the case to be processed.

"Thank you," the client said. "You’ve been a lot of help."