GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1997 SESSION

 

 

S.L. 1997-351

SENATE BILL 531

 

 

AN ACT TO REQUIRE STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF MENUS ON AUTOMATED PHONE SYSTEMS THAT CALLERS MUST GO THROUGH BEFORE CONNECTING TO A PERSON AND TO ALLOW ACCESS TO AN ATTENDANT OR OPERATOR ON THE FIRST MENU.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  The General Assembly finds that:

(1)       Some telephone systems operated by State government agencies require callers to proceed through several menus to finally reach an individual extension, an arrangement that can be intimidating to the caller;

(2)       Many State telephone systems also make it difficult to reach an attendant or operator at the agency; and

(3)       While automated telephone systems and voice mail are intended to improve the efficiency of government, the first duty of government is to serve the people, and efficiency should not impede the average citizen in attempting to contact a State agency for service or information.

Section 2.  State agency telephone systems routing calls to multiple extensions shall be reprogrammed by September 1, 1997, to minimize the number of menus that a caller must go through to reach the desired extension, and to allow the caller to reach an attendant or operator from the first menu when calling during normal business hours.

This act shall be implemented by State agencies with existing personnel at no additional cost to the State.

Section 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 22nd day of July, 1997.

s/   Dennis A. Wicker

President of the Senate

 

s/   Harold J. Brubaker

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

s/   James B. Hunt, Jr.

Governor

 

Approved 4:00 p.m. this 1st day of August, 1997