Letter from the Deputy Secretary

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Deputy's Corner

May 2007
Customer Service
Day in and day out CAO staff – IMCW’s and Clerical staff alike – are on the front line for DPW. The work you do provides a lifeline to so many people on a daily basis. People walking in our doors are people in trouble – and you are the gateway to the help they need. The words from a recent thank you note sent to two workers in the Ogontz District in Philadelphia describe so well what each of you strives to achieve in our daily interactions with clients:
“It is very comforting to know that I have workers like you. You are always courteous, available, and helpful. I know that you have a hard job and lots of clients but you handle it very well. You have treated me with the dignity and respect that I deserve as a human. I never felt that you guys looked at me any other way. And I thank you for that.”
For nearly half of the individuals who apply for assistance, we can’t meet their need, because the family or individual has too much income. These families also need our understanding and care – every day you provide a sympathetic ear and referrals to other possible sources of help. Often, you are called on to talk to clients who are very challenging – frustrated, demanding, not able to comprehend what we are asking them to do. It is hard to remember sometimes that their behavior is not aimed at you personally, but is an expression of their own helplessness and fear in the situation they are in.
Every now and then, one of our staff lets the workload and their personal frustration with the pressures of the job lose that perspective and treat our clients rudely. I am guessing that ninety-five percent of our interactions with clients are positive. But every week, a dozen or more letters and several calls find their way to my desk from clients who have encountered poor or insensitive handling or downright rude treatment.
This loss of professionalism is incredibly damaging to us all – it blackens our reputation – and leads to questions about our competence. All of this is to say, we need to be vigilant that we help each other to maintain our perspective and not take out our frustrations on our clients – even the ones who are offensive to us. We must have zero tolerance for rudeness.
It is clear that CAO staff are incredibly dedicated to the work that we do. I have heard loud and clear that the workload is very taxing. Retirements are going to put additional demands on all of us. However we must remain committed to providing those we serve with the very best in customer service.
I am confident that the initiatives that we are working on right now – Reception Redesign, Scanning, Automated Renewals, Child Care Unification and development of the Dashboard and IEVS redesign – will provide better support for you in managing our work which will allow us to continue to move forward in our quest to “Becoming a Stellar Organization.”