Press Release

28 April 2016

MyMSD puts clients in the driving seat

Fifty thousand people have already signed up to MyMSD, the Ministry of Social Development’s new online service which is making it faster and easier for its clients to get the services they need.

MyMSD went live in late September and hit 50,000 users this month with only limited promotion through staff and word of mouth.

“MyMSD is a win-win. With our new easy to use services, our clients no longer need to come into our service centres or call us to do many routine transactions. They can now get online and book or cancel appointments, view payments, check and change their details and declare their wages, plus a range of other things,” says MSD’s Head of Service Delivery Ruth Bound.

“It’s faster for clients. Our staff can show you how easy it is to use. We know that about 60 per cent of our clients have smartphones and are familiar with similar offerings from banks and utilities companies so there’s huge potential here.”

The Ministry’s automated phone system also provides clients with their personal information and self-service options. “It’s been so successful that almost 40 per cent of clients who call in receive information they need before they speak to someone. It’s that easy,” says Ms Bound.

To make sure MyMSD was intuitive and easy to use, MSD invited clients to be involved in its design. Additional features and refinements will be added to MyMSD in the coming months based on client feedback.

“While we’re encouraging clients to use our digital services to easily access their information, we know some clients will prefer coming into our service centres or to speak to someone on the phone, and we will continue to cater for that,” she said.

MyMSD is available for anyone receiving a benefit, Supplementary Assistance or NZ Superannuation. It can be accessed via any device that connects to the internet, such as a PC, tablet or smartphone.

Clients with English as a second language can use Google Translate to read their information on MyMSD. It’s simple to register - clients just need their MSD client number to get started.

MyMSD can be accessed from http://my.msd.govt.nz

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