Each year, more than 33,000 people receive business permit assistance over the phone from the Office of Regulatory and Management Assistance (ORMA), now called the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform. To answer the variety of questions posed by callers, Permit Coordinators rely on a database describing nearly 1,200 permits issued by more than 40 different New York State agencies.
This report presents the results of a project that developed a prototype voice response system that would use more sophisticated voice response technology to meet the needs of its customers. The project assessed technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness, business process, and customer service implications of fitting the system into existing operations.