Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Unemployment Benefit Wait Times Prompt New Call Center Hiring
In the wake of COVID-19,, many businesses have been forced to close their doors, and people filing for unemployment benefits has grown exponentially. While states are working quickly to file claims and get benefits out to workers, there are still thousands waiting.
In light of this increasing demand, many unemployment centers are ramping up hiring for call center agents to help process claims and provide necessary assistance to callers.
One report on the state of North Carolina, which has one of the highest unemployment increases in the U.S., said it is hiring up to one thousand more agents for its unemployment call center to aide in the efforts.
According to the report, The North Carolina Division of Employment Security Commission said will be adding these agents to its private call center which it has contracted to assist with claims. This additional staff increase will mean the commission has 2,600 agents working to process unemployment claims.
State unemployment offices across the nation are currently seeing a hiring spree as many scramble to address those in need of benefits for their livelihood and families.
Another report on the state of Ohio’s unemployment filing processes quoted Lt. Gov. Jon Husted who said that despite best efforts, operations are still not where they need to be.
“Anytime somebody is not getting through, it's unacceptable to us. We continue to urge patience. That system continues to improve, but it's not serving everybody adequately.”
Email and phone options for filing have been slow-moving and there is number of working parts in the approval process. Agents are working quickly to release benefits at these centers but callers are growing extremely agitated by long hold times or wait times for online correspondence to secure their benefits or just for answers questions on the next steps in the process.
The hope is that having more agents staffed at these centers will help alleviate some of those hold times and frustrations.
Edited by Maurice Nagle