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63 yearsCornerstone holds a part of Social Security history

A s the Social Security Actcelebrates its 63rd anni-versary, we want to focus

on an item that few employeesmay know exist.

When the Altmeyer Building atheadquarters was being built inJuly 1959, a diamond gray, Minne-sota granite stone was mortaredin position in the new Social Secu-rity building. Under the corner-stone lies a box that containsartifacts of history. Using themedium of microfilm and taperecording, various items were re-corded, sp ecially treated againstdeteriorati on and placed in thebox. Some of these items includea motion picture of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt signing theoriginal Social Security Act, withsound track; picture and story ofthe first account card; and a pho-tograph and biographical sketchof SSA's first Commissioner,Arthur J. Altmeyer.

Besides these documents,which were reduced to fit into thecapsule, some things were placedin the box without any conver-sion. These included the State-ment of Bureau Objectives,punchcards, electronic tape usedin the accounting operation and acopy of the January 1959 OASIS.Also included are stories fromseven Social Security beneficiaries.

Before being welded shut, thecontainer was filled with inert gasto retard the deterioration of thecontents.

Unlike some time capsules, theSSA cornerstone capsule is not de-signed to be opened on a certaindate. The cornerstone is to stay in-tact as long as the building isstanding.

“The cornerstone is intended asa reminder to future generations,”said SSA Historian Larry Dewitt,“just as the Social Security pro-

gram is a compact across genera-tions.”

The contents of the cornerstonenow lay as a silent sentinel to allthe things the agency holds dear.Here are the physical mementosof principles and philosophy-the policy and dedication to anideal. Sealed in granite, theystand at the foundation of a pro-gram that has grown to be vital toevery American. +

O A S I S 8 Summer 1998

10 years800 number celebrates anniversary of providing customer service

I n October, SSA will celebrateits 10th anniversary of provid-ing toll-free 800-number

telephone service.To meet increasing demands

for telephone service and to im-prove the public’s ability to con-tact SSA by phone, the agencyinitiated a national BOO-numberservice on Oct. 1, 1988. Initially,service was implemented for 60percent of the country-50 per-cent of the public previously cov-ered by local metropolitan TSCsplus an additional 10 percent ofthe public who previously paidtoll charges to reach SSA offices.The new service was provided bythe existing 34 TSCs plus twonew sites in San Juan and Hono-lulu and a new “mega-TSC” inBirmingham. Service was avail-able 12 hours each weekday, from7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

By October 1989, toll-free serv-ice was extended to all U.S. call-ers through the addition of threenew mega-TSCs in Baltimore, Al-buquerque and Auburn, Wash.

“The national 800 numberserves as the primary telephoneanswering point for general in-quiries and reports from peoplewho receive benefits as well asmembers of the general public,”said Steve Aprile, Acting Associ-ate Commissioner for TelephoneServices. “SSA’s public service ob-jective on the 800 number is to

Baltimore TSC Director Terry Stradtman (I.) and Deputy Director Carolyn Cooper-Solomon (r.),jo in employees who were there a t the beginn ing and who cont inue to serve the 800 number . Frontrow, from I.-TSRs Beverley Flester, Carolyn Vick, Beverly Dryhurst and Geraldine Burrell,Technical Assistant June Sheffey, TSR Dirk Dana, Unit Manager Valarie Olson; second row-UnitManager Dayne Yost, System Coordinator Keith Jackson, TSR Noel Flater, Technical AssistantsViv ian Smi th , Eva Green and Amer ica Cordero and TSR L inda F i l l i nger .

provide world-class service toeveryone who calls. Our standardis to provide access to callerswithin five minutes of their first

Calls to the 800 number arehandled by teleservice reps

try and to provide accurate and

(TSRs) in 36 teleservice centersand Spikes (non-TSC telephone

courteous service.”

reps who provide answering sup-port during peak call traffic peri-ods) in the six program servicecenters and the Office of CentralOperations.

“SSA has a long-standing repu-tation as the premier governmentagency when it comes to provid-ing service,” said Steve. “Our 800number reps have been rated bestin the nation for their courteous,knowledgeable and efficient serv-ice. Our challenge has been to pro-

vide our customers with the high-est possible quality services. Theprogram knowledge, technical

“Public response to the 800number has been very enthusias-

accuracy and people skills of the

tic,” said Steve. “In 1994, attempts

TSRs and Spikes deliver on that

to call us exceeded 100 million.Our 800-number operation is the

promise.

most active in the federal govern-ment and one of the world’s larg-est 800-number networks. Callerstell us they prefer doing businesswith SSA over the phone. OurTSRs provide accurate informa-tion and receive high ratings fromcallers in the areas of customersatisfaction and courteous and re-spectful treatment. These are ex-traordinary achievementsconsidering that many calls in-

O A S I S 9 Summer 1998

volve complex eligibility, pay-ment and benefit questions.”

As the 800-number service be-came overwhelmingly popular,SSA found itself unable to meetthe demand, which resulted inlong waits and high busy rates.SSAs executive staff made a com-mitment to focus on improvingpublic accessibility through addi-tional answering resources, en-hanced network technologyinitiatives and process simplifica-tion to allow more calls to behandled at the first point of contact.

Today, approximately 8,000employees provide answeringsupport to the 800 number. Thechanges made to systems and pro-cedures allow front-line employ-ees to completely handle morecalls. The effect is two-fold: in-creased customer satisfaction andhigher job satisfaction for employ-ees. Since its inception, 800-num-ber technology has evolved toprovide telecommunications de-vices for the hearing-impairedcommunity, Spanish languageservices, voice recognition capa-bilities, more automated customerchoices and after-hours informa-tion services.

“Continuous 800-number serv-ice improvements are needed be-cause customer expectationscontinue to change, and we seeannual increases in demand fortelephone services,” Steve said.“In anticipation of changing ex-pectations, we must look to evenmore technology refinements,such as state-of-the-art routingfeatures that will direct calls tothe next available representativeand reduce the need to make man-ual traffic routing adjustments.Also, the Customer Help Informa-tion Program screens will supportTSRs and Spikes in continuing toprovide consistent and accuratepublic service.” 40

Evolution of a desk guide“How long will it take to get a

Social Security card?” “Am I eligi-ble for disability benefits?” “Ineed to report a change of address.”

The answer to these and hun-dreds of other questions receiveddaily on SSA’s national 800 num-ber can be found in the Teleserv-ice Center Operating Guide(TSCOG). As SSA celebrates the19th anniversary of the national800 number, it's important to re-member that the TSCOG is partof its success. The TSCOG hasevolved from a paper desk aid toan online reference source that isused to answer more than 65 mil-lion calls per year.

At the startup of the national800-number service, the agencyrecognized a tool was needed toprovide uniform national guid-ance on how to handle the pub-lic’s questions. The TSRs andSpikesneeded a manual that wascomprehensive yet compact,accessible and easy to read andunderstand.

A small group of central officeand regional employees met tocompile regional “best practices“on call handling. From that work-group, the TSCOG was created.Although the first TSCOG was 50pages, a major rewrite in 1991 ex-panded it to more than 350 pages.Today, the manual is more than500 pages, but it still fits in onebook.

Maintenance of the TSCOG isperformed by a four-memberteam of analysts in the Office ofTelephone Services.

“In order to maintain the guideat a manageable and effectivesize, authors must continuallybalance the amount of informa-tion placed in the TSCOG,”stated Team Leader Pat Taylor.“A quick reference loses its effec-tiveness if it becomes too large

T S R Tamara Johnson, Baltimore TSC, saidshe couldn’t do her job without the TSCOG .

for information to be quickly ac-c e s s e d .

“The TSCOG combines tele-phone operational procedureswith abbreviated versions of pol-icy,” Pat added. “It condenses andmerges information from severalof SSA’s primary references, suchas the POMS, Modernized SystemOperational Manual, etc. Its 38chapters cover nearly every pro-gram area administered by theagency Major updates are issuedonce or twice a year. OTS alsoproduces the TSCOG in a specialformat for the visually impaired.”

This year marks a milestone inthe evolution of the TSCOG be-cause it will be made availableonline to offices that have theCustomer Help and InformationProgram (CHIP) in their IWS/LAN configuration. CHIP is apersonal computer program thatprovides instant access to facts,policies and reference material.Also, the TSCOG has been addedto the CR-ROM.

From paper to online, theTSCOG has evolved into a pri-mary tool which empowers em-ployees to meet our agency’scommitment of providing world-class customer service. 9

OASIS 10 Summer 1998

25 yearsSocial Security Alumni Association celebrates silver anniversary

T hey came to see oldfriends, reminisce aboutyears gone by and to cele-

brate. They came from surround-ing states, and as far away asAlabama and California. And, thebond between them keeps themtogether. They are retirees of SSA.

Over 230 former employeesand their guests gathered at alocal restaurant in Baltimore tocelebrate the 25th anniversary ofthe SSA Alumni Association.

Keynote speaker for the occa-sion was Jack Futterman, whofounded the SSAA. Jack was serv-ing as Assistant Commissioner forAdministration when he retiredin 1972 after 36 years of servicewith the agency. He reminiscedabout the group’s beginnings andalso what it was like to work atSSA in the early years.

“We worked because we likedour jobs,” he said. “It was an op-portunity to work for a programthat had great appeal. Employeeswere proud. We had a tough job,but each participated and gavehis or her best. So when I retired,I did not want to give up all myfriends and co-workers. Therewas a camaraderie among us. Alot of people felt the same way.We also wanted to keep ties withthe organization. So we workedtogether to create the association.”

Attendees had the chance tomeet newly-appointed Commis-

Ed Tall (I.), presents Commissioner Apfel with a proclamation making him an honorary member ofthe SSAA. Jack Futterman and Deputy Commissioner for Communications Joan Wainwrightdisplay the proclamation from the Commissioner recognizing SSAA for its service to the commu-nity and the agency.

sioner Apfel during the luncheon, changes, but the Social Securityas he presented a proclamation to program is going to be there forthe organization in recognition of future generations, just like it hasits service to the community and for the past. . . . Our employeesthe agency. He told attendees, and retirees can be ambassadors“The alumni association has for our program because so manyalways been there to meet the people today still don’t under-needs of the agency.” stand what we are about.”

The Commissioner asked atten-dees to join the effort in helpingpeople decide the future of SocialSecurity. “In my opinion, our pro-gram is the most important issuefacing this country for the next 20years. There will have to be

Ed Tall, President of the SSAA,then presented the Commissionerwith a proclamation making himan honorary member of theorganization.

Attendees also enjoyed stroll-ing “down memory lane” by

OASIS 12 Summer 1998

viewing a pictorial display of SSAbuildings and employees, createdby SSA Historian Larry Dewitt.

With national headquarterslocated in Baltimore, SSAA is anon-profit organization com-prised of 17 local chapters in vari-ous regions of the countryApproximately 3,400 retirees aremembers of the organization.SSAA members are entitled to par-ticipate in all national associationactivities and receive the SocialTimes newsletter, OASIS maga-zine and the SSAA membershipdirectory

“We’d really like to increaseour membership,” said Ed Tall.“There are a lot of retired SSAers,as well as current employees,who aren’t aware of our associa-tion. It’s a great way to retainfriendships after retirement. Andit’s really fun to get togethersocially with people you’veknown for many years.”

Anyone interested in joining orfinding out more about the SSAAcan call 410-965-7433 or write tothem at P.O. Box 47126, Baltimore,Md., 21244-7126.

“As active members of thealumni association, SSA retireescan contribute a lot to the agencyand have fun at the same time,”said Ed. $0

MI architectureFramework modernizes delivery of data

W hat’s the processingtime for disability casesthat have congressional

inquiries? How many title II andtitle XVI weekly claims did theAppleton, Wis., Field Officereceive?

To answer these and similarquestions about the work proc-esses at SSA, the Office of Infor-mation Management developeda Management Information Archi-tecture that will serve as theframework for all SSA manage-ment information.

“We hope to modernize thedelivery of management informa-tion with the MI architecture,”said Judy Ziolkowski, ActingAssociate Commissioner for Infor-mation Management. “The newframework will make manage-ment information much moreuser friendly for our diverse cus-tomer base, which includes SSAexecutives, managers and pro-gram analysts.”

The MI architecture has fourcomponents-a Data Warehouse,Operational Data Stores, an Ex-ecutive and Management Infor-mation Site (EMIS) and aRepository.

“The Data Warehouse storesSocial Security mission-criticaldata in a multi-dimensional data-base structure,” said Judy. “Em-

ployees may access this datathrough powerful online analyti-cal processing tools in order tomake strategic decisions abouttheir workloads.”

Through an ongoing pilot DataWarehouse, implemented lastMay, the Office of Disability hasaccess to data pertaining to allaspects of SSA’s disability casedecisions.

“The Data Warehouse hasreduced the time required torespond to our customer’s datainquiries and freed staff to concen-trate on other projects,” saidTeam Leader Terry Dodson, OD.“And, once we access informa-tion, we have the online capabil-ity of viewing and manipulatingdata to suit the customers needs.”

Operational Data Stores withinthe MI architecture will provideoffice managers with informationto help them make day-to-day tac-tical decisions about their work-loads. There is currently a storefor title XVI data, and, in the fu-ture, there will be stores for titleII, disability, earnings, enumera-tion, processing center and admin-istrative data.

“The title XVI OperationalData Store is very exciting,” saidAnna Crane, a team leader in theSan Francisco Regional Office.“The store provides operations

OASIS 1 3 Summer 1998