The Social Security Administration’s voice-over-IP [Internet Provider] installations in its initial 192 field offices had problems that included long installation times, incorrect invoices, overpayments and possibly poorer customer service, according to a new report from SSA Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll Jr.
For example, the average time for achieving successful VOIP performance and functionality initially was 197 days in October 2008, which remained high for several months before dropping to 46 days in April 2009, the audit issued Dec. 28 said.
Also, VOIP might have affected customers’ satisfaction.
“Although SSA achieved VOIP functionality and performance, when we attempted to contact sampled field offices where VOIP had been installed, we encountered long wait times, disconnected or dropped calls, poor sound quality, and difficulty when navigating the telephone menu tree,” O’Carroll wrote. In addition, four of five field offices contacted said they had received negative comments from customers, he said.
Jan 10, 2011
VOIP Problems
From Federal Computer Week:
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4 comments:
We were one of the earliest installed offices and before that a pilot office for VOIP. The system is junk. Weird noises online, phones that disable user access to their voice mail and interference with the office LAN system. Unbelievably the phone sets are between the LAN server and user work stations. Add to that a 30-day turnaround for system changes. SSA bought a poor system and probably overpaid for it.
Agreed. What was touted as a convenience is more labor intensive than the old systems. Plus, it has so many MI tools that higherups can constantly monitor offices and get another excuse to chew out managers for long hold times, not enough people on the phones, etc. BIG waste of money.
This is the worst phone system we have ever had. Whoever awarded that contract was an idiot. And I'm being kind.
"it has so many MI tools that higherups can constantly monitor offices and get another excuse to chew out managers for long hold times"
I think this is the main concern of upper management, as long as the reports and pie charts look good it doesn't matter if it actually works.
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