New technology means new ways to serve customers – that’s the idea behind the Missouri Department of Social Services rolling out a new child support online portal. It allows customers to access key information about their cases, update household information, communicate with staff through secure email, and view documents electronically.
John Ginwright, Deputy Division Director for the Missouri Department of Social Services, said the portal solves communication barriers.
“How do you get in touch with your clients that you want to serve? Traditionally it was we had a brick-and-mortar office,” Ginwright said. “You would go into the office and in the waiting room and someone will come out and talk to you. We’ve moved away from a lot of that with modern day technology.”
The department said the new portal has led to a drastic reduction in call volume and wait times.
“Those were the days when everybody wasn’t carrying their phone,” he said. “You know, some folks had cell phones. Other folks may have, you know, still had them landline phones but now literally every customer that we have carries their phone with them.”
This portal addresses longstanding challenges of delivering these services to families, according to the Department’s Angela Terry.
“At any time of the day, they can see what payments they have coming to them,” she said. “They can see what type of enforcement or activities we’re doing on their case. They can provide us updated information about their employer, about their address.”
She said that adapting to modern technology improves communication between families and the state’s child support program, and it reduces paperwork and processing time.
The department has more than 1,400 people enrolled to use the portal.
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