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 Making Headway at the ACE Help Desk
(01/24/2008)As U.S. Customs and Border Protection implements new Automated Commercial Environment capabilities and the number of ACE users continues to grow, customer technical support services must likewise expand in order to meet increasing user needs. To better meet these needs, CBP has implemented multiple operational enhancements within the front-line help desk for ACE, the agency's new commercial trade processing system. CBP has shortened call wait times, reduced the number of incoming calls and enabled the ACE Help Desk to more efficiently route callers to the appropriate level of support through recent changes including a new call tree, a new automated message describing how calls are referred to higher tiers of support and the use of self-help features, such as Web-based training and online instructions, to address less complex issues."Since the implementation of the new call-tree menu, the automated message and the increased use of online self-help resources, we've seen call wait times drop to approximately 60 seconds per call and call-abandonment rates fall to less than five percent," says Janet Pence, director for ACE communications, training, outcomes, and deployment. "Our goal is to provide all ACE users with the best support possible, and we're committed to doing everything we can to meet that goal."The ACE Help Desk, the first point of contact for all ACE users experiencing system difficulties, provides support to CBP, the trade community and participating government agencies. The help desk is organized in tiers of support that allow more complex inquiries to be routed to higher support tiers staffed by individuals who specialize in specific CBP business and technical processes. Users can reach the help desk by calling 1-800-927-8729 and selecting option 4, followed by option 2, for ACE support. After selecting ACE support, a new automated message advises callers that problems that cannot be resolved immediately will be routed to a higher support tier, which will open a trouble ticket. Collectively, these changes are reducing the amount of time callers spend "on hold" by ensuring complex inquiries are routed to higher tiers of support and enabling tier one support to respond faster to other inquiries. Additionally, messages posted to the call tree also offer self-help options for issues such as resetting an ACE password. CBP also provides numerous self-help features via its Web site, such as interactive training courses on how to use ACE and detailed instructions on how to resolve issues such as inquiring about the status of an ACE application. Help desk staff recommend that users take the Web-based ACE training that addresses the most common issues faced by new ACE users. Web-based training is available by visiting the ACE Training and Reference Guides page.
( ACE Training and Reference Guides )
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