Working the Phones

THE DAILY FED

Working the Phones

Acording to popular myth, it's almost impossible to get a federal bureaucrat to give you a straight answer to a simple question over the phone. According to one government estimate, more than 30 million callers last year simply gave up.

Two Knight-Ridder reporters decided to test the theory by putting away their press passes, opening up a government directory and dialing federal offices. They called 50 different offices and asked 50 different questions, ranging from "Who's the biggest minority dry clearner in Richmond, Va.?" to "How much federal mass transit aid does Honolulu get?"

The results: 40 of 50 questions got answered, the majority in three calls or less, not counting transfers in the course of a call. Most questions were answered in three hours, including time waiting for calls back. Of the 10 Knight-Ridder questions that proved unanswerable, most involved unreturned voice mail messages.

"It's hard, in the end, to conclude that the service was substandard," the reporters acknowledged--albeit somewhat grudgingly.

Although the Clinton administration has said that treating callers well improves the public's perception of government, it has eliminated the jobs of 70,000 clerical workers who used to answer phones. Now agencies are relying on voice mail, e-mail, hot lines, personal computers and Web sites to offset the loss of support staff.

In response last month, Sen. Lauch Faircloth, R-N.C., introduced a bill that would require that callers to federal agencies be greeted by live operators.