United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

The 120 Dasan Call Center (hereafter the "120 Dasan") is a multi-dimensional public service that provides citizens with easy access to all Seoul City government services and information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Using diverse communication media, including both wire phone, mobile phone and the Internet, the 120 Dasan allows customers to request services and information on everyday life, in Seoul, ranging from public transportation to a geographic location service to a comfort call service for senior citizens living alone.

The 120 Dasan will develop into a multi-dimensional and omnipresent public contact center that promptly provides Seoulites with government services through the utilization of a variety of communicative tools.

1. Increasing complaints about the difficulty in accessing public services
① 69 different phone numbers for various services
② long waits for service requests after an automated message
③ average 67-minutes to reach person in charge
(Mar. 2006, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission)
④ low percentage of first call resolution
⑤ low customer satisfaction: 41.6 out of 100 in November 2006
⑥ growing dissatisfaction with time-consuming administrative inefficiency

2. Complaints of civil servants leading to low work efficiency
① work interruption and mental stress due to frequent incoming calls
② insufficient workforce and budget to promptly respond to service requests
③ frequent conflicts with customers due to the unprofessional consulting manner of staff

3. Call centers not for every citizen
① inaccessible public services after work hours
② difficulty in accessing public call centers for seniors and people with disabilities such as hearing impairments
③ absence of mobile communication services including text messaging and multimedia messaging service (MMS)

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
1. Convenience of a one-number, one-stop service ① integration of the phone numbers of 17 municipal institutions and 52 district offices into one easy-to-remember number: 120 ② a 30-times hike in the number of incoming calls from 1,180 (Jan. 2007) to over 35,000 (Nov. 2009) 2. Omnipresent service around the clock and all year round ① service delivery available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year ② a jump in customer satisfaction with the call service from 41.6 (Nov. 2006) to 93.1 (Sep. 2009) out of 100 3. Direct handling of calls by professional service agents ① increase in calls answered by professional service agents, within 15 seconds, from 59 percent (Jan. 2007) to 85.8 percent (Sep. 2009) ② increase in direct call handlings from 55 percent (Jan. 2007) to 87.1 percent (Sep. 2009) 4. Videophone and text messaging service for people with hearing and speaking impairments ① videophones allowing the use of sign language (40 calls a day on average) and online text messaging services (20 calls a day on average) 5. A comfort call service for senior citizens living alone ① comfort calls for senior citizens living alone, two to three times a week. Cooperation with volunteer workers when necessary 6. Multimedia technology-based services ① text messaging services for young customers, a geographic location service, and MMS (multimedia message service), among others 7. Improvement in the efficiency of the public sector since the operation of the integrated call center ① enhanced work efficiency with focused services and workforce management ② improvement of focus on core missions and staff satisfaction by 93 percent The 120 Dasan also plans to provide new services including services for foreigners, re-billing services, and information on medical checkups.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
Right after his inauguration, Oh Se-Hoon, the mayor of the Seoul City Government, initiated bold reforms, as he promised during his election campaign and in his inauguration speech in July 2006, to solve the problems regarding the growing complaints about the public services the Seoul City Government provides. Among the various ideas suggested both by civil servants and citizens, the operation of a call center for one-stop services was adopted in August 2006. Despite opposition and cynicism by related civil servants and the concerns voiced by the City Council, the Seoul City Government started operation of the 120 Dasanon a trial basis in January 2007, with the strong support of the mayor, after numerous workshops and consultation meetings with experts. The "Customer Satisfaction Promotion Team" and the "Call Center Operation Committee," launched in 2007, drove the creation and operation of an integrated multi-dimensional call center and developed the sign language service for people with disabilities, an idea suggested by a citizen. In Nov. 2009, the 52 phone numbers of 25 autonomous districts in Seoul were also integrated into the single number 120. The 120 Dasan now has 69 phone numbers integrated into the single 120 number, and citizens don’t need to know the difference between the services offered by City and those by the autonomous districts.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The Seoul City Government's determination to realize citizen-delight administration, beyond symbolic customer-oriented administration, is the engine that drove the birth of the present 120 Dasan. The following is a brief summary of the major strategies the Seoul City Government applied in the development of the full-fledged 120 Dasan, following the success of the phase-one trial operation. 1. Aggressive goals set for the services that surpassed national standards (KS) and similar kinds of services in advanced countries (e.g., NYC 311) ① targeted a 95 percent rate of answered calls, 80 percent of direct calls handled, and 80 percent of all calls answered within 15 seconds. The 120 Dasan outperformed its goals. 2. Gradual expansion of number integration and development of new services ① gradual integration of the phone numbers in consideration of the technical problems and internal opposition ② development of new services utilizing creative ideas and multimedia technology 3. Consistent improvement through quality assessment and monitoring ① quality evaluation by over 980 "mystery shoppers" ② identification of problems and solutions through the "service quality assessment call" system and analysis of complaints 4. Strategic partnership with private sponsorship ① adoption of competitive private sponsorship from the beginning in order to prevent the mere expansion of the public system and to take advantage of the private sector's know-how (increase in private sponsors from 2 in 2007 to 3 in 2009) ② The Seoul City Government’s undertaking of core tasks, including service program development and strategy formulation, despite private sponsorship for operation 5. Active utilization of outside sources including the City Council and expert groups ① utilization of the "Call Center Operation Committee" consisting of city councilors, professors, researchers, civic leaders, and experts in various fields ② operation of the "Mystery Shopper" team consisting of monitors made up of citizens and retired civil servants

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
The Seoul City Government started operating a call center in January 2007 by integrating the ARS phone numbers of six public institutions, on a trial basis. The 120 Dasan was officially launched by merging the phone numbers of 16 public offices and 17 ARS numbers, into a single number (120), in September 2007. As of November 2009, 120 represents the phone numbers of 41 public offices and 69 ARS numbers. The following is the developmental timeline of the 120 Dasan - Sep. 2006: Comprehensive plan for a "high-quality civil service" formulated - Now. 2006: Phase-one: 120 Dasan project started (integration of ARS numbers and foundation laid for the call center) - Jan. 2007: ordinance enacted (basis for private sponsorship and operation committee established) - Jan. 2007: A call center is started on a trial basis - Sep. 2007: 120 Dasan officially launched - Jan. 2008: 24-hour, 365-day service started - Mar. 2008: Comfort call service for senior citizens living alone started. - Jun. 2008: Videophone service for the hearing and speaking impaired started - Sep. 2008: Geographic information service started - Mar. 2009: Mobile text messaging services started - Nov. 2009: Phone numbers of the Seoul City Government and district offices integrated into the 120 Dasan (52 phone numbers of 25 district offices have now been integrated) Also, several administration systems such as TOPIS (transport operation and information service), the Integrated Waterworks Management System, the Location-based Consultation Service, etc., are now linked to the 120 Dasanto provide a greater range of direct services.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
One of the greatest difficulties of the initial phase of the said project was that many civil servants, including city councilors and administrative executives, expressed their concern about the practicality of the 120 Dasan and were initially cynical and reluctant to embrace the idea due to doubts regarding the ability of service agents to familiarize themselves with all areas of city affairs in order to promptly answer questions satisfactorily. However, the strong support of the mayor of Seoul and administrative executives and their active persuasion resulted in the unified call center being brought to life. Another difficulty faced during the integration phase of the project was that civil servants, who had to set up a detailed and accurate database of information and develop service programs, were themselves skeptical about the success of the 120 Dasan. The mayor and the deputy mayor held a total of 22 meetings and training sessions for department chiefs and related civil servants. Also, the mayor and the deputy mayor presided over 35 working-level meetings for the creation of a standardized service database. In addition, the Seoul City Government analyzed the service requests it had received, over the last three years, made by phone or the Internet, in order to ensure the efficacy of the database and the service agents’ competence for accurate service delivery. The difficulty the Seoul City Government faced during the last phase of developing the 120 Dasan was how to integrate the phone numbers of 25 district offices into a single phone number. In the beginning, the Seoul City Government faced substantial resistance from employees of district offices fearful of budget cuts and layoffs due to the integration of services. However, with the positive response of Seoulites to the 120 Dasan and their strong support for the call enter, as well as the strong support of the mayor, the Seoul City Government was able to unify the phone numbers of 25 district offices into a single number.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The most valuable resource for the creation and operation of the 120 Dasan was the service program, itself. The development of a service program was critical to ensure that service agents could provide accurate information promptly and efficiently. For that purpose, the Seoul City Government developed a service program in partnership with a leading company (LG CNS), with the Seoul City Government reserving all rights regarding the program. The core resources of the 120 Dasan are its service agents. In order to produce a competent workforce, the Seoul City Government provides new service agents with over 240-hours of training before they start answering calls and staff over 170 hours of annual training, field training, and periodic testing. The expense for the creation and operation of the 120 Dasan is met by the Seoul City Government and the district offices. Despite the initial financial burden for equipment and program development, the economic benefits of the 120 Dasan are enormous. According to a study by the Seoul Development Institute, the 120 Dasan generated USD 10.8 million and USD 19.1 million in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
□ Sustainability The 120 Dasan was created and is operated in accordance with the Seoul City Ordinance (January 2007) and received various local and international certificates, including the Korean Standard (KS) Certificate (September 2008), ISO 20000 (September 2008), and ISO 9001 (December 2008), among others. It also gained recognition as an exemplary model, at home and abroad, by winning several awards including the "Customer-Delight Management Award"(January 2008 and January 2009), the Korean Service Quality Index (KSQI) Outstanding Call Center Award (March 2008 and March 2009), The Brand of the Year Award (September 2008), and the Korean Standard (KS) Certificate Award (October 2009), among others. □ Benchmarking by other institutes at home and abroad Since the 120 Dasan entered into full service, many civil servants and researchers from home or abroad, have visited the Call Center in order to benchmark it. The Seoul City Government now offers the operational manuals for the Center, as well as other relevant information, on request. - Foreign countries: visitors to the 120 Dasan include some 370 people affiliated with 40 institutions in various countries, including Uruguay (July 2009), Vietnam (March 2009), China (March 2009), U.S. (February 2009), Lebanon (February 2009), Bangladesh (November 2008), Indonesia (November 2008), Singapore (November 2008), and Egypt (November 2008). In addition, the 120 Dasan is now featured as a successful administrative service case study in the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, U.S. - Korea: a total of 1,923 people from 422 public and private institutions, including the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, Busan City, and Samsung Electronics, have visited the 120 Dasan. Also, Baekseok University is conducting research on the Call Center as an example of a successful administrative service. □ Future Plan The Seoul City Government plans to translate the relevant information regarding the basic resources of the 120 Dasan, and its operational manual, into multiple languages (English and others) for effective benchmarking of the center by foreign institutions. It also plans to contribute towards the development of other societies around the world through developmental and technical assistance projects in developing countries.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Dedicated to a more comfortable and convenient life for all Seoulites, the 120 Dasan will move outside of its comfort zone to continue its evolution into a multi-dimensional public contact center that promptly responds to the inconveniences and complaints of citizens. The success of the 120 Dasan and the lessons learned from this success are summarized below. 1. The Seoul City Government’s vision for the future and the mayor’s leadership and determination ① the mayor’s commitment to citizen-centered city administration 2. Concerted efforts to draw the support of reluctant civil servants ① the sincere efforts of the mayor and the deputy mayor to persuade unwilling civil servants to share their points of view and to urge their cooperation ② gradual development and participation by civil servants 3. Constant review and research for continuous improvement ① creation of a database for an advanced service system and research into the development of new programs ② consistent efforts for continuous improvement through quality assessment, monitoring and development of new services 4. Promotion of a sense of responsibility and passion among service agents ① a sense of responsibility among the operators who provide the 24 hour, 365 day service ② passion for exemplary civil administration among the operators through communication with citizens 5. Encouragement of citizens’ participation through active marketing ① active promotion of the Call Center ② citizens satisfied with the service of the 120 Dasan to act as the most important supporters for administrative reforms


Institution Name:		Customer Service Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Institution Type:		Government Department
Contact Person:		Sunhui Shim
Title:		Deputy Director
Telephone/ Fax:		82-2-6361-3320
Institution's / Project's Website:		82-2-6361-3319
E-mail:		shim0428@seoul.go.kr
Address:		Seoul City Hall 11th, 15, Deoksugung-gil
Postal Code:		100-739
City:		Jung-gu
State/Province:		Seoul Metropolitan City
Country:

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information