Retiring Baby Boomers are increasing the demand for Social Security Administration (SSA) services at a time when budget constraints and retiring staff are limiting the agency’s capacity to deliver them.
In response, the SSA has created more online tools to help people claim benefits, yet a recent survey suggests that more than half of them are not using these resources, according to a new report from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
In May 2021, the CRR surveyed 1,600 older individuals regarding their recent experience claiming Social Security retirement benefits and found that almost 60 percent of them contacted SSA directly at some point during the claiming process.
Overall, the results suggest that SSA is providing solid customer service to retirees whether they choose to use online tools or contact SSA – with both groups reporting an average satisfaction score of more than 8 out of 10. In addition, the findings suggest that continued improvements in, and promotion of, online services could potentially further boost the satisfaction of those who would prefer to use online tools.
