This article shows you the process for the receipt and response of official inquiries—written, emails, and telephone calls.
1. Types of Inquiries
Written
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- Submitted directly to the Center for Business Excellence & Customer Service (CBECS)/ Customer Relations Unit.
- Sent to the Director of OHS or the OHS executive staff, Director of CSS or the CSS executive staff, etc.
- Sent to other state officials such as the Governor, Lt. Governor, legislators, attorney general, etc and forwarded or sent directly to OHS Office of Information and Referral (I & R).
- Sent to the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS).
E-mails
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- Sent to the Director of OHS or the OHS executive staff, Director of CSS or the CSS CBECS/Customer Relations Unit.
- Sent to other state agencies and forwarded to the Office of Information and Referral (I & R) InfoReferral@okdhs.org. or sent directly to CSS Customer Outreach email contact.customeroutreach@okdhs.org.
- Sent directly to the I & R Coordinator.
- Sent to the OHS and/or the CSS “general” information websites.
- Sent to legislators, the Governor or Lt. Governor and forwarded to I & R or directly to CSS CBECS/Customer Relations Unit.
Telephone Calls
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- To the Director or the OHS executive staff or the Director of CSS and/or the CSS CBECS/Customer Relations Unit.
- To the Office of Information & Referral (I & R.)
- To legislators, the Governor or Lt. Governor and forwarded to I & R or directly to CBECS/Customer Relations Unit.
2. Receipt of Inquiries
CSS policy 340:25‐1‐5.1 Administrative Complaint Procedure established the process for ensuring an appropriate and timely response to inquiries, and for maintaining the physical record of inquiries and responses. An Inquiry is any communication received by the State Child Support Services (CSS) Office, or the State Office of OHS which requires a response from an assigned party.
3. Guidelines for Response
If the inquiry is general in nature, CBECS/Customer Relations Unit will respond. Inquiries requiring case specific responses are assigned to the district office handling the case. Each inquiry is assigned a due date and a specific method of response. Always use professional grammar and spelling. Express common courtesy and politeness. Feelings, opinions, or admonishments about or to the customer should never be included in a response. A response should have these parts:
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- Acknowledgment – The opening paragraph must acknowledge the entity submitting the inquiry (e.g., Governor Full Name, US Representative Full Name, etc.). If several inquiries concerning the same customer and the same concerns are received from different entities, one response mentioning all entities in the opening paragraph is appropriate. A second sentence should express an appreciation for their interest in assisting a customer.
- Statement– State each question or concern raised in the written inquiry. Some interpretation and restatement may be necessary. A specific and direct response to each concern is necessary.
- Thank you – Thank the customer for inquiring, which may include a summary of the response.
Confidentiality – Special attention must be given to confidentiality in the following situations:
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- When a response is going to a third person or entity, such as a legislator, who has inquired about a customer’s case.
- When a response is going to a relative.
In the first, a direct, carefully drafted, and reviewed letter is appropriate. In the latter, a response should go directly to the customer, not to the relative, with a reference in the response to the relative’s inquiry.
4. Response Routing
Responses prepared by district offices should be sent directly to the customer with a simultaneous copy to CBECS/Customer Relations Unit. CBECS/Customer Relations Unit will provide copies to intermediaries (I&R, legislators, etc.) as appropriate.