{"id":32708,"date":"2022-03-31T12:11:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T16:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/our-solutions\/customer-experience\/y2021\/social-security-retirement-services\/"},"modified":"2022-11-15T11:15:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T16:15:49","slug":"social-security-retirement-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/our-solutions\/customer-experience\/y2021\/social-security-retirement-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Security Retirement Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n<\/i>Back to Customer Experience Profiles<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n
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Social Security Administration<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Executive Summary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data Highlights<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Customer Experience Insights<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Delivering Services Equitably<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading Customer Experience Practices<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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People rely on the Social Security Administration\u2019s retirement services for financial security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer experience improvements such as easier tracking of claim status and a better online self-service retirement calculator are making it simpler for people to plan and manage their retirement. The agency provides online retirement planning tools that exceed federal customer satisfaction benchmarks for online services and has made it easier for people to understand the status of their retirement claims\u2014previously a major source of customer frustration.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these successes, customers expect faster service when scheduling appointments or calling the contact center, and they would like it to be easier to complete their business the first time they contact the agency. SSA is tackling these challenges by improving communication to customers and standardizing service across channels to encourage wider use of online self-service options.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Service Overview<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Social Security Administration provides benefits to support the financial security of more than 70 million people in this country. The agency\u2019s largest program is the Old Age and Survivors Insurance program, which provides retirement benefits to more than 55 million qualified workers and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Primary\u202fcustomers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qualified workers who receive or apply for social security benefits, and their families, as well as people planning for their retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key services provided to customers <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Processing and adjudication of applications for Social Security retirement benefits and, in partnership with the Medicare program, processing of enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Assistance for people completing retirement applications online, over the phone or at local Social Security field offices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Monthly delivery of benefit payments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Issuance of benefit verification letters and status updates on benefit claims and, in partnership with the Medicare program, replacement Medicare cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Online access to Social Security accounts, so recipients can view their Social Security statements, check their earnings and estimate retirement benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Service Snapshot<\/strong> (all data for fiscal year 2020)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • More than 55 million retirement beneficiaries<\/strong> who received about $944 billion in fiscal year 2020.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 291.5 million visits<\/strong> to SSA.gov. (all agency programs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 72 million field office phone calls<\/strong> received. (all agency programs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 79 million 800 number phone calls<\/strong> received. (all agency programs)\n
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      • Average wait time for 800 number calls: 16.1 minutes<\/strong> in fiscal year 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • 20.6 million visits<\/strong> to SSA field offices. (down from 40 million in previous year)\n
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        • This includes 20.2 million visits between October 2019 and March 13, 2020, when SSA began limiting in-person services, and 109,191 dire need visits between March 13 and the end of fiscal 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • 61.6 million users registered<\/strong> for \u201cmy Social Security\u201d accounts that enable delivery of personalized online services. (all agency programs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

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          Data Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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          out of 100: Overall customer satisfaction score for SSA online services. (note: Refers to all online services offered by SSA, not only those associated with retirement services.)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          of SSA customers said they expect to speak to someone within five minutes of calling. On average it takes more than 16 minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          of customers cannot complete their business on their first call or office visit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          Customer Experience Insights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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          Improvement from last year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          Room for improvement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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          Personalized social security statements and retirement calculators are enabling people to more effectively plan for their retirement. <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t
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          In 2020, SSA introduced a modernized online Social Security statement\u2014a personalized document detailing earnings and projected retirement benefits that everyone with earnings receives annually, and whose features had not been updated in decades. Based on customer feedback the agency shortened the document, eliminated extraneous details and focused on what people need most\u2014understanding how their retirement benefits will change depending on when they retire. The new statement offers better estimates of how benefits would be affected by retiring at different times, providing a dollar estimate for every potential retirement year as opposed to only a few sample years. This gives customers more information to help them plan their retirement. The statements are also now available for people to download at any time in their \u201cmy Social Security\u201d accounts.<\/p>\n

          The agency also improved its online self-service retirement calculator to help people with their financial planning, enabling people to add the retirement benefits of a spouse to calculations to provide a full picture of their finances. This helps customers better plan for retirement by providing more financial information in one place, ensuring they have the context needed to make retirement decisions.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t

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          Most customers are satisfied with SSA\u2019s online services and tools. <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t
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