When New Yorkers reach out for help, every second matters. The Human Services Call Center (HSCC), operated by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), is showing what’s possible when we redesign support services with people at the center.
Since 2013, HSCC has responded to over 9.3 million calls across more than 60 programs from 12 state agencies. The topics range widely, from paid family leave and cannabis licensing to COVID-19 assistance and child welfare services. But this is not just a story about volume; it’s a story about vision. One that removes barriers, builds trust, and delivers meaningful results with every interaction.
Listening Is the First Step Toward Better Service
HSCC’s success begins with a powerful commitment: listen first. Feedback from callers, frontline representatives, and agency partners informs every improvement.
Insights come from multiple sources—call recordings, live observations, trend reports, and team debriefs. These inputs shape updates to call scripts, on-hold messaging, and automated menus, helping to clarify guidance and streamline service. Collaborating with program leads also ensures that staff always have access to timely, plain-language information that empowers them to respond with accuracy and empathy.
Respecting People’s Time
New Yorkers don’t like to wait, and HSCC has responded accordingly. Its virtual hold feature allows callers to save their place in line and receive a callback without staying on the phone.
Other channels, including live chat, email, and text messaging, offer alternative ways to get help. Automated menus help guide customers toward answers or connect them with the right person for more complex needs.
This multi-channel approach boosts efficiency and frees up staff to focus where they’re needed most.
Letting Data Drive Better Service
Every enhancement is backed by data. HSCC tracks key metrics such as call volume, wait times, first-call resolution rates, and reasons for repeat contact. These numbers aren’t just operational stats, they help uncover friction points, inform content updates, and shape long-term improvements.
Language access is also a priority. By monitoring translation service usage, HSCC ensures that non-English speakers receive equitable, high-quality support across the board.
Investing in the People Behind the Experience
Technology can make systems faster, but it’s people who make them better. For 10 consecutive years, HSCC has been named a Top Workplace in the Capital Region—an honor based entirely on employee feedback.
That recognition reflects intentional investments in staff. Continuous training, team-based coaching, and a supportive culture help HSCC employees deliver consistent, empathetic service. The team routinely answers 85% of calls within five minutes, setting a statewide benchmark for responsiveness.
The Takeaway
This level of experience is possible in every agency. HSCC offers a replicable model for what responsive, people-first service can look like across state government. Every agency—regardless of its size or mission—can adopt elements of this approach to create a more connected and effective experience.
Here’s how:
- Start by Listening, Every Time: Ask the people you serve what they need. Listen to the employees who serve them. HSCC built feedback loops into every part of its operation. You don’t need new technology to start listening; you need a consistent practice of asking, observing, and acting.
- Simplify the Journey: The clearest path is usually the best one. HSCC reviewed its language, menus, and processes to eliminate confusion. If customers are getting bounced between websites, departments, or phone numbers, that’s a signal to simplify. Start with the questions you hear most often.
- Cutting the Time Tax: From virtual hold to text follow-ups, HSCC found small ways to save people time. Every agency has touchpoints that can be made more efficient. Ask yourself: what small fix could reduce wait times or improve the customer’s day?
- Use Data to Guide, Not Just Report: Reports are not the destination, but the starting point. HSCC uses data to spot trends early, uncover gaps, and make targeted improvements. Don’t just report the numbers. Use them to ask better questions and make smarter choices.
- Prioritize the Employee Experience: Customer experience starts with the people on the frontlines. HSCC’s culture, rooted in training, empathy, and mutual accountability, enables staff to perform at a high level. If your team feels supported and empowered, your customers will feel it too.
- Build for Equity from the Start: Equity is not an afterthought. HSCC tracks translation usage and standardizes service quality across programs to ensure no one is left behind. Consider which groups may face hidden barriers, and design systems that serve them with the same care and clarity.
Customer experience is not a bonus—it’s foundational. It’s how trust in government is built, one call, one form, one answer at a time.
Agencies don’t need a full overhaul to make a difference. Start with one process, one page, one call script. Learn from the OCFS’ model and adapt it to your context. A better New York experience begins wherever you choose to make things easier for the people who count on you.
Let’s raise the standard together.