Public Sector Advice Agency

Demonstrates:

Integrated call handling and case management
Experience with consumer advice organisation
Experience in handling vulnerable callers
Flexible and scalable service provision

The Challenge
The client needed a provider to develop a bespoke case management system as well as manage telephone, email and white mail enquiries. Their objective was to implement an interim solution that delivered the following key components:

An integrated case management database capable of holding records initiated by telephone, email and white mail
Recruitment, training and management of 80 specialist contact centre advisors to manage energy and postal consumer queries via telephone, email and white mail.

Dataforce Interact was appointed to design, build, and host the case management database within a challenging timescale of just three months. Since then we have constantly delivered a cost effective service, closely aligned to the existing client contact centres. In the first year of operation, we handled over 250,000 contacts on behalf of the client.

Dataforce Solution
The nature of enquiries includes billing queries, supplier enquiries and missing parcels. Our advisors are trained to understand the issue, log it onto the case management system and advise the consumer how to resolve, signposting to third party government bodies only once the complaints procedure has been exhausted. The target audience includes:

First tier complaints and enquiries formerly managed by the client, dealing with individual customers and the SME community
Other advice agencies calling on behalf of their customer.
Vulnerable consumers such as the elderly, infirm and where English is not the first language. We have an escalation team in place to ensure these enquiries are dealt with effectively, receiving additional support to resolve their call.

As a key service provider to this client we have provided numerous benefits, including:

Proactively mitigating many of the risks associated with service migration e.g. short timescale, advisor knowledge.
The project was successfully managed by a dedicated Dataforce project manager using the Prince2 method.
Rapid mobilisation and early realisation of optimum service levels within the contact centre solution
Added value in advising the client on case management system content including ability to capture consumers key contact details, energy or postal issue details, advice and information provided to the consumer, escalation outcomes i.e. the transfer of “vulnerable” cases.
Flexible resource management ensures significantly differing quarterly call forecasts are managed cost effectively

We delivered a rigorous three week training programme covering:

Bespoke call handling, case management and customer service skills.
Consumer and contractual law and formal Trading Standards Institute accreditation for agents.

Our technical solution comprises:

Telephony is delivered through an Avaya switch and fully integrated with the case management system by icConnect – Dataforce’s proprietary communication and marketing services platform.
The case management system is a .net application deployed as a thin client solution.
Correspondence is scanned through a Banctec scanner, facilitated by our response management centre.
Email communication is managed through integration with the client service provider Secure Post Office, which ensures secure email delivery.
A full reporting suite is enabled through SQL reporter and delivered through a secure, web-based dashboard – regularly enhanced to maximise effectiveness and insight.

Results
There are several significant achievements over the contract duration:

Consumer satisfaction achieved an unprecedented 83%.
Abandoned rate key performance indicator consistently achieved.
Average call handling times constantly within target.
Our best practice approach was rolled out to all the client service providers.
Our solution is regularly showcased to high profile visitors from government departments and consumer watchdogs.
Team attrition significantly below industry average.