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Registered Users (C)
No Direct Access to Service Centers from June 1, 2003
Service Center telephone lines that now allow access to Information Officers (IIOs) will no longer be available as of June 1, 2003. The telephonic access to case information will be centralized to the BCIS 800 Customer Service Line. For case-specific information, presumably other than that available through to the officers on line, the IIO will have to contact the Service Center and respond after gathering the information. This was mentioned in our April 4, 2003 MurthyBulletin article, VSC Supervisor Speaks to AILA DC Chapter, available on MurthyDotCom.
This procedural change is motivated by the lack of sufficient telephone lines at the Service Centers. Readers of the MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom who have tried to call a Service Center know that the lines are perpetually busy. This has been a long-standing problem, as the Service Centers have very few phone lines for inquiries. Each Service Center has approximately only 12-14 telephone lines for the enormous volume of calls they receive each day. Even with the implementation of online status inquiry, the Service Centers continue to receive many calls simply requesting status information.
While we readily acknowledge the problem with the telephone lines, a centralized system that has no access to the case file does not appear to be adequate. It is unclear how it will be possible to speak with a supervisor in order to have the more complex issues addressed, for example. More specific questions and problems require access to a person at the Service Center who is involved with the case. Proper training of personnel at the 800 Customer Service Line will be very important. Currently, there are reports of incorrect information emanating from the toll-free number. Unfortunately, we have heard of many cases in which the information being given is either clearly wrong or else is a gray area of the law, where relying on that information could be detrimental. We want to be optimistic and trust that, if the Service Center personnel no longer have to contend with general information questions, they will have the time to relay the information needed by these new 800 telephone operators to address case-specific matters.
Service Center telephone lines that now allow access to Information Officers (IIOs) will no longer be available as of June 1, 2003. The telephonic access to case information will be centralized to the BCIS 800 Customer Service Line. For case-specific information, presumably other than that available through to the officers on line, the IIO will have to contact the Service Center and respond after gathering the information. This was mentioned in our April 4, 2003 MurthyBulletin article, VSC Supervisor Speaks to AILA DC Chapter, available on MurthyDotCom.
This procedural change is motivated by the lack of sufficient telephone lines at the Service Centers. Readers of the MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom who have tried to call a Service Center know that the lines are perpetually busy. This has been a long-standing problem, as the Service Centers have very few phone lines for inquiries. Each Service Center has approximately only 12-14 telephone lines for the enormous volume of calls they receive each day. Even with the implementation of online status inquiry, the Service Centers continue to receive many calls simply requesting status information.
While we readily acknowledge the problem with the telephone lines, a centralized system that has no access to the case file does not appear to be adequate. It is unclear how it will be possible to speak with a supervisor in order to have the more complex issues addressed, for example. More specific questions and problems require access to a person at the Service Center who is involved with the case. Proper training of personnel at the 800 Customer Service Line will be very important. Currently, there are reports of incorrect information emanating from the toll-free number. Unfortunately, we have heard of many cases in which the information being given is either clearly wrong or else is a gray area of the law, where relying on that information could be detrimental. We want to be optimistic and trust that, if the Service Center personnel no longer have to contend with general information questions, they will have the time to relay the information needed by these new 800 telephone operators to address case-specific matters.
