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OMES proposes statewide call center, says technology could save about $40 million a year
Summary
OMES told the appropriations committee it is piloting a statewide call‑center platform using modern cloud tools and expects to reduce overall state call‑center headcount by roughly one‑third while improving citizen service. The agency sought one‑time funding for implementation.
At the annual OMES budget hearing, Director Rick Rose and deputy staff described a plan to consolidate and modernize the state's many agency call centers into an integrated platform that could reduce redundant headcount and automate routine transactions.
OMES said there are roughly 3,000 call‑center agents spread across 77 agency centers statewide and that a cloud platform pilot would first onboard OMES and the Tax Commission. "We believe that by implementing new technology that we've already got in place ... we can realize the savings of approximately a thousand headcount and improve the citizen experience," Rose said, citing an estimated $40,000,000 in annual salary savings assuming an average $40,000 salary per agent.
How it would work: OMES described using a cloud contact-center product (OMES referenced AWS Connect in the discussion) and training a shared platform to handle routine transactions and route complex requests to agency specialists. When successful, the agency said, many calls would be resolved through automated workflows or self‑service, reducing the portion of calls that require a human agent.
Costs and savings: OMES presented a one‑time implementation estimate of about $12,000,000 and an ongoing annual run/maintain cost of approximately $4,000,000. The estimated $40,000,000 in annual savings was calculated by modeling reductions in headcount and related personnel costs across participating agencies; OMES described the figure as an industry‑informed projection rather than a firm guarantee.
Lawmakers' questions focused on the human impacts and agency fit: some representatives asked whether specialized agencies such as the Department of Human Services would be appropriate for consolidation because their calls often require deep subject‑matter knowledge. OMES said it would pilot the program and that training plus the platform routing would preserve the ability to reach agency experts when needed.
Ending: OMES asked the committee to consider one‑time funding to implement the platform and said it would provide additional detail on which agencies and call centers would be onboarded first and the anticipated timeline for realizing savings.
