The International Organization for Migration (IOM) designed and deployed a new case management system for the hotline of the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories (MRTOT) serving internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war-affected people. This new digital solution enables quicker, more effective responses to IDP requests and informs policymaking with analysis of the needs and information requested. This assistance was provided thanks to funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom. 

"Previously, we used the services of a commercial company for a monthly fee. However, the new system is now fully owned and operated by the Ministry. We can now connect those calling the hotline with up to 1,000 specialists from regional authorities to successfully manage requests for assistance," says Andriy Tereshonok, Head of the Information and Reference Service Department of the Ministry of Reintegration.

The new system has been operational since March and allows the team of up to 15 call center operators to comfortably handle 1,000 to 1,500 calls per day. Two more operators take calls at night to provide round-the-clock coverage. 

According to Mr. Tereshonok, most of the hotline callers are internally displaced persons. At present, many people have questions about their eligibility for the IDP Living Allowance. The hotline also provides IDPs with information regarding evacuation orders, access to housing and compensation schemes and illegal eviction from places of temporary residence, among other topics. For each type of question the Ministry receives through the hotline there is a dedicated workflow and categorization in the case management system. "If a person has already contacted us, we can automatically see their profile in the system when they call again," adds Mr. Tereshonok. "This enables us to more effectively answer callers’ questions, refer them to the appropriate services for assistance and understand their needs and the support they have previously receive”  

“When IOM was asked by the Ministry to provide support last year, the hotlines were experiencing a very high volume of calls, with many being redirected to regional authorities," explains Joshua Phillippo-Holmes, Programme Manager of the Data & Analytics unit in IOM Ukraine. "This made effective case management challenging and prevented IDPs from receiving information or referrals that they needed. In addition, the new system provides the Ministry with an improved dashboard to understand which requests are most frequent and to tailor their support and services accordingly.” 

IOM will continue supporting technical support of the new system to ensure it is working correctly and technical problems resolved promptly.