The flagship piece of the program is already up and running. With an estimated 75 percent of citizen contacts within Thanet taking place by phone, the council identified that improving the quality of phone-based services needed to be its key priority --especially as around 17 percent of calls were previously unanswered because of inadequate call handling facilities.
A new customer service center, The Thanet Service Center, was therefore opened in late 2004 to handle calls into the council --including calls to the main council switchboard number -- and with the goal of dramatically improving the quality of over-the-phone service. By the end of 2005, the council has set itself the target of resolving caller problems 80 percent of the time on the very first call.
The initial results have been extremely encouraging, with the percentage of calls unanswered by the council falling from 17 percent before the service center was opened, to 4 percent today.
CallPlus contact center technology from Macfarlane Telesystems is at the core of Thanet's call handling capabilities, with Thanet's CallPlus computer telephony system providing intelligent call routing, call recording, IVR and reporting facilities.
The Thanet Service Center handles a range of enquiries relating to Environmental, Council Tax and 'Street Scene' (i.e. lights, cleansing, verges etc.) services. All calls to the main Thanet switchboard number, plus those previously answered within those departments, are now handled by the Center.
One of the most remarkable things about the new Service Center is its focus on the development of its people. "We didn't want a classic call center" explains Donna Reed, Head of Customer Services at Thanet. "We wanted our Customer Service Assistants to get involved in all areas of the business so that they could handle calls, have face-to-face contacts with customers within our One Stop Shop area, and work at the cash desk as well. When new capabilities such as video conferencing are introduced, we want those services to be delivered via the Service Center as well. It's very important that our people enjoy their interactions with the public -- I believe it's key to the development of the center."
Consulting with staff who join the center as to what career path they wish to take -- and then providing multi-skill training to help them achieve these goals -- is an important part of the council's plans. People coming to work in the center who are new to the organization generally start by handling switchboard calls and are then given a 'buddy' to help familiarize them with various parts of the organization. They are also given comprehensive training that covers customer service, technology and product/service skills. Other personnel coming to the center from specialist departments within the council are also given the same extensive training. The Thanet Customer Service team currently comprises 20 people.
"Within three months most people will have done most jobs within the center and we are using their feedback to improve future training" explains Reed. "Taking on so many roles gives people a well-rounded experience of how the organization works and what customers want, knowledge that's extremely useful should they decide to move into a job within one of the Council's specific service areas such as Environment or Street Scene. We've received several comments from customers on how cheerful our staff is. I think that says a lot about what we've achieved."
"Delivering great service is all about developing people and enabling them through best-in-class technology, a positive workplace environment and skills-based training. Thanet must be congratulated on the positive manner in which it has set about putting its contact Center at the heart of its eGovernment initiatives" said Paul Skinner, Sales Director at Macfarlane Telesystems. "At Macfarlane, we believe that the quality within local government contact centers is fast catching up with operations in the private sector -- and in many cases surpassing them. That's very evident from the progress made within the 70 UK local councils we work with today."
