Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced the launch of a new, $30-million call center offering one-stop human resource services to Department of Education employees. State-of-the-art customer service technology and expert staff at the call center, called HR Connect, is minimizing the amount of time teachers and other DOE staff have to spend looking for critical human resource information.
“We expect top performance from our educators in classrooms and schools, and our support teams in district and central offices, and they should expect the best possible support as employees of the Department of Education,” said Chancellor Klein, who was joined at the ribbon cutting for the new call center by Deputy Chancellor for Organizational Strategy, Human Capital, and External Affairs Chris Cerf, and United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
“Our employees shouldn’t have to spend valuable time searching for the person who can answer their inquiry or cutting through red tape. HR Connect offers a one-stop, easy-to-use hotline that allows employees to find answers to their questions, learn about benefits, and resolve problems in a single call.”
HR Connect uses the same customer service technology systems found at many private companies and at 311, the City’s information call center. Trained customer service representatives at HR Connect have already answered nearly 50,000 calls from DOE employees and prospective employees with information about certification, payroll, health benefits, and other topics. The average call was picked up after less than 30 seconds of hold time, and most questions were answered in less than five minutes.
“Efficiently supporting staff is one way that we can improve job satisfaction and retain talented educators,” Deputy Chancellor Cerf said. “Streamlining the customer service arm of the human resources department also enables us to spend more time focused on recruiting the most qualified candidates and developing new ways to support them on the job.”
“The most important resource an education system can provide students is its employees,” Ms. Weingarten said. “Anything that makes it easier for employees to get information that is essential to them is a big step forward. HR Connect holds that promise.”
HR Connect is a major component of Project Home Run, a human resources initiative started in 2005 to support the Children First agenda. The project is funded by a combination of public and private funds from The Broad Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robertson Foundation, and The Wallace Foundation.
HR Connect can be reached at 718-935-4000, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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Contact: David Cantor / Melody Meyer (212) 374-5141