The Analysis of Planned Parenthood of New York City’s First Client Contact

Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) has been in operation for 85 years, providing advanced services and education as well as powerful advocacy to expand reproductive freedom. Following a 2001 customer satisfaction survey that indicated that the top problems at PPNYC were “telephone access to services” and “problems getting questions answered,” PPNYC asked the Capstone team to investigate all the various aspects of first client contact. The team examined the quality of the interaction with the public (PPNYC’s web site), staff issues/training, the current telephone system, outsourcing, and explored PPNYC’s affiliates and competitors. The project involved communicating with clients, interviewing staff, reviewing relevant documents, performing mock telephone calls, and conducting site observations. The team devised evaluation tools, analyzed the website, and researched and analyzed outsourcing options. The team presented PPNYC with recommendations in the following areas: the frontline staff, call center, telephone system, website, and outsourcing.