How the State of South Dakota improved citizen services with voice AI for ServiceNow®.

Meet the State of South Dakota’s Reemployment Assistance Program

The Reemployment Assistance Program (RAP) of South Dakota has a critical responsibility: providing temporary financial support for people who have lost their job. It’s a big task requiring a lot of communication — such as talking to claimants or assisting businesses as they seek support managing tax accounts. South Dakota had a limited team of agents taking these calls, often in the same office.

ServiceNow is the integral system in which the State of South Dakota processes new claims, helping the department handle new reemployment applicants with ease.

That said, many of the conversations and requests about claims happen over the phone. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, call center agents worked in a traditional office setting.

However, like nearly every other organization worldwide, the need for a more mobile, work-from-home approach not only changed how the center processed new calls, but altered the very nature of how the department needed to serve its citizens.

Why the South Dakota Reemployment Assistance Program needed more flexibility and control with its ServiceNow® workflows

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and unemployment rates spiked in South Dakota, the Reemployment Assistance Program (RAP) experienced a surge in call volume. That’s when they discovered three critical issues.

First, service agents weren’t empowered with the tools or systems to operate effectively in a remote setting. In its pre-pandemic setup, the team was often using multiple screens to juggle multiple systems, meaning moving to a remote environment left a major need for consolidation.

Meanwhile, even as unemployment application requests were processed through ServiceNow, the department’s contact center wasn’t integrated with ServiceNow. When citizens called to follow up on applications and requests, South Dakota agents had no easy way to reference previous tickets in ServiceNow. This separation of systems created a poor experience for citizens and was especially painful for agents when they needed to be providing the best possible service.

Lastly, if issues arose with their contact center system, the Reemployment Assistance Program had to rely on a different department to adjust and troubleshoot their contact center system. This meant delays in making critical updates at a time when communication was paramount, and resulting in operational inefficiencies and unexpected cost increases.

Top challenges

Lack of integration between ServiceNow and contact center system thwarted agents from having critical context when serving claimants and small business callers.

Inability to administer call center software, depending on separate departments to make time-sensitive and critical updates.

Surge in call volume meant high calls-in-queue, long wait times, and frustrated citizens.

Lack of remote call center capabilities, hindering service agents from working from home securely and effectively.

How 3CLogic helped RAP leverage ServiceNow® voice AI workflows

Switching to 3CLogic’s cloud call center solution and natively integrating voice AI workflows with ServiceNow was an immediate shot in the arm for the work-from-home flexibility, citizen support, and control over their contact center that the South Dakota Reemployment Assistance Program needed.

One of the most immediate impacts has been the ease of accessing call recordings natively within ServiceNow using automated screen pops. For example, if a claimant says they didn’t receive instructions previously during a call, a call center agent can pull up that call and verify that they did — all from within their ServiceNow instance.

Meanwhile, with an integrated cloud contact center solution, RAP agents are now equipped to operate remotely, and call recordings, reports, and caller data are easily available in ServiceNow.

Lastly, the integration means RAP can now operate its call center platform independently with access to 24/7 live agent support when needed. Being able to reach out to 3CLogic’s customer support gives the team more control, allowing them to provide better assistance during busier months.

Benefits of 3CLogic & ServiceNow

Native Voice AI & contact center integration with ServiceNow:

The State of South Dakota effectively consolidated its tech stack, centralizing its citizen data in ServiceNow.

Automated screen pops:

Additional caller context “popping” on-screen in ServiceNow gives agents needed information as soon as a call comes through.

ServiceNow SMS capabilities:

The ability to send SMS messages and notifications from ServiceNow reduces call volume and provides faster, more proactive service.

Enhanced customer support:

When administering or updating 3CLogic’s tools, RAP has access to expert, on-demand resources to help apply best practices.

The Impact of Leveraging 3CLogic with ServiceNow®

Transitioning to 3CLogic gave the South Dakota Reemployment Assistance Program the control, citizen support, and workflows needed to become more responsive to claimants and more flexible as a team.  They also improved in some specific areas in which they needed help. 

Previously, the RAP team often felt like they were at the mercy of the technology platforms used in other departments in the State of South  Dakota. But the implementation and integration of 3CLogic’s voice AI workflows within ServiceNow has given the Reemployment Assistance Program team more direct control over the quality of services and support they provide to the citizens of South Dakota — from faster access to caller information to mobility and work-from-home features they didn’t have during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to newly implemented voice workflows, RAP is also leveraging integrated two-way SMS to deliver even more convenient experiences for its claimants, enabling automated notifications and updates to be sent directly to their mobile devices. Agents are able to manage SMS communications directly within their ServiceNow workspace while leveraging ServiceNow’s Advanced  Work Assignment (AWA) rules to intelligently route live SMS messaging to the most qualified agent.

What’s next for the South Dakota Reemployment Assistance Program & 3CLogic?

The citizen service transformation at the South Dakota Reemployment  Assistance Program is just getting started. After launching their SMS  response program, they now plan to build a more comprehensive employee training handbook based on the call recordings they find easier to access.  They also plan on emphasizing caller metrics in more detail thanks to the speech analytics capabilities that are possible with 3CLogic and ServiceNow. 

Though the RAP has always emphasized low hold times in its service to South Dakota’s citizens, 3CLogic has helped make good on that promise, enabling automations that route calls to the right person faster and help agents solve queries quicker. The RAP team is excited to continue leveraging these capabilities, especially if unemployment spikes and new claims suddenly rise. They also plan on utilizing the new SMS capabilities to make the process more convenient for applicants. 

Improve efficiencies and citizen experiences with voice workflows for ServiceNow®

Ready to see how 3CLogic can elevate your ServiceNow citizen experience? Discover how ServiceNow Voice AI workflows can make caller responses easier for your agents and citizens alike.