HB 979 amends the Florida Customer Service Standards Act to require state departments to offer telephone callers a callback queue option. Under the bill, a customer contacting a state department by phone must be able to choose to keep their place in line and receive a return call at a later designated time instead of remaining on hold or hearing a continuously ringing line. The measure is limited to state departments and applies to telephone customer service interactions.
The bill also makes a technical change to section 23.30, Florida Statutes, by redesignating existing paragraphs in the customer service standards provision to accommodate the new requirement. It takes effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
HB 979 would add a new operational customer-service mandate for state departments in Florida, requiring them to implement callback queue systems for telephone inquiries. This would affect how agencies manage call volume and wait times, likely requiring changes to phone systems, staffing procedures, or vendor contracts. The bill amends s. 23.30, F.S., within the Florida Customer Service Standards Act, and would apply statewide to executive branch departments covered by that statute.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a straightforward administrative customer-service improvement with no documented opposition in the record supplied. The bill’s purpose is framed in practical terms—reducing time spent on hold and improving access to state services—suggesting generally favorable treatment as a constituent-service measure.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided transcripts or voting history, because none were supplied. Potential areas of debate, if any arose, would likely concern implementation costs, technology requirements, and whether the callback system should be mandatory for all state departments regardless of call volume or existing service infrastructure.