2019-104 Credit and CollectionsDate: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Credit and Collections Follow-Up Summary
BACKGROUND:
In October 2017, the Public Utilities Board and City Council received a presentation of Credit and
Collections results and practices. The review was specific to Ordinance 2010-292, which details
Denton Municipal Utilities’ credit and collection practices implemented in response to
recommendations made by Navigant Consulting in a 2008 management review and evidence that the
City’s uncollectible debt was increasing in amount and proportion to total accounts receivables.
Through review and discussion of information requests, in November 2017 the Public Utilities Board
recommended and City Council gave direction to increase funding by $25,000 for the P.L.U.S One
program, allow funding to be used towards deposit, update criteria for new contract and proceed with
a Homelessness Deposit Waiver. In December 2017, City Council provided direction for
modifications regarding internal credit scoring and deposit assessment which were adopted in January
2018.
March 26, 2019, Customer Service presented results based on credit and collections changes
implemented in the spring of 2018. Additionally, Navigant Consulting presented a follow up study
of the overall credit and collections program and practices implemented resultant from their 2008
study recommendations.
DISCUSSION:
Based on information received on March 26, Council requested clarification and additional
information on several topics. Customer Service has actively researched and collected these topics
and has made the following conclusions. Actionable items have also been addressed.
Interfaith Ministries, Inc. Customer Service Evaluation
At the direction of the City Manager, Customer Service conducted a review of customer partnerships
with Interfaith Ministries, Inc. A document regarding the client satisfaction survey of Interfaith
Ministries, Inc. which contains the formal letter sent by City of Denton, Interfaith’s action plan,
Customer Service’s follow-up questions and a meeting summary is included with this report.
The survey sample for included 59 of 264 families who received assistance with 24 clients
participating in the survey. For clients who were denied an appointment or were denied assistance,
we were only able to obtain contact information for 30 clients and only 5 were reached and chose to
participate in the survey.
Interfaith did not maintain a comprehensive list with contact information for clients who did not
receive assistance, nor have they actively sought feedback from clients who no-show for their
appointment. However, Interfaith has begun collecting the email address of every potential client
Date: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
who is willing to provide it. That list will be included with the monthly reports provided to Customer
Service.
The information will be utilized to send a monthly survey to each of the residents on the client list
and will include a comment area for the resident to note whether they arrived at the appointment as
scheduled and if they did not, to please say why.
Homelessness Deposit Waiver Utilization
The deposit waiver program is a benefit to participants in housing assistance programs such as
transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing programs. In February of
2018 and again in June of 2018, the availability of the program was announced, and the application
sent out to eligible local nonprofit agencies. It was also promoted by staff at various community
coalitions and meetings.
Three agencies applied and were accepted between February 2018 and July 2018: Giving Hope, Inc.,
Interfaith Ministries, and the Veteran Community Navigator Program. In April, Our Daily Bread, the
Salvation Army, and Grace Like Rain have been added to the available agencies for clients who are
receiving rental assistance or housing stability case management. These are in addition to Denton
County Friends of the Family who was already receiving deposit waiver assistance for victims of
family violence through Customer Service prior to the program’s implementation.
Utilization of the program may vary due to fluctuations in available housing and funding for housing
assistance programs and staff turn-over in agencies resulting in lower awareness of the program over
time. It is also possible that new program funding awarded may make other agencies eligible for the
program that were not previously eligible. In recognition of the need to provide ongoing awareness
of the program, Community Development staff will promote the program to community nonprofit
providers and community coalitions through a quarterly direct email campaign and will include a
promotion of the program on the City’s website.
Rate Programs Research
Navigant Consulting indicated that some utility systems offer alternative rate structures and discount
programs such as senior rates, Life-line/Income-based rates, arrears forgiveness, and weatherization
incentives. Customer Service has reviewed the program offerings of Austin, Houston, Lubbock, and
San Antonio and have included Equivalent Number of Days Revenue Outstanding (ENDRO) and
debt performance where possible.
Debt Performance Programs Offered
Debt
Ratio
ENDRO Income
Based
Other
(Sr, Vet, Medical)
Efficiency
Improvements
Donated
Funds
Denton 0.15% 22 X X
Austin 0.45% 38 X X X X
DeSoto X
Houston X X
Lubbock 0.54% X
San Antonio 0.32% X X X
Date: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
State regulations prohibit municipalities from providing free utility services or forgiving debt and
dictates that rates must be uniformly applied. The City of Denton adopted this requirement in the
City Charter under article 12, section 2.
City Charter, Sec. 12.02. - Rates.
The city shall have the power, subject to limitations imposed by state law and this Charter, to
fix and, from time to time, revise such rates and charges as it may deem advisable for
supplying such utility services as the city may provide. The utilities shall provide no free
services; the rates and charges for services to city departments and other public agencies
shall be the same as the regular rates and charges fixed for similar services to consumers
generally. The rates and charges for services to consumers outside the corporate limits of the
city may be greater but shall not be less than the rates and charges for similar service to
consumers within the corporate limits of the city.
To accommodate uniform rate application rules, it appears most municipal utility organizations offset
rates with qualified discounts ranging from an average about $80-$650 annually. However, Grand
Prairie has accomplished this by significantly discounting the lowest rate tier to accommodate for
consumption required as a necessity.
Qualifications for all programs except senior citizen programs appear to be income based with most
utilities validating eligibility through participation in state, federal, or local assistance programs.
Senior citizen programs vary and may include service discounts, late fee waivers, deposit waivers or
payment deadlines which have been extended by several days.
Deposits appear to be collected in the same manner for all customers regardless of program
qualification. The only exception to this is Austin Energy which waives deposits for veterans
returning from deployment and for residents who can prove medical indigency.
Commercial Customers by Average Consumption
A question was raised about the number of commercial accounts based on their consistent usage. All
commercial and industrial customers were reviewed and grouped by electric consumption. The
grouping represents all customer’s whose consumption was in the designated service range in each
of the previous 12 months for all electric service supplied at one point of delivery and measured
through one meter.
General Service Small General Service Medium General Service Large
Demand Range < 21.0 KW 21.0 KW to < 250 kVA 250 kVA +
Customer Count 4,089 1,603 155
Debt Performance
Accounts responsible for FY2017-18 bad debt were reviewed and all accounts whose deposit amounts
were reduced or removed by the new deposit guidelines were identified. The below chart outlines
the findings of this analysis.
Date: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
Total Number of FY2017-18 Write Off Accounts 1,927
Total Number of Accounts with Lower New Guideline Deposit 685 35.6%
In response to Council, the below chart provides the dollar amount of bad debt which was experienced
under the new credit and collections guidelines. It also shows what bad debt would have been with
the same customers under old guidelines as well as what debt would look like if all deposit
requirements were reduced to a one month deposit based on current credit guidelines.
Bad Debt by Demographic
Income information related to specific customers contributing to bad debt is not available. However,
American Community Survey demographic information contains data indicating the average
household income and percentage of residents whose income is below the poverty level based on the
census block. Locations producing bad debt in FY2017-18 were matched against this data and
grouped by the number of write offs based on the percentage of the population under the poverty level
for that group.
There is no obvious demographic trend to the distribution of bad debt. Overall, 64% of all bad debt
occurs in demographic regions which have a less than 30% poverty level household distribution.
Additionally, 22 bad debt accounts (1%) occurred in areas where less than 1% of the population is
below the poverty level. The chart below outlines bad debt against available demographic
information.
Percent of Households
Below Poverty Level
Total Number of
Write Offs
Percent of Bad Debt Average Household
Income
< 10% 272 14% $111,492.12
10% - 19.9% 360 19% $73,217.84
20% - 29.9% 598 31% $54,699.02
30% - 39.9% 299 16% $37,080.75
40% - 49.9% 142 7% $41,514.68
50% - 59.9% 201 10% $24,791.59
60% - 69.9% 35 2% $25,099.00
70% - 79.9% 20 1% $26,721.00
80% - 89.9% 0 - -
> 90% 0 - -
Transfer of Service Deposit Requirements
Each utility account is associated with a service address and the deposit is based on the utility usage
for that specific service address. The deposit allows for coverage up to two average utility bills for
the service address. When transferring services, a customer may be required to pay a new deposit for
FY2017-18 Bad Debt
Actual with New Guidelines $420,268.97
Under Old Deposit Guidelines $306,746.71 27.0%
Standard 1 Month Deposit $472,619.38 12.46%
Date: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
their new account. This new deposit would be based off the utility usage at their new address. If the
customer has established a D internal credit rating they will be required to pay a one month deposit
and a customer with an E internal credit rating will have a two month deposit requirement. This
deposit is billed to the customer and not required to be paid prior to connection at their new address.
When the prior utility account is closed, the deposit plus interest earned is applied to the final balance.
If the remaining balance is a credit and a deposit is required at the new service address, the credit will
be applied to the new required deposit. If the balance remaining is a debt, it will be transferred after
the final bill due date to the new service address utility account. If the customer needs arrangements
at that time, Customer Service will work with the customer.
Commercial Deposit Fund Increase
Commercial deposit balance has increased since February 2018. This is due to an increase to the
number of active commercial accounts and existing accounts which qualified for deposit increase
during the quarterly assessment. Additionally, the amount of the average commercial deposit which
is based on 2 month consumption increased from $1,204 to $1,240.
Late Fee Comparison
Navigant Consulting noted that many utilities have moved from a late fee of a set amount to a
percentage based late fee.
Late fee assessment over FY2017-18 was evaluated to model late fees under the current system, 5%,
and 10% of the past due balances. The current fee is shown as its percentage of the average bill for
each service class. Impacts to monies collected for late payments were also calculated.
Accounts Average Bill Current Flat Fee 5% 10%
Commercial 4,016 $1,618.97 $20 $80.95 $161.90
Multifamily 20,852 $116.76 $20 $5.84 $11.68
Residential 33,087 $267.02 $20 $13.35 $26.70
Current Fees Billed Billed at 5% Billed at 10%
Commercial $80,320 $325,089.77 $650,179.55
Multifamily $417,000 $121,738.60 $243,477.20
Residential $661,720 $441,740.29 $883,480.58
TOTAL $1,159,040.00 $888,568.66 $1,777,137.33
Pay As You Go Prepaid Utilities Promotions
Planned website updates to include Pay As You Go information and the rollout of increased cash
payment locations for Pay As You Go customers in addition to post-paid customers is scheduled to
be live May 1st. An educational video is in production and anticipated for release mid-May.
Customer Service is working closely with the Public Communications Office. Public outreach for
the Pay As You Go program is actively increasing with a targeted public education campaign planned
for July 2019.
Date: June 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-104
The July campaign will include a redesign of the Customer Service website for better access to
information and resources including Pay As You Go information. The program will be highlighted
in the resident newsletter and will receive verbiage on the utility bill insert. Additionally, the
campaign will include a themed series of educational posts through social media at least weekly and
prominent Pay As You Go information on the main City webpage. Social media posts will be
promoted to increase exposure to Denton residents.
Pay As You Go social media promotion has begun and will continue on the City of Denton outlets
leading up to the full promotion. The first post was released April 2nd and was picked up by DTV for
inclusion in their April 3rd DTV Newsbreak.
Customer Service is providing information, brochures and education to area apartment community
leasing offices to increase awareness of the program for tenants. First contact with agents was made
April 9th. Many properties have already begun placing Pay As You Go information in the welcome
packs for their new residents. Currently, we have met with leasing agents representing 130 properties.
Staff has created a weekly plan to ensure all leasing agencies are reached. We are currently working
with the Public Communications Office to ensure success of our multifamily partnership by providing
the best support materials to communities in a cost sustainable manner.
CONCLUSION:
There are declining trends in the performance of bad debt, but there is a 6 month delay between a
final billing and the point where the balance becomes uncollectible debt. The changes to credit and
collection policies were implemented in the middle of a fiscal year and currently only 7 months of
bad debt performance have been collected since the new guidelines. The first full fiscal year of bad
debt performance which provides baseline performance under the new guidelines will not be available
until April 2020.
Customer Service agrees with Navigant Consulting’s recommendation of continued monitoring of
debt performance and avoidance of additional changes to the guidelines until at least two full fiscal
year worth of data is available. This will also allow for increased adoption, performance tracking and
impact analysis of the Pay As You Go program’s ability to decrease customer deposit burden while
lowering the impact on bad debt.
STAFF CONTACT:
Tiffany Thomson, Director of Customer Service
(940) 349-7401
Tiffany.Thomson@cityofdenton.com
Customer Service
601 E. Hickory St. Suite F, Denton, TX 76205 (940) 349-8700
OUR CORE VALUES
Integrity Fiscal Responsibility Transparency Outstanding Customer Service
ADA/EOE/ADEA www.cityofdenton.com TDD (800) 735-2989
March 5, 2019
Condell Garden
Executive Director
Interfaith Ministries of Denton, Inc.
1109 N. Elm St
Denton, TX 76201
Dear Condell:
At the direction of the City Manager, Customer Service conducted a review of customer
partnerships with Interfaith Ministries. The finding was that allocated funding is used
appropriately and within the set parameters. Additionally, customers who have received
assistance have an overall good impression. However, Interfaith Ministries was found to be
lacking sense of urgency and responsiveness in assisting customers who are often facing
imminent service interruption, communication with clients is inadequate, and information
provided on the telephones and website are inconsistent.
Due to the city’s financial tie with Interfaith Ministries, it is important that your organization
builds customer relationships that embody the values of our organization. The following
summary outlines the methodology, execution, findings, and next steps related to evaluation of
Interfaith Ministries conducted from February 14-22, 2019.
The customers who visit Interfaith Ministries first go through an appointment screening
process. During the screening, customers who show financial need and crisis are given an
appointment. They bring all required documentation to the appointment and a decision is made
on whether assistance is granted. This means customers fall into one of three categories; denied
an appointment, denied assistance, or granted assistance.
In order to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the experiences of all customers, we
employed a four part survey approach. Surveys were developed for each of the three customer
groups as well as a secret shopper panel. All attempts were made to survey a randomized 10%
sample of each of the three customer groups.
2
Assistance Received Survey Group:
Available assistance data from April 2018 - December 2018 provided a list of 264 families
who had received assistance. A randomized sample of 59 records was pulled to allow for
customers who were unreachable, refused to participate, or were randomly identified more
than once due to multiple visits during the timeframe. A total of 24 customers who were
contacted chose to participate.
Denied Appointment & Denied Assistance Groups:
Customer Service only receives detail data on customers who have received assistance. A
request for the list of clients who were either denied assistance or were screened out of the
application process was submitted. A complete list was unavailable as summary records
are not maintained on these contacts currently. Interfaith Ministries was able to compile a
list of both groups from their January contact information sheets. A complete listing from
October to current was received March 4.
The list yielded 13 records of clients who were denied an appointment and 17 records of
clients who were denied assistance. Not all records had contact information, but Customer
Service did attempt to locate and contact all available records. Contact was only able to be
made with two clients denied appointments and 5 clients who received an appointment but
did not receive assistance.
Secret Shopper Panel:
In order to attempt to get a better idea of the customer's experience, we deployed 4 secret
shoppers. Two were anonymous Denton residents, one was a resident employee and one
was a non-resident employee. Shoppers were instructed to make contact with Interfaith
seeking assistance and document the experience.
Survey information was aggregated after completion to provide a view of the whole customer
experience. The picture is not as balanced as desired due to lack of denied client information.
Survey Group Key Findings:
• Overall satisfaction was 90%
• 100% of clients who received assistance would recommend Interfaith Ministries to friends
or family in need while only 92% would choose to return to Interfaith personally
• 93% of respondents indicated they were treated with dignity and respect
• 100% of clients who received assistance reported Interfaith was respectful of their time and
travel with an average of 2 trips to the office required
• 32% of clients indicated they had difficulty contacting Interfaith Ministries
• 19% of respondents replied or left comments indicating they were not treated with respect
through actions or body language
3
Secret Shopper Results:
Three secret shoppers called several times and left messages requesting assistance. To
date, Interfaith Ministries has not reached out to any shopper. One of the shoppers reported
that the second time she called, the voice mail message had changed and indicated clients
seeking assistance should not leave a message, but must come into the office. It further
stated that messages would not be returned. This was received prior to the fourth shopper
calling. Due to schedule conflicts, they were unable to go in person and withdrew.
The following week, we called to review the voice mail message. Instead, there was a
message indicating the office was closed for President's Day both the Friday before and the
Monday of the holiday. Again, this message indicated that callers seeking assistance
should come into the office, not leave a message and calls would not be returned. The
shoppers who called Friday morning and afternoon did not receive a message that the
office was closed on Friday.
• 100% of the shoppers consider it difficult to make contact with Interfaith and were not
satisfied with their overall experience
• 1 shopper drove to the location and was able to speak with Interfaith staff and indicated
staff were respectful
• 1 shopper indicated staff was not rude, but did make them feel uncomfortable as though
they were disapproved even before having an appointment when they finally reached
Interfaith by phone after 8 days
• 1 shopper indicated the hours were inconvenient due to misinformation on Interfaith’ s
website
Overall, it appears Interfaith has a high overall satisfaction rate with customers receiving
assistance. However, responsiveness and sense of urgency for residents appears absent. After
reviewing the website which indicated clients seeking assistance should call, receiving feedback
stating messages were conflicting, and reviewing the phone message ourselves, we asked for
confirmation that clients were, in fact, able to call for assistance. We were told that clients are
able to call for help, but after nearly 3 weeks since making initial contact, no secret shopper has
received communication initiated by Interfaith Ministries.
Another area of concern is the office closure of two days for President's day. Scheduled holidays
are not available on the website and the office closure message was not available to callers for
the full day Friday. The website has varying information related to office hours and indicates
residents can call for assistance although our experience is not consistent with that.
4
The findings of our study mimic concerns and feedback from City Council, staff and customers
over the last several months. As such, we are requesting a formal plan of action on how the
following items will be addressed:
1) Response to customers is made in a timely manner preferably within 1-2 business days.
2) Ensuring customer messages are returned preferably within 1-2 business days.
3) Phone recordings contain clear information which matches the website.
4) Including closure information and holiday schedule on the website.
5) Review website and correct discrepancies such as the hours of operation found on the
Contact Us and Apply for Assistance sections of the website.
The plan of action should be provided within the next two weeks. It will be reviewed by staff
and provided to the City Manager for his review after which we can meet to discuss any further
direction or next steps.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Thomson
Director of Customer Service
On-site Meeting with Interfaith Ministries & City Staff
April 2, 2019
The following contains the action plan items provided by Interfaith Ministries, Inc. including all follow up
questions by Customer Service and the corresponding response from Interfaith Ministries, Inc. If additional
clarification, action or direction was decided upon during the on-site meeting, that is clearly noted as well.
1. Response to customers is made in a timely manner, preferably the same business day.
Interfaith Ministries provides several different types of assistance to community members, including, rent
assistance, emergency medical assistance, and assistance with utilities for DMU, TXU, and CoServ
customers, as well as various types of other assistance. Depending on the volume of requests received
(particularly at peak times of the year), it is not always possible to contact people within the same business
day.
a. Interfaith is adding a screening form to our agency website, allowing an additional way for customers
who are unable to get through by telephone, to contact us.
b. Our goal is to contact individuals within 1-2 business days to screen them and to schedule an
appointment, if appropriate.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
Interfaith experienced the same illness setbacks
last year in about the same time. Since this has
happened two years in a row, what is being done
to prevent operational impacts next year? Two
months of reduced access is more than 15% of the
year. This is a significant impact to the public.
While we are not in a position to predict that our staff
and volunteers will all become ill at the same time,
our goal this year is to recruit additional volunteers
and maintain a PRN list of volunteers for when we
are shorthanded. While these individuals may not be
qualified to see clients, they will at least be able to
answer the phone and/or contact customers to let
them know we are working on an appointment.
Looking to create on call
When will a screening form be on the website? The screening form is currently online.
What will occur in the meantime to address this
concern?
We are also asking staff and volunteers from other
areas to answer the client line when the caseworker is
busy seeing clients, and to review any messages left
on the answering machine.
2. Ensuring Customer Messages are returned, preferably the same business day.
It has long been the practice of Interfaith Ministries not to accept client messages on our answering
machine except in the case of someone wanting to cancel or reschedule an appointment. The outgoing
message on our answering machine has indicated this for several years. There are many reasons for this,
including the fact that our older telephone and answering machine system is not equipped to handle a large
volume of calls. When full, the machine stops recording and cuts people off. Also, unless, names and
phone numbers of customers are clearly and distinctly stated, messages are often garbled and difficult to
understand, making it difficult to return calls.
a. We have recently received a grant to update our voice systems which will allow us to increase the
number of users that can be on the phone at one time, direct calls to specific extensions, and take messages
for specific persons and purposes. We anticipate that this system will improve the quality of messages and
our ability to return them. We will have the updated system in place by June 30th at the latest.
b. We are actively recruiting more regular volunteers to answer screening calls.
c. One of our goals in our most recently adopted strategic plan is to contact customers within 1-2 business
days.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
Since implementing a goal for 1-2 day client
contact, what is your current performance in this
area as well as the performance over time?
Since implementing the goal in October, 91% of
clients that have filled out a screening form have
been contacted within 1-2 days, with 50% being
contacted the same day, 28% contacted the next day,
and 13% contacted within 2 days. Those who reach a
caseworker by telephone are screened immediately.
Two secret shoppers have still never been
contacted from February. One who left a message
prior to the phone outage and one who left a
message prior to the outage, but also went in
person and filled out a form then went in person a
second time when no call was received. What
protocol is in place to ensure that all potential
clients have been contacted?
As mentioned in our last communication, we were
not accepting phone messages at that time. Each
screening form has a date of request and notes by the
caseworker as to when contacts or contact attempts
are made. I would be able to look this up if I knew
the name of the person. We make at least two
attempts to contact each person.
Are complete voice mail messages which include
name and a contact number disregarded? Three of
our secret shoppers called and received the
answering machine. All three indicated there was
no indication a voice mail should not be left until
the afternoon of Friday, February 15. The website
tells prospective clients to call for assistance only
receive a message telling them they must come
in. Finally, when we asked about whether clients
were able to call for assistance, the email response
indicated they can; however, the reality appears
that a client can get assistance by phone only if
someone answers the phone. Otherwise, they
must take off work and come in.
I have heard the outgoing mail message hundreds of
times, however, it would serve no purpose to
contradict your secret shoppers. I will simply say that
this issue has been resolved. Should the persons call
again, their calls will be answered or returned,
assuming their messages are clear and
understandable.
Once the new phone system is in place, will
clients be able to leave messages and have them
returned to prevent having to take multiple days
away from work?
Yes.
Will the phone system allow the recording of calls
to monitor quality of the client experience?
We do not know all of its capabilities yet, but our
tech person assures us that we will be able to do some
quality assurance monitoring.
3. Enhance customer service approach with customers seeking assistance.
Customers are generally highly stressed by their situations when they contact us. Often they have known
for several days, sometimes weeks that they would not be able to pay their bills. However, they may wait
until right before cut off or after cutoff to contact us. While the majority of clients express satisfaction
with the way they are treated by our organization, some perceive the questions we must ask as intrusive
and rude or become upset if their utility assistance cannot be provided "on the spot."
a. To help ensure that we are not contributing to customer feelings of dissatisfaction, we will be providing
staff and volunteers with quarterly customer service and communication skills training.
b. The first training was held on 03/13/19.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
In addition to providing regular training, how do
you plan to monitor and measure success?
We have a customer satisfaction survey that can be
filled out in office or online. Customers are
encouraged to fill out this survey. The online version
has been available for more than 4 years.. Of those
surveys returned, our customer satisfaction rate from
November to February averaged 92%. We also have
an in-office and online client complaint form. The
online form is listed under “Our Service” These
forms come to the director who makes an effort to
either resolve complaints or explain our decisions.
We would always prefer that customers first try to
resolve their complaints directly with us. This lets us
know quickly and effectively how well we are doing
and what corrections might need to be made.
MEETING CLARIFICATION:
Interfaith will ensure the client screening sheet be provided with all contacts for initial screen
through those who receive assistance including an email address for all clients who are willing to
provide one.
Customer Service will conduct an internal survey of clients by type Denied Appointment, Denied
Assistance, Received Assistance. The survey will include request for clarification if the customer
indicates they did not arrive at a scheduled appointment.
4. Phone recordings contain clear information which matches the website.
a. Messages on both the web site and telephone have been reviewed.
b. We are updating them to make sure they are consistent, and trying to be as specific as possible
regarding administrative hours and appointment hours.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
The apply for assistance section is
better. However, this should be crystal clear that
if you are unable to reach by telephone, that you
must visit the office. This would help potential
clients plan for the possibility of a trip to the
office.
Customers may now submit a screening form online
if unable to reach us byu phone or visit the office.
The contact us section still gives no indication that
clients may have to come in.
The web site now indicates that assistance cannot be
provided over the telephone and that they will have to
come to our office if an appointment is scheduled.
The hours of availability still do not
match. Contact us indicates if you are seeking
assistance you have two windows of opportunity
to reach someone. The apply for assistance area
indicates only a 3 hour daily window.
The apply for assistance is now a section called “I
need help.” The hours should now match.
MEETING CLARIFICATION:
A little more simple website cleanup is needed and will be completed.
5. Including closure information and holiday schedule on the website.
Regarding the early closure on Friday February 15th, it was the director's decision to close early due to the
fact that scheduled customers had been assisted and our building still had no working plumbing. Prior to
leaving for the day, a sign was placed on our door and our answering machine message was updated to
indicate the closure. Nonetheless, we have not been consistent in listing our scheduled holiday closings.
a. The website is currently being updated and will be updated as changes occur. It will include holidays
and our policy for inclement weather closings.
b. In the event of a future unexpected closing on a day not scheduled, we will make an effort to update our
face book and web page, our phone message, and leave a sign on our door.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
Website information looks great! This should be a
helpful improvement.
n/a
I understand closing due to issues such as
plumbing outages. Would it be expected to close
without responding to all voice mail messages for
assistance first?
In the future we will make an effort to respond to
messages before closing.
For our purposes, there should be no need to
change the website every time you are closed as
long as you have a clearly posted holiday schedule
and weather policy as long as the phone message
and Facebook are updated for unexpected outages
(including weather outages). However, could an
email notification to the organizations served also
be sent?
Yes
I would recommend in the situation such as Feb
15, the message could have been more clear. "Due
to plumbing issues, the office will be closed Friday
afternoon, February 15. Offices will remain closed
on Monday, February 18 due to observance of
President's Day and will reopen Tuesday,
February 19." That helps manage customer
perceptions related to agency responsiveness.
Good feedback.
6. Review website and correct discrepancies such as the hours of operation found on the Contact Us
and Apply for Assistance sections of the website
a. Our website is currently being reviewed and updated.
b. In addition to correcting any discrepancies, we will be adding a complete list of required
documentation, and more specific information about our areas of coverage. We hope that this will cut
down on the volume of out-of-area calls received and reduce the amount of no-shows caused by people
not willing to provide required documentation.
City Follow-up Question Interfaith Response
Inclusion of the needed forms and list of required
documentation should assist greatly and reduce
unnecessary workload on Interfaith staff. COD
could add a link to the Interfaith website and
application to help make things as simple as
possible for you.
We also believe that COD is able to assist by
looking at the feasibility of creating an email
template with all the basic information, Interfaith
contact information, website link and attached
forms that will be needed. Staff could email
customers the information at the time a referral is
suggested. While it cannot be guaranteed at this
point, we would be happy to explore that to
improve services to our public and to help simplify
contact management for Interfaith.
Yes, anything you can do to help us get the correct
information out to customers would be appreciated.
MEETING CLARIFICATION:
Customer Service will add a link and information for Interfaith Ministries to the City website
during the re-design set for July 2019 launch. Additionally, Customer Service is working on
feasibility of a process to email customers information on Interfaith services as needed.