how cabarrus county's modernized lobby improved... everything [original slides]

teamnorthwoods.comRevolutionizing the Delivery of Human Services®

How Cabarrus County’s Modernized Lobby Improved… Everything

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Presenters

Greg TippingChief Services Officer & Vice President of

State Operations

Diane GridleyEconomic Services

Program Administrator

Tamela CrockettIncome Maintenance

Supervisor

Natalia YoungIncome Maintenance

Caseworker II

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5 Key Areas

Health Check

Improving Client Services

Improving Worker Morale

Improving Communication

Improving Visibility into Operations

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What is a Health Check?

Northwoods evaluates how well software and business processes

are working to meet business needs.

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Health Check Key Findings/Challenges

Regression

Inefficient Processes

Communication Issues

Poor Customer Service

?

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Recommendations

Upgrade Compass Appointments to mitigate regression

Modernize business processes by eliminating manual processes

Improve communication with a cross-functional change

Improve customer service with redesigned lobby and greeter to check-in clients

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Improving Client Service

To improve customer service, CabarrusCounty DHS redesigned the confusing and

inefficient lobby flow to decrease wait times and reduce client frustration.

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Improving Client Service

Before

Take a Ticket

Window

Express Center

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Improving Client Service

After

Caseworker: Applyfor services

Window: Recertifications,basic information changes

Express Center: Scan & dropoff documents, pick up mail

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After:

Ease Client Frustration

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After:

Ease Client Frustration

Caseworkers not spending appointment time diffusing frustration

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After:

Ease Client Frustration

Caseworkers not spending appointment time diffusing frustration

Caseworkers saving 10-20 minutes per client

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Greeter Benefits

“Someone this morning said ‘I’m so glad to see somebody instead of a machine, to see a person.’ People like to see

a smiling face when they walk in.”

Vessie TenorioIncome Maintenance Caseworker I

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Improving Worker Morale

Another goal for Cabarrus County DHS was to reduce stress and improve

morale for caseworkers.

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Why Were Workers Stressed?

1. Manual processes didn’t ensure cases were distributed evenly – weren’t using Compass Appointments round robin

2. Caseworkers took the brunt of clients’ frustrations

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Assigning one clerical worker to manually distribute clients to caseworkers introduced several issues:

No Tracking

Risk of Human Error

Stress of Managing Frustrated Clients

Limited Client Information

Lost Productivity!

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To boost worker morale and help caseworkers process applications more efficiently, Cabarrus County DHS took two critical steps:

1. Upgrade Compass Appointments to take advantage of automated features

2. Revamp business processes so the right workers are working on the right tasks

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Benefits:

Automated Distribution

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Benefits:

Automated Distribution

Reporting

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Benefits:

Automated Distribution

Reporting

Improved Productivity

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Benefits:

Automated Distribution

Reporting

Improved Productivity

Understand Client Needs

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Benefits:

Automated Distribution

Reporting

Improved Productivity

Understand Client Needs

Less Client Frustration

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Improving Communication

Cabarrus County also worked to

resolve communication issues

that hampered efficiency.

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Communication Challenges

Inconsistent Processes

Poor Communication Methods

Technology Mismatched to Business Needs

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Improving Communication

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

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Improving Communication

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Improved Communication Methods

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Improving Communication

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Business Analyst

Improved Communication Methods

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Improving Visibility into Operations

Cabarrus County didn’t have visibility into its operations in the lobby or throughout the agency because of

all the manual processes.

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Lack of Visibility Challenges

Not Understanding Clients Needs?

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Lack of Visibility Challenges

Not Understanding Clients Needs

Can’t Adjust in Real Time

?

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Lack of Visibility Challenges

Not Understanding Clients Needs

Can’t Adjust in Real Time

Lack Data to Justify Resources

?

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Visibility Improvements

Understand Client’s Needs

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Visibility Improvements

Understand Client’s Needs

Real Time Staffing Adjustments

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Visibility Improvements

Understand Client’s Needs

Real Time Staffing Adjustments

Reliable Data to Justify Resources

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Project Outcomes

• Reduced client and caseworker frustration

• Improved lobby flow and reduced lobby wait time

• Helped manage ACA, NC FAST

• Sped up timely application processing

• Provided leadership visibility into operations

• Saved caseworkers 1-2 hours per day

• Repurposed 1 FTE, saving 40 hours per week

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Learn more

Download the case study or watch the video series at teamnorthwoods.com

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Questions?

Greg TippingChief Services Officer & Vice President of

State Operations

Diane GridleyEconomic Services

Program Administrator

Tamela CrockettIncome Maintenance

Supervisor

Natalia YoungIncome Maintenance

Caseworker II

Email: info@teamnorthwoods.com

Website: teamnorthwoods.com