SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – It’s nice to know someone’s there to help if you give them a call.
“We have to build that rapport immediately and gain trust,” Dee Dillon, Supervising Human Services Specialist at the Access Customer Service Center for San Diego County, said. "So that's really important to me so that I can still connect with my community and still provide excellent customer service.”
That’s what Dillon’s been doing for the last five years at the call center located in Mission Valley.
“The Access Customer Service Center is here for our community to answer questions regarding cash assistance, food assistance, and MediCal,” Nina Olivas, Chief of the Access Customer Service Center for San Diego County, said.
Olivas and her team of nearly 375 people are getting connected to people in under a minute to help them navigate the system.
“That's our number one job is to make sure that we're ready and available to answer the call and we have been recognized as having the lowest wait times in the state,” Olivas said.
Olivas said Dillon and the rest of the agents at the call center field around 150,000 calls a month. She told ABC 10News in May that the number jumped to 164,000 calls.
“So, it can be confusing because there's a lot of news that's coming out about HR 1 and the different policies that are affecting us, and everyone wants to know how it is affecting them,” Olivas said.
As we reported, new work and volunteer requirements for those applying for CalFresh took effect in June.
“We had a very busy start of the month, so I think a lot of people are calling to ask questions. But luckily, the regulations are being rolled out at the renewal,” Olivas said. “So, every month there's going to be some cases that are being looked at for exemptions, and we will walk them through when the renewal comes due.”
Olivas told ABC 10News it could take some time to see some of the fallout from the new changes impacting people. But Dillon said it’s satisfying that she and her fellow agents can get people help when they need it.
“Alleviating those concerns or misconceptions. That's why we're here, you know; we want our customers and our community to feel supported that they are getting the correct information,” Dillon said. “The changes not only impact our community but, it affects our nation as a whole.”
