The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), External Affairs Directorate has a continuing requirement for a Customer Engagement Center at the National Customer Service Center to support calls and chats using a customer engagement center model that employs a mix of web and voice channels for customers to obtain assistance on citizenship and immigration-related information.

To provide Tier 0 and Tier 1 level support for the USCIS Contact Center by assisting the public with information on immigration-related services and benefits. USCIS is centralizing the inquiry process so all public inquiries come through the multi-tiered Contact Center and this award will serve to educate and help direct stakeholders to self-service options, and manage the majority of USCIS case inquiries. Examples of common inquiries include how to file an application, check the status of an application, update an address on file with USCIS, creating an account, requesting a duplicate card or notice, requesting an expedite, among others. The USCIS Contact Center operates under the USCIS, External Affairs (EXA) Directorate, Office of Citizenship and Applicant Information Services (CAIS), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The USCIS Contact Center currently offers services primarily through four communication channels: phone, chat, web form/e-mail, and written correspondence. Currently, Tier 1 supports the phone and chat channels and will expand to include e-mail (secure messaging and web form), web call-backs, scheduled callbacks via appointment, USCIS account-based services, and any channel used to correspond with stakeholders about their cases.

• Phone Channel: Historically receiving nearly 14 million calls a year, the phone channel operates four levels of support. The first is the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Historically, 50 to 60 percent of all calls are resolved in the IVR with the majority connecting to the IVR’s case status menu. If the public is not able to obtain the information or assistance they seek through the IVR, they are able to speak with a Tier 1 Information Specialist (IS). The ISs provide general and case-specific information based on access to various USCIS systems. They also triage requests for field office appointments, referred to as InfoPass appointments. Historically, Tier 1 has been able to resolve approximately 80 percent of the calls they receive. In the event Tier 1 is unable to fully assist an individual or that person requires an InfoPass appointment to be scheduled, they escalate the inquiry to Tier 2 federally staffed Immigration Services Officers (ISOs). In turn, if Tier 2 is unable to assist the caller, they can further escalate the inquiry to more senior Tier 3 ISOs.
• Chat: The contact center receives over 70,000 chats a year, with plans to further grow the channel in the future. Currently, live agent chat is accessible through the USCIS.gov virtual assistant Emma. Emma assists USCIS.gov users with general immigration information. If Emma is unable to resolve an inquiry, it can escalate the user to a Tier 1 chat agent. If Tier 1 is unable to resolve the inquiry, the Tier 1 IS will create a service request, and the user will receive a Tier 2 call-back within 24 to 48 hours.
• Online inquiries/Email: The public can e-mail their inquiries to USCIS in two ways. Petitioners and beneficiaries signed into their myUSCIS account can submit a secure email message. Additionally, the general public can submit an e-mail request using a web form on uscis.gov that does not require the user to be logged into their account. The secure messages and web forms are processed by Tier 2. Internally, Tier 2 uses the Salesforce

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tool to capture information on the contact. Tier 2 receives over 270,000 secure messages and web form inquiries a year.
The next step in the evolution of the Tier 1 program is to expand its capabilities further to make Tier 1 more autonomous with the goal of reducing live service, enticing stakeholders to create USCIS accounts, promoting and improving self-service tools, continually updating the IVR routing design to complete transactions and reducing demand for both live phone service at Tier 1, and escalations to Tier 2 Immigration Services Officer (ISO) support. These current and expanded capabilities may include: scheduling appointments, making outbound email and or call-backs to inquiries, servicing account-based transactions including password resets and secure messaging, sending SMS messages, and any task that is centralized in the USCIS Contact Center.

• Utilize USCIS cloud-based/voice over internet protocol (VOIP) transmission architecture.
• Support a multi-channel contact center. Channels include but are not limited to: the IVR, phone, chat, email, web-based inquiries, SMS, and account-based services.
• Provide a scalable workforce to support the volume of work increases and decreases in a multi-channel environment.
• Bilingual agents capable of handling communication in both Spanish and English. Approximately 25% of all inquiries are from Spanish-speaking applicants.
• The phone channel will support incoming calls from the IVR, direct line access as determined by USCIS, and a scheduled call-back appointment system with outbound dialing.
• One infrastructure with a common platform approved by USCIS that will support all Tiers of Service, including a centralized routing system from a single IVR with multiple exit points that lead to language or issue-specific queues all funneled through our tiered system.
• Frequent partnership and communication between the different tiers of service to optimize where the resolution of the inquiry will occur.
• At least two contact center locations with full redundancy, but not more than four. At least two locations must be geographically dispersed so they are located on at least 2 of the U.S. power grids. Each facility must be appropriately staffed to support the current state contact center operations using a proven operational management approach to deliver services that meet or exceed SLA targets and customer expectations.
• Integrate paper-based communications channels into enhanced digital customer engagement center technology ecosystem.
• A focus on opportunities to move users from live help to self-help channels.
• Identify additional opportunities to increase automation and improve customer experience.
• Develop supporting business cases for individual innovation efforts, including potential efficiency gains with direct and indirect savings that may be achieved with a transition to the future state.
• Use of the USCIS account to communicate with stakeholders. This includes account maintenance issues such as password resets and help desk type services for account holders. Appointment scheduling of applicants.
• Dedicated contract staff focused on continuous IVR enhancement and updated routing paths/logic to steer stakeholders to self-service.
• Process improvement recommendations by the vendor.
• Recommend and prioritize potential solutions using a human-centered design approach.
• Develop recommendations to eliminate or reduce the impact of identified barriers.