For immediate release: March 17, 2009

Customers calling BWC experience significant reduction in wait time

Response time averages for injured workers now just 37 seconds

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) customer contact center is reporting significant gains in the quality and timeliness of the customer service it provides to Ohio employers and injured workers. In February, the center decreased the average time it takes to answer calls from employers by nearly nine minutes, from 10 minutes to just one minute, compared to February of last year. The center also decreased the average time it takes to answer calls from injured workers from five and one-half minutes to just 37 seconds over the same period.

“We’ve refocused our internal priorities to place greater emphasis on customer service by identifying areas where we can make improvements,” said BWC Administrator Marsha Ryan. “We have upgraded equipment, relocated our customer contact center to a more conducive location and have provided contact center employees with training that prepares them to respond to many types of inquiries. Additionally, we enlisted staff at many of our statewide offices to assist injured workers with claims-related issues and to assist employers calling to make premium payments shortly before the Feb. 28 deadline.”

Customer service representatives in BWC’s customer contact center respond to inquiries from employers and injured workers, and handle a high volume of calls each February and August immediately before premium payment deadlines. The center responded to 46,107 calls in February 2009. The number of those callers who hung up while waiting for a live representative was reduced by 87 percent from the same period last year.

“Timely responses to inquiries are a critical component of customer service; it enables employers to get back to conducting business and injured workers to focus on the healing process and safe return to work. It also allows BWC representatives to assist more callers in a shorter period of time,” added Ryan.

BWC recently implemented a new computer program in the customer contact center that is helping BWC more accurately respond to customer inquiries. The program allows BWC to categorize all calls to better understand why customers are calling and to tailor future service options to fit their needs.

Employers and injured workers can contact BWC customer service representatives for live support Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by calling 1-800-OHIOBWC, or by visiting ohiobwc.com where they can access their account information 24 hours a day.

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