WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
Just two weeks after transitioning away from a regional call center, Knox County Job and Family Services officials say the move is already improving customer service while reducing potential staffing costs.
During the July 16 meeting of the Knox County Board of Commissioners, Job and Family Services Director Scott Boone and Public Assistance Administrator Carla Pullen updated commissioners on the agency’s transition to a standalone call center dedicated exclusively to Knox County residents.
For more than a decade, Knox County participated in a regional call center serving eight counties. Under that system, employees routinely handled calls and processed cases from other counties, even though Knox County consistently ranked among the highest-performing agencies in the consortium. Officials said mistakes made by other counties could negatively affect Knox County’s state performance metrics.
The county officially began operating independently on July 1.
According to Pullen, the first two weeks have exceeded expectations. From July 1 through July 14, staff answered 360 of 372 incoming calls, a 96.8 percent answer rate. The average wait time was less than two minutes—far better than the state’s average—and the average call length was also below state benchmarks.
Officials also expect the change to generate long-term savings. Boone said the department currently has four vacant caseworker positions but expects to fill only one, leaving three positions vacant because the streamlined workflow should allow existing staff to handle the workload more efficiently.
Commissioners praised the department’s research and planning, saying the transition gives Knox County greater control over customer service while allowing employees to focus entirely on local residents.
The county plans to formally join a different statewide support group in October to remain eligible for state technology funding while continuing to operate independently.
