Web-Based Child Support Customer Services for Parents – Promising Practices Guide

Web-based customer services have had a profound and positive impact on how child support agencies do business and how well clients feel they are treated. The Internet makes services more accessible to parents, contributes to a more transparent system, and informs and educates parents. State child support agencies report up to 10,000 visitors to their website per day and up to 350,000 registered users of case-specific web-based services. The demand for web-based services is likely to increase. Recent trends indicate that computer access and usage continues to grow and more individuals are paying bills and managing accounts electronically. This increases the expectation of obtaining consumer services from child support websites. It is hoped that the information contained in this Guide, and the examples provided, will encourage States to reassess their own websites and consider ways in which the Internet can improve agency customer service.