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2-1-1 Resource Specialists Offer Compassionate Assistance
Thank you for calling 2-1-1. How can I help you? That’s how every call starts when someone in New Jersey picks up the phone and dials 2-1-1. After call specialists have identified themselves, they begin building a rapport with callers so that they can help them towards finding a solution. It continues with active listening during which time specialists allow callers to speak without interruption and then respond by verifying what the person has just said to make sure there is no mistaking the caller’s need.
I’m calling because I don’t know what to do. I just got a notice that they are going to turn off my electricity. I don’t have any money. How am I going to take care of my kids?...
I can hear that you are very upset. I understand why. You’ve just gotten a notice that your electricity is going to be shut off and you’re worried about how you’re going to take care of your kids if that happens. Is that right?
…let me see what resources are available in your community that can help you…
Resource specialists then turn to the 2-1-1 database that lists over 6,600 agencies and more than 13,000 programs. They have been well-trained to navigate the system and when direct resources are available they share those with the caller, providing contact details and information about the programs, services or agencies that may be able to assist.
“Sometimes there is no direct resource that the person hasn’t already tried,” explains a veteran resource specialist. “That’s when you have to start trouble-shooting with the person to look for alternatives that they may not have thought of to see if you can help them find a way around the problem.” For someone who’s calling because they have no money to pay their utility bill, a discussion about food stamps and community food pantries might follow in the hope that the money they save on food could be put towards utilities.
Creative brainstorming is often what leads to ultimate solutions when there is a need for money and a shortage of established programs. Call specialists discuss all sorts of alternatives with callers, like turning to relatives, local clergy or religious organizations in the community for food vouchers that could be used to get them passed a particularly difficult period; setting up a yard sale to help them raise money for a security deposit; carpooling to save cash, and job sharing with a friend when funds are scarce and callers are looking for a way to be home with their pre-school children.
Resource specialists are taught to be compassionate and non-judgmental. Conversations end with a summary of what the caller needs to do next and an encouraging word. Many times that is enough. In about 10% of the cases, further follow-up is needed because the situation presented is complex and research is required.
Answering a 2-1-1 call requires skills that are practiced continuously in a good call center. Training for a new staff member starts with classroom instruction, role playing and guidance on how to access computerized resources as well as record client data. This is followed by “shadow training,” a technique that involves the pairing of a new staff member with a seasoned veteran so that new employees can benefit by listening in on conversations and hearing how experienced colleagues handle calls. When a trainee is ready to handle calls on their own, “reverse” shadowing continues for a while with the seasoned staff member listening to the conversation and offering guidance when necessary to ensure that the 2-1-1 experience is as positive as it can be.
“It feels good to help someone like this,” the resource specialist remarked. “And people appreciate it. I got a card recently from a woman who I had spoken with over a year ago. She needed financial assistance and I had given her a lot of resources to try. She wrote to me to say ‘thank you’ and to let me know that everything turned out ok. It felt great.” |
