Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
The Solution
The INPS Mobile Counter now eliminates the need for physically challenged customers
to complete transactions on INPS premises. In the process, the Mobile Counter
is improving relations with customers. In most cases (about 92 percent), matters
can be handled over the telephone or by using other communication and IT tools. In
the remaining 7 or 8 percent of cases, where authentication of a signature is required,
the solution is for INPS staff to visit the disadvantaged customer at home.
People with disabilities and those over age 80 with attendance allowances, are entitled
to Mobile Counter benefits. A personal identification number, or PIN code, is provided
to them by means of a letter. After receiving the PIN code, they can contact the Mobile
Counter and submit their service requests. The Mobile Counter is also available to people
who are hospitalized for long periods, as they would be unable to go to INPS offices.
In addition, phone calls can be made to the Mobile Counter for informational purposes
(for instance, to get information on one’s pension or on paid contributions). In such
cases, the Mobile Counter provides the information in real time using the computer aids
with which the Institute is endowed. The privacy of pensioner data is always guaranteed.
The project has been in operation since January 2009, following a nine-month trial in
a limited area in Rome. That experimental phase involved 3,800 people, including
192 blind people, 139 partially sighted people, and 3,500 people over age 80 that
were entitled to attendance allowances. The trial was useful in assessing effectiveness
and determining the choice of organisational methods and equipment.
The Mobile Counter has cooperated with INPS suburban agencies to create posters and
information sheets to increase public awareness of the service. The second Municipality
of the City of Rome, particularly concerned over disability problems, has made its own
institutional website to provide citizens with informative material on the Mobile Counter.
The initiative has been successful on many levels. The Mobile Counter has been able
to operate at low cost and with few human and material resources. In one year, PIN
codes were sent to about 7,200 users and some 1,200 cases were closed. About 500
of these involved complex matters handled within seven to ten days; 700 problems
were of low to medium complexity and were resolved on the spot.
By providing home services where necessary and offering the convenience of simply
using the telephone for most matters, INPS improves the delivery of services in many
different ways. First there is the time savings for the disabled or elderly customer.
Second, there are cost savings for both the customer and INPS, which doesn’t need
to refund the customer’s taxi fare. Third, reduction of queues at INPS offices means
that non-disabled users are able to receive faster service and more attention from the
front-office staff. Fourth, there are environmental benefits: a reduction in CO2 emissions
because car trips for in-person visits are avoided.
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