Vol. 12, No. 7 July 2016
Paper
Notices Going Electronic This Month
Effective
July 5, 2016, and as allowed after a recent change to Maricopa County Superior
Court Local Rule 2.8 (d), the Clerk’s Office will email attorneys when hearing
and trial exhibits are eligible for release or disposal. Email notifications apply
to attorneys who have agreed to electronic distribution of minute entries and
other notices from the Clerk’s Office. Others will continue receiving notice by
U.S. mail. The process for notification and release of exhibits has not
changed, only the method of notification from paper to electronic. See the
local rule’s amended language online at http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/20/2015Rules/R-15-0044.PDF.
Clerk’s
Office Earns Two National Achievement Awards
The National Association of Counties awarded the
Clerk’s Office achievement awards for two programs that improve customer
service in Maricopa County: The Clerk’s employee cross-training program and the
Interactive Voice Response Call Management System (IVR).
Cross-Training
Compared to years ago, more job seekers are
attracted to personally meaningful work, schedule flexibility, and new
challenges. The Clerk’s Office remains an attractive employer because of its flexible
work schedules, teleworking options, and its mission of helping our community
access and receive justice. The Clerk’s Office recently implemented a cross-training
program for courtroom clerks and customer service staff that adds variety and
challenges to this important work.
On average, it takes four months for a courtroom
clerk to work on their own in a judicial officer’s division. Historically, clerks
were trained for only one case type and once assigned to a division, approximately
80 percent of their time was dedicated to the courtroom. This approach resulted
in a slim margin of experienced clerks available to cover court while new
clerks were trained. For greater flexibility and a more versatile, engaged pool
of clerks, more training was imperative. Grants funded Saturday trainings that
increased the number of courtroom clerks available to cover multiple case types.
The courtroom clerk position improved through new information, challenges, and
variety that cross-training provided.
The file counters, marriage licenses, and passport services
were also targeted for cross-training at multiple locations and the results
were impressive. Once implemented, the average wait time for marriage license
or passport customers at the Clerk’s Southeast Adult facility improved by
approximately 50 percent during a time when customer demand increased by 10
percent.
Interactive Voice Response Phone System
The Clerk’s Office implemented the IVR system in May
of 2014 to better handle an average of 30,000 telephone calls each month.
Before the IVR, callers could directly dial more than 70 published desk phones
and might then be transferred to one or more of more than 100 other telephone
numbers before getting the assistance they needed.
Partnering with the County and its vendor,
programming was the only cost of development for the Clerk’s Office. The
telephone-button operated menu system that resulted allows callers to select
options for routing directly to the area of the office they need. The new
system eliminated over 200 individual telephone numbers and gave the public one
main telephone number to contact the office: (602) 37-CLERK (372-5375). Callers
can also get information without speaking to staff, as the menus are available
24-hours per day, 7 days a week.
Whether at a service
counter, in a courtroom, or on the phone, the Clerk’s award-winning initiatives
strive to make the customer service experience better for Maricopa County’s
four million residents and beyond. Clerk’s Office staff take pride in feedback
from customers who are pleasantly surprised at getting fast, accurate, respectful
results from a government agency.
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