The Ticket Program’s primary communication channel is the beneficiary-facing Help Line. Every messaging vehicle – webinars, social media, text messages, or other promotional material – directs beneficiaries to the Help Line to obtain information about support available to them.
To optimize customer service, Cognosante expanded self-service options on the Help Line Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system so beneficiaries could resolve routine inquiries after regular business hours. In addition, the team created a self-service option that referred callers to SSA directly for inquiries that were beyond the scope of the Help Line. More than 1,000 callers per month benefit from this expedited transfer to SSA personnel who are empowered to address their inquiries.
Through targeted outreach supported by Cognosante, 4.7 million beneficiaries learned about the Ticket Program resulting in 65,000 new program participants in 2023. Also in that year, Cognosante produced and hosted 12 successful webinars attended by more than 4,000 people, and reached 36,717 subscribers through a text messaging campaign that continues to increase subscribers by several hundred per month.
Ticket Program messages reach and engage diverse audiences through social media, blog posts, and website features highlighting real-world examples of beneficiaries’ experiences with the program. One of the beneficiary stories received a 2023 Hermes Gold Award for web creative writing and content. It profiled a beneficiary who successfully navigated a return to work after a life-changing diagnosis made it unclear what work options, if any, were available.
The efforts outlined above have resulted in the following direct benefits to beneficiaries and employees of the Ticket to Work Program.
Photos: Program participants from left to right: Michele, Robert, Adrienne (right). More Ticket to Work Success Stories available from SSA.