Customer Service Panel Telephone Service October 2014 www.haringey.gov.uk
Introduction Our fourth customer service panel consisted of 15 residents and looked at: Our draft Customer Care Standards and Customer Feedback posters; A general look at telephone services today with good and bad examples; A look at Haringey s current telephone system; and Feedback about how the future telephone service should be. Telephone Services today The panel listened to and commented on the automated telephone systems of five organisations: Should tell you how much the call should cost as 0871 are expensive and you do not find out until you receive the phone bill. Prefer companies to use 0300 numbers. Sometimes you are cut off and if you press the wrong option you are routed back to the beginning. Too many options and too much information. Some don t say they are closed until you are already way in. Should be up front. Quite difficult to listen to, no clarity and volume was quite low. With some Northern England accents, voice recognition often confuses 4 with 0 and vice versa so it is important to test.
Elderly people or people with hearing difficulties will find it difficult to hear the automated telephone service. A direct line for people with hearing difficulties is needed. There is no break in the automated voice and you cannot tell when one sentence has ended or another begins. Perhaps a pause option or to repeat, press 5 would be better. Starts with a clear first menu but then option 6 has more layers. It needs to be slower as it is too fast for everybody to understand but otherwise it is quite good and clear. There was a clear preference for the automated telephone service which used voice recognition. Voice recognition VS press button Panellists were asked their views on voice recognition and press button options: Press button option is difficult for the elderly as they sometimes press the wrong button and have to start again so there should be an option to go back. Some people from sheltered housing cannot cope with press button options and have to go through to a warden. I like to be informed of the shortcut at the start, such as press 2, then 9. Voice recognition is the preferred option as it is faster, and routes to the correct department, more importantly they wanted the option to speak to people at all times.
Haringey Council s current telephone systems Henna Chowdry (Assistant Head of Service for Customer Services) presented information regarding call centre contact levels in 2013-2014: 253,782 customers called the main switchboard (telephone number 020 8489-0000) 366,827 customers called the Contact centre directly (telephone number 020 8489-1000) Each day, 2453 calls are made to the Switchboard and Contact centre combined (this is a general day and is not representative of seasonal peaks) Veolia contact centre (020 8885 7700) Panellists said: I wait for ages to report dumped rubbish which can often be about fifteen minutes and I would be happier to leave a message. I called Veolia three times for dumped rubbish and has not been collected in over three weeks. Cameras would deter fly tipping in regular places. The council hasn t followed up on any complaints regarding fly-tippers when they have been given the culprits name, address, license plates etc. Police will call round once, and if the door is not answered, it wouldn t be chased up again. Who monitors Veolia? We want Haringey Council to be responsible for Veolia. Panellists were asked for feedback on their experiences of Haringey Council telephone systems:
Haringey contact centre (020 8489 1000) The contact centre automated telephone system was played (for Council Tax & Benefits) and a transcript of options which are available online were presented. Asked about the current telephone system, the panel had the following comments: The voice clarity was very good with a moderate pace which was easy to understand Feedback regarding automated options were positive and panellists understood a local authority would have multiple options compared to other organisations Frustrated with withheld number when the Council calls back a lot of PPI and sales companies call with withheld number and we should be able to distinguish the Council. Rude staff who refuse to give full name which customers need to know in order to make a complaint - We give our full name, so why do staff not give theirs? Senior staff should set an example - When I asked to speak to a supervisor, the staff will refuse to pass the call through. When you do speak to a supervisor, they say they will not tolerate any comments about their staff which is very wrong. The supervisor is in a senior position and should recognise the rudeness of their staff should not be tolerated. Customers can hear private conversations between staff whilst they are waiting Homes for Haringey contact centre (020 8489 5611) Lack of knowledge about products, and miscommunication between front and back-office - I called the repairs service to report a broken window pane as a football was thrown through it and the repair person who turned up thought the window was loose and didn t realise it was broken. Constraints & changes in direction Panellists were informed of the Customer Services Transformation plans to design a contact centre which can cope with the demand and budget challenges. Future plans are to consolidate services, invest in Technology, internet selfservice and engage further with customers. Of the panel, 87% used their smart-phones to access the internet but some had concerns over using them for payments.
Future telephone system The panel understood a local authority would have multiple options on an automated telephone system compared to other organisations. However, they suggested the following improvements should be considered: Customers should be informed that the transcribed list of options (which provides customers with the numbers they need to press) is advertised online, at the beginning of the telephone call An option to leave a message to report dumped waste rather than holding for over 10 minutes Promote Our Haringey app on the telephone call, which is more convenient to report issues Publicise 5-6 telephone numbers for specific departments, rather than one general number, for direct access to the correct department An option to repeat or pause An option to speak to an agent made clear at the start, for example, to speak to an agent press 2, then 9. Direct line for people with hearing difficulties such as the elderly and deaf Calls should be re-directed to another number when there are peak calls so customers are not waiting for long periods An option to leave a message for the call back service however this must be dealt with within 24 hours - Then we know we are not forgotten. Feedback/suggestions/complaint option for each service area in the automated message - Too hard to find and get through at present. Staff must state their full name when requested Every call should be recorded and a text or email should be sent to the customer to confirm the call was made so there is an audit trail Staff must put the customer on hold or press mute when they are investigating the customer issues and announce this to the customer Improved music to be played which is calming or an option to hear an alternative, for example, press 1 to listen to music or 2 to hear a holding beep Better staff training to understand the services and recognise the issues
Haringey Customer Engagement Investing in our tomorrow is part of the promise to engage with Haringey residents, and the panel were handed leaflets with the current road show dates and venues - these are also available online. The next Customer Service panel will be in February 2015 and will look at the future of face to face services. Customer Service Transformation project representatives will be attending to provide an insight into the vision and obtain feedback from the panel. Everyone was invited to attend again and encourage more representatives of the community to attend such as people with hearing difficulties, non-english speaking individuals, councillors, carers and their clients and younger people aged 16 upwards. A panellist suggested that we keep track of the ideas being raised, so that there is awareness of when feedback is being acted upon. This was agreed.