IBA

Executive Summary
IBA has assisted the Customer Service division of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), by developing customized enterprise-wide web-enabled applications which improve customer service.

The Service Request Case Management Tool (SRMT) provides USCIS with the following benefits:

Case Accountability
Standardized Processes
Universal Tracking
Elimination of Office Visits
Backlog Assistance
Call Center Cost Reductions
Improved Customer Service

The SRMT is primarily used to identify and resolve customer issues that deviate from normal USCIS business processes. It incorporates customizable business rules, workflows, table-driven logic, policy driven parameters within the technology to manage service request workloads from:

Specialized Creation logic
Role based Assignment
Routing and detailed Tracking
Rules based Escalation
Fulfillment Macros
Knowledgebase Reporting

IBA’s applications are used to provide consistent responses to customer questions, track and manage service requests, and provide online status of case information. Since 2002, these enterprise-wide applications have significantly improved customer satisfaction and reduced call volume by helping USCIS provide responsive service.

Client's Challenge
Every organization has a customer-service function, including federal agencies that serve the public. USCIS is one of 23 agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). USCIS provides toll-free, nationwide assistance about immigration services and benefits to customers through its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and call centers, in addition to information available on its web site, USCIS.gov.

IBA's system and software engineering staff have developed eight customizable enterprise applications for USCIS. The Case Management tool developed by IBA for USCIS is highly customizable, web-based, data-driven, workflow oriented. The Service Request Case Management Tool tracks customer service requests from inception to completion and provides reports for all management levels.

Solutions That Fit
The Service Request Case Management Tool which IBA developed for USCIS is part of the suite of applications created to improve customer service entitled the Customer Relationship Interface System (CRIS).

CRIS development began in 2002 with Case Status Online and Estimated Processing Times Online followed by Change of Address Online, the Customer Service Gateway, an Office Locator, Short Message Service (SMS) Text Messaging and a graphical Case Status Dashboard.

Service Request Case Management has assisted USCIS by providing timely answers with relevant information for approximately 15,000 service requests received weekly.

The SRMT has reduced the amount of time and effort required to resolve customer issues and provides management a snapshot of production and/or process deviations that exist within business units.

Customer Service Requests are issues on pending cases that cannot be immediately answered and require resolution by a USCIS service center or local office official. Some requests are routine, such as non-delivery of information, while others highlight potential processing issues that need to be researched and resolved such as customer cases that are outside the expected processing times. Some of the other CRIS applications which IBA has written include:

Case Status And Processing Dates Online: Using a full life-cycle systems development approach, IBA developed the Case Status and Processing Dates Online application, which contains customer secure accounts and access to status updates via email or SMS text messaging. Developed using a J2EE, Oracle, XML Web-based Java application framework, the tool allows USCIS customers to check the status and estimated processing time of their immigration benefits/applications.

Customer Service Gateway: IBA developed a Customer Service Gateway that provides immigration benefit information, laws, regulations and frequently asked questions for Tier1 call center representatives to provide a consistent set of accurate answers. It is available on the USCIS Intranet. The portal was designed to provide quick and standard access to large volumes of information.

Local Office Initiative (LOI): IBA has deployed a Customer Management Queuing system at each USCIS office to create standard operating procedures and improve the customer’s experience at the local office. A web-enabled COTS Queuing system was tailored by IBA for USCIS offices to prioritize and queue customers to the counter for service while capturing statistics on customer wait time, transaction time and services provided.

Conclusion
IBA worked with USCIS to successfully design, develop and implement user-friendly applications. IBA collaborated with the agency to gain a better understanding of its needs through project management, site visits, needs’ assessment, user-training , on-site demonstrations, and customized IT solutions.