Case Study: State of Michigan Department of Human Services achieves faster application processing and reduced call volumes with Genesys

State of Michigan Department of Human Services Uses Genesys to Serve Citizens

The State of Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), which administers food, medical, financial and other public assistance through about 100 offices and 4,000 caseworkers, faced an unprecedented surge in applications and phone inquiries after the auto-industry downturn raised unemployment. With fixed staffing, manual paper-based processes, and strict timelines for determining eligibility, routine calls and office visits threatened to overload caseworkers and delay benefit payments.

DHS deployed a dual self-service solution from Genesys — a web-based application integrated with legacy systems plus the Genesys Voice Platform (GVP), Customer Interaction Management and intelligent Customer Front Door (iCFD) IVR — implemented in months to automate routine inquiries and routing. Over 13 months the system handled about 496,145 calls without involving caseworkers, processed 188,300 online applications (saving roughly one hour per interview), freed thousands of man-hours per month, improved service levels and created a scalable platform for other assistance programs.

State of Michigan Department of Human Services

Tess Layman

Director, Leveraged Services, Department of Human Services, State of Michigan