# Presentation: 076839

- SIP Grant
- Special Improvements Project

- Child Support Enforcement

- North Carolina

## Special Improvements Project

- SIP grant awarded January 2003
- Project period is seventeen months
- Focuses on expanding the use of automation to enhance enforcement tools
- The grant is intended to improve customer service and child support payments

## SIP Grant

**Child Support Enforcement**

- _Projected Outcome_
- Significant decrease in missed appointments.
- More effective and efficient use of staff time.
- Reduced number of new cases falling into delinquency.
- Increase in collections.

## SIP Grant

- _TARGET GROUPS_
- 		“Call back” reminder for clients and absent parents who have appointments.
- Contact new cases *before* their accounts become delinquent.

## PhoneTree 3500

**PhoneTree System**

- The PhoneTree is a calling solution designed to confirm appointments, deliver special messages and make collection calls.  This is a computer system that uses text-to-speech messaging system that makes calls through the use of a digital computer and hardware software package.

##      Phonetree

- Select the Phonetree icon that you need to use.
- Configure your flex fields.  A flex field is a field that can be modified to include the information necessary to make a call.  For example, the clients’ telephone number and full name.

**Example of flex field:**

## EQUIPMENT PURCHASED

- 2-DELL LATTITUDE LAPTOP COMPUTERS
- NUMERIC KEY PAD
- 3550 DUAL PORT PHONETREE
- 2 HP INKJET PRINTERS
-        TOTAL:

- $  6,340
- $       65
- $  6,955
- $     600
- _________
- $13,960

## Automated Collections and Tracking System

_**ACTS**_
- Nationwide database
- Contains information for child support cases
- Source of all data files

## Receiving the File

**A file is received from ACTS, then saved in Excel**
*Example: hearing appointment file*

**First Name  Last Name  Phone       Date   Time  Address 1 Address 2  City  State**
-   Jaime 	       Flanders          919) 255-3835     9/15/03   8:00am  100 W. Ash St.    Suite 300         Cary        NC
-    Vernon              Smith                (919) 255-3836    9/15/03  8:00am  100 W. Ash St.    Suite 300         Cary        NC
-    Shauna           Lawrence         (919) 255-3880    9/15/03  8:00am  100 W. Ash St.    Suite 300         Cary        NC

## Creating a Message

- APPOINTMENT REMINDER:
- 	This is an appointment reminder for ____.  Our records reflect that you have an appointment at (time/date).  The appointment is located in (county) at (location/city/state).  If you have any questions regarding this reminder, please contact 1-877-695-7892 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
- DELINQUENCY REMINDER:
- 	This is an automated call for Mr/Ms _____.  If this is Mr/Mrs ____, please press 1 to transfer to an operator.

**NORTH CAROLINA **
**CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT**

## Making A Call

- Receive file from ACTS
- Prepare and Manipulate file
- Open PhoneTree
- Import file
- Make telephone calls
- Generate Reports

## Challenges

- Spreadsheet format via the Automated Collections & Tracking System (ACTS) requires manipulation before it can be imported into Phonetree.
- The ACTS file contains all capital letters and abbreviation of text.  Phonetree cannot use any of these formats; Once again calling for a major manipulation of the file before it can be imported.
- The female version of the automated speaker is unusable because she cannot pronounce all sentences correctly.  We opted for the male version instead.

## STATISTICS

- TENTATIVE RESULTS

## NC CHILD SUPPORT SIP GRANT

## NC CHILD SUPPORT SIP GRANT

## NC CHILD SUPPORT SIP GRANT

## NC CHILD SUPPORT SIP GRANT

## SIP Grant

- _Phone system benefits_
- Improved customer service
- Callers will receive personalized reminders.
- Time management
- More effective and efficient use of staff time.

## SIP Grant

**Child Support Enforcement**

- _Tentative Outcomes_
- Decrease in missed appointments.
- More effective and efficient use of staff time.
- Reduced number of new cases falling into delinquency.
- Increase in collections.