New Call Center Will Help Agency Handle Growing Demand for Services

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, joined Congressman John Tanner and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency’s new teleservice center (TSC) in Jackson, Tennessee. The Jackson TSC will be the first new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. When completed, it will create almost 200 new jobs for residents in the Jackson area.

“Our teleservice centers handle more than 60 million calls each year and we are facing an ever increasing demand for our services as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age,” Commissioner Astrue said. “The new Jackson call center will help us further improve service to the millions of Americans who call our toll-free number. The new permanent federal jobs we are bringing to Jackson and the State of Tennessee are an added benefit for the area.”

The Jackson TSC will provide additional capacity the agency needs in the Eastern and Central time zones, where more than two-thirds of the calls to Social Security’s toll-free number originate. Social Security currently has 33 TSCs operating in locations all across the country. All centers take calls from throughout the U.S. and provide service via Social Security’s national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Live service is available from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Automated service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Social Security is working closely with the General Services Administration to facilitate the process for building the new TSC. The Jackson call center will be located at 257 BancorpSouth Parkway and is expected to open by late 2011.

For more information about Social Security's toll-free 800 number services, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/services.htm.