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King County District Court Selected As Finalist for 2008 Washington Software Technology Association Industry Achievement Awards

Posted on: Monday, 7 January 2008, 09:00 CST

SEATTLE, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- King County today announced that King County District Court has been named a finalist in the 2008 WSA technology innovators prestigious Industry Achievement Awards (IAA) program under the category of "Best Use of Technology in the Government, Non-Profit or Education Sector."

Each year approximately 250,000 cases are filed in King County District Court. To assist the public with questions and concerns related to these cases, and to respond to the roughly one half million phone calls that they generate annually, the Court established a Call Center. Callers' questions range from how to obtain an emergency Protection Order to how to pay a ticket, or get driving directions to court.

The District Court's initial call center was created, during a time of severe budget constraints, and was intended to provide callers with timely and accurate information despite the Court's dramatic reduction in staff. Callers were often frustrated by long wait times, and sometimes by being dropped from the phone system altogether.

To rectify the situation, King County engaged SolutionsIQ to develop a new call center, using existing technology and resources. The project aimed to enhance customer service and increase efficiencies. The results have been dramatic. The call center staff now handles more calls, with shorter wait times. More citizens of King County are now able to speak directly with a court clerk and get assistance much more quickly and efficiently.

The District Court has realized enormous cost savings and the new system has the ability to provide data and statistics regarding usage. The new system provides detailed reports on the number of callers, what questions callers are asking, and what wait times they are experiencing. The most impressive result was the decrease in "abandoned calls" from 44 percent to 7 percent, resulting in fewer frustrated callers hanging up and calling back."

With stretched resources and a limited budget, we partnered with SolutionsIQ to address the problems confronted by thousands of citizens calling in to the district court," explained Tricia Crozier, Chief Administrative Officer of King County Court. "With an enhanced system and proper training, King County District Court clerks now are able to better meet citizens' needs. In addition, the project serves as an example for other government entities looking to improve access and service to citizens."

The annual awards banquet will take place on February 7, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. The award banquet is considered to be one of the technology industry's most distinguished events and attracts more than 1,000 business and community leaders who drive the growth of The Northwest's technology industry.

About King County District Court

KCDC is the largest and most technologically advanced court of limited jurisdiction in the State of Washington and is currently responsible for processing approximately a quarter of a million matters per year. The Court is a leader in many areas involving public safety and access to justice, including the use of problem solving courts, jail alternative programs and judge managed probation services. Thirteen cities contract with King County for judicial services that are provided by KCDC.

The mission of the KCDC is to serve the public by: * Providing an accessible forum for the fair, efficient, and understandable resolution of civil and criminal cases; and * Maintaining an atmosphere of respect for the dignity of all individuals.

For more about District Court, please see http://www.kingcounty.gov/districtcourt.

About WSA

Founded in 1984, WSA is Washington's technology association with over 1,000 member companies representing more than 100,000 software, Internet, telecommunications and technology company employees. The WSA is a catalyst for industry connections and provides members with key business services. As a voice for Washington's technology industry, the WSA leads the advocacy of issues necessary to grow Washington state's impact as a leader in the digital economy. WSA's global partners are Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Microsoft, Regence BlueShield, The Hartford and Wells Fargo Insurance Services. WSA's funding partners are AH&T Insurance, Blink Interactive, Inc., Comerica Bank and RealNetworks. For more information, please see http://www.wsa.org/.

About SolutionsIQ

SolutionsIQ delivers the best in Agile development, consulting, training and mentoring services. Founded in 1979, SolutionsIQ has over 27 years of experience providing customers with best-of-breed technology services and solutions. Today, SolutionsIQ is uniquely equipped to help technology driven organizations take advantage of modern agile project management and software development methods to deliver solutions more reliably, with less risk and at lower cost. SolutionsIQ offers a full range of technology services from Agile training and coaching to software delivery and talent acquisition. Learn more at http://www.solutionsiq.com/

Press Contact: Christie Denniston Catapult PR-IR Office: 303-581-7760, ext. 13 Mobile: 303-827-5164 cdenniston@catapultpr-ir.com

King County District Court

CONTACT: Christie Denniston of Catapult PR-IR, +1-303-581-7760, ext. 13,or Mobile, +1-303-827-5164, cdenniston@catapultpr-ir.com, for King CountyDistrict Court

Web site: http://www.kingcounty.gov/districtcourthttp://www.wsa.org/http://www.solutionsiq.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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