Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres

Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres
Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2006-03-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0102937184

This NAO report examines the role and cost effectiveness of contact services for customers from the Department for Work and Pensions. During the 2004-05 period the Department spent £190 million on running contact centres. The centres themselves answered more than 33 million incoming calls, and made 7 million outgoing calls, as well as handling 300,000 e-mails, 30,000 faxes and 4 million incoming letters and application forms. The Department serves a wide range of customers, including 28 million pensioners and benefit recipients, paying out £112 billion a year in benefits and pensions. This report sets out a number of recommendations: that the Department should develop its understanding of customer demand and improve its forecasting processes; that the Department should aim to offer a seamless service, by reducing the number of telephone contact points, as well as sharing good practice techniques across such areas as forecasting and training; that contractual arrangements for staff should match the demand needs of customers, and that contact centre targets should therefore focus on customer need; that the Department should advance initiatives to improve its information on costs.

The Efficiency Savings Programme in Jobcentre Plus

The Efficiency Savings Programme in Jobcentre Plus
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2006-03-18
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780215027979

During the past two years Jobcentre Plus has faced considerable upheaval in trying to accommodate both organisational change and meet the DWP target for efficiency savings (which requires the loss of 15,000 staff by March 20008). This report looks at how these changes have affected the ability of the Agency to meet its objectives in relation to: employment and training programmes; the capacity and role of Personal Advisors; the performance of the Customer Management System; the principles behind and the performance of Contact Centres. It concludes that too much was attempted too quickly, the planning and IT processes were not up to the job and service levels suffered. As a result Jobcentre Plus failed one of the tests of the Gershon programme that service quality should not deteriorate as a result of the efficiency process.

Handbook of Research on E-Services in the Public Sector: E-Government Strategies and Advancements

Handbook of Research on E-Services in the Public Sector: E-Government Strategies and Advancements
Author: Al Ajeeli, Abid Thyab
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2010-08-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1615207902

"This book assists its readers in recommending formulation of ICT strategies for e-government implementation and maintenance from the perspective of acknowledging the importance of e-Governance for building institutions to achieve transparency and accountability, and eventually democratic governance"--Provided by publisher.

The Roll-out of the Jobcentre Plus Office Network

The Roll-out of the Jobcentre Plus Office Network
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2008
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780215523556

Between 2002 and 2008 the Department for Work and Pension replaced over 1,500 jobcentres and social security offices across Great Britain with a network of just over 800 modernised Jobcentre Plus offices. The aim was to improve significantly the job-seeking experience and the delivery of benefits by providing a service similar to that offered by a bank or modern retailer. To achieve such a radical shift the Department merged the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency into a new integrated service Jobcentre Plus. This roll-out was one of the largest public sector construction programmes undertaken in the UK in recent years. Having learnt lessons from early difficulties, the project was successful in delivering nearly all the planned offices, while making savings against the original budget of £2.2 billion. The estate rationalisation generated savings of £135 million a year, and the Department estimates that the roll-out will ultimately lead to cumulative benefits of £6 billion. The successful delivery of the programme can be attributed to sound governance, intelligent use of existing guidance and external advice, strong support from the leadership of the organisation and, critically, the consistent senior management team. The successful implementation of the project has important lessons for other major government programmes.