Promising Practices - Minnesota

Minnesota – In Washington County, the Stillwater local Food Stamp Program office has made an extra effort to provide prompt customer service since the beginning of 2002 by the use of pagers among eligibility staff. Receptionists call staff on pagers when their client arrives in the waiting room. The practice was implemented because the local staff constantly struggled to be available and the reception staff often had difficulty tracking down the eligibility worker who may have been on the phone, making a home visit, in a meeting, or talking with the supervisor. The practice is operated with a clear expectation that the worker will respond within 10 minutes of being paged. The initial investment of $10,000 to $15,000 seemed high; however, the pager system has improved the timeliness of customer service. In turn, the clients are more cooperative knowing that their needs and their emergencies are being taken seriously and addressed promptly. For more information, contact: Kim Carolan, Washington County Community Services, 8180 Belden Blvd, Suite 155, Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016, 651-430-4160, kim.carolan@co.washington.mn.us. De Hollander, ACCESS, Grand Rapids MI, 616-774-2175, extension 103.

Last modified: 04/30/2009