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Social Security Customer Service: Improving, but slowly. - Newsweek
Since being appointed as the new Commissioner of Social Security, Frank Bisignano is spearheading an intense drive to improve the agency’s customer service. In fact, according to the SSA, service levels have, indeed, improved year-to-year in spite of 70% higher call volume in the current fiscal year. According to this Newsweek article, the average speed of answer for telephone calls fell dramatically from last year’s average, wait time in SS field offices has greatly improved, and the backlog of disability cases has dropped sharply. All of this is, of course, good news largely driven by the Agency’s recent modernization efforts, but that doesn’t mean the job of improving customer service is over. There are still improvements to be made, as evidenced by input from those who contact Social Security directly, and who subsequently use the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service. Our fervent hope is that Agency customer service will continue to improve, even in the face of recent SSA staff reductions. This Newsweek article elaborates.