An inspectorate of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Report

Charter Mark - Awarded for excellence

Appendix C – Customer Services

Introduction

We examined RBS customer services practices and procedures. To do this we examined processes at the reception points at Folkestone, Hythe and Lydd. We also visited the One Stop Shop at New Romney and reviewed telephone Call Centre procedures at the Civic Centre.

We also looked at customer services procedures for dealing with verification issues and the training of staff. Finally we examined the level of management information available to facilitate good customer service.

Reception procedures

There are 4 reception points. These are:

The Revenues and Benefits Manager has responsibility for services at Folkestone, whilst customer services staff, based in the District Offices, are part of the Management and Development Directorate.

The customer services team in Folkestone comprises 6 full-time and 3 part-time staff. They operate at reception and the telephone call centre.

There are two customer reception points, dealing with HB and CTB enquiries, at the Folkestone Civic Centre. These are the fast track facility for HB/CTB claims and the main HB/CTB reception.

The Civic Centre

We found the reception areas at the Civic Centre to have clear signage. This view was endorsed by the visitors at reception to whom we spoke. There is wheelchair access to the reception area and SDC provides visitors with access to a freephone, situated in reception, which is connected to all council departments.

Customers visiting the Civic Centre are initially greeted at the main corporate reception point, where they are then directed to the fast track reception point if their query relates to HB and CTB. Alternatively they can go directly to the fast track reception.

If the dedicated interviewing facilities for HB/CTB customers are busy, RBS staff can also use 3 additional corporate interview rooms.

During the inspection we observed that customers did not wait long to be seen at the Civic Centre or the District Offices. We found staff to be friendly and helpful – we confirmed this by interviewing customers as they left the buildings.

Folkestone – HB and CTB main reception

The main reception is managed by two staff, each occupying a private interview booth. Customers are allocated a numbered ticket and are seen when the number is displayed by the electronic board.

In general, the queries are of a complex nature and are not suitable for the fast track reception. However, there are occasions when the main reception deals with customers who do not want to wait at the fast track reception, due to the lack of privacy. This means that some customers who simply wish to hand in their claim form or supporting evidence, have to wait longer rather than risk having their details overheard by other visitors.

Customers wishing to return an HB cheque are only given a receipt if they request one. The receptionist records the cheque details in a book and keeps the cheque inside the book until it is collected by a member of staff from the finance office. We observed that both the book and the cheque were left in the booth when the receptionist was away photocopying documents. When we brought these practices to the attention of RBS management they were stopped. A receipt is now given to all customers and the book and cheques are kept in a locked drawer.

The interview booths, although recently painted, are drab and cramped. There is no loop system for the hearing-impaired. The back of the interview booths is also used as a walk-way between offices which can be distracting.

We found that a few information leaflets are kept in the interviewing booths, but many are available in the reception area. During the on-site phase of the inspection RBS management undertook a review of the information available to customers and developed an action plan to increase the range of information on display.

Fast track reception

There is one receptionist working at the fast track reception, although an additional receptionist may be added at peak times. The receptionists deal with enquiries relating to CT, HB and CTB and have read only access to the benefits IT system.

If customers’ queries are complex or they wish to have a private interview they are given a numbered ticket and are asked to take a seat in the designated HB and CTB waiting area.

The area is open plan and comfortable and has sufficient seating for the volume of callers. There is a children’s play area and magazines have been provided for visitors.

We found, however, that the fast track reception counter offers little privacy. Customers are required to queue alongside the counter and conversations can easily be overheard. The notice asking customers not to go beyond a certain point is neither observed or monitored.

The gate between the customer reception and the staff side is left open, providing a potential security risk. There are panic buttons in place which are electronically linked to the police station and the main benefit staff area.

A stock of HB and CTB claim forms are held at the fast track reception, along with a small stock of locally produced leaflets.

Hythe District Office

Hythe District Office is operated by 2 staff who are part of the TIC. The office is open during normal working hours Monday to Friday, although it closes daily between 1:00pm and 2:00pm.

Staff are very experienced and have been undertaking cashier activities for in excess of 15 years. They are required to cover the full range of services provided by SDC, but their main activities are to provide information to tourists and to act as a cashier service.

Staff have read only access to all IT systems including Workflow, but unlike at New Romney, they do not have the use of the Internet to access technical DWP information on benefits. At the time of our visit there was no direct telephone link to RBS, but we have since been told that a telephone line has been introduced. As is the case at New Romney, staff told us that they find the new benefit system to be slow when navigating between screens.

The reception area is small and there are 2 screened cashier points. There are no private interviewing facilities. We were told that this is not a busy office and that there are rarely more than 2 callers at any one time.

Lydd District Office

Lydd District Office is also part of the TIC and is operated by 2 staff, one of whom provides cover when required at New Romney and Hythe.

The facilities are similar to Hythe, but staff have use of a room if a private interview is requested. Staff again found the benefit system to be slow.

Like Hythe, this is not a busy office and the number of callers is very small.

New Romney One Stop Shop

The One Stop Shop was opened in October 2001. It comprises 2 rooms and is open from Tuesday to Saturday. It is also due to open on Sundays during July and August.

It is operated by 3 staff who are part of the Tourism in the Community (TIC) section of SDC. In addition to assisting with tourist enquiries, these officers are required to provide information and answers to queries on all council services.

Staff have ‘read only’ access to all IT systems and use the Internet to access technical DWP information on benefits. They also have access to technical HB information through an on-line benefit manual. There is, however, no direct telephone link to RBS and navigation between screens on the benefit system is slow causing longer interview times. We found that staff do not have access to the benefits Workflow system and have to telephone RBS to establish what information, if any, is required to progress the customers claim.

There are 3 interview booths available. However, if these are occupied customers are asked to wait in the adjoining room. The accommodation is bright, comfortable and welcoming. There is no queuing mechanism in place, but we were told that there are rarely more than 5 people in the building so this was not seen as a problem. We noted that the service has not yet been open during the summer period, when the number of visitors is expected to increase. This will place additional pressures on the service and may require SDC to introduce a queuing system.

Staff have all received 3 weeks training, which incorporated HB and CTB administration, fraud awareness, CT and TIC. A further 2 days were spent, by the One Stop Shop staff, observing procedures at the fast track reception in Folkestone. Training has also been provided on the new benefits IT system. All changes to HB and CTB legislation are notified by e-mail from RBS management. Staff reported that they would benefit from refresher training on HB matters and we were told by RBS that this will be completed by the end of March 2002.

Call Centre

The aim of the Call Centre is ‘to provide customers with quality services which respond to the needs and aspirations of local communities and compete with the best available in the public and private sectors’.

The main objective of the Call Centre is to reduce the burden on the assessment teams by:

The service is available between 8:30am and 5:00pm. An answer phone is used out of normal opening hours. Operators have a target of answering all calls within 3 rings. We found that performance against this target is not measured as the operators only record the number of calls received, not the time taken to answer the call. The existing telephone performance management information is not able to provide this information. RBS management told us, however, that plans are in place to replace the existing telephone management system.

Customers told us that they welcomed the opportunity to have their business dealt with by telephone. However, we found that the confidentiality problems experienced by visitors to the Civic Centre are repeated at the Call Centre. The Call Centre operates from a small room and the conversations of other callers can be overheard. We were told that some callers have complained about the service and have abandoned the call and made arrangements to be interviewed at the office. RBS management told us that improvements to the service would be made when the Call Centre is moved to larger premises.

SDC management told us that, following our on-site visit, the Call Centre was relocated to a larger office.

We found that operators do not record the reason for the call. The absence of this type of information means that there is no audit trail to confirm what information has been provided to or from the customer. This could lead to repeat requests for information that the customer has already provided.

The absence of this data means SDC is not able to target resources nor identify potential bottlenecks within the service. Nor is it able to identify future training needs as a consequence.

Verification of Information

Staff at all of the outlets will only accept original documents. These are stamped original seen and dated. A scanner is also used to confirm authenticity, except at Hythe. Staff will also accept documents from friends or relatives, but will only discuss claims if a signed letter of authorisation is provided.

We found that all HB and CTB claims are checked for completeness. Customers are asked to complete unanswered questions at the time, or return later. If further information is required, the customer is given a letter stating what is needed to progress their claim. A copy of this letter is retained by SDC.

The customer is given a receipt to confirm that their claim form has been handed in at reception.

Training

All customer services staff have received HB and CTB training, but we found varying levels of knowledge at the various outlets. This was borne out during our interviews of staff who told us that the training received was also varied and did not always meet their needs.

Customer services staff have also received the following training:

There has been some specific training on customer service including dealing with potentially violent situations and challenging customers.

Customer services staff told us that they have been unable to attend team meetings as there is no cover for front line staff within the service. We noted that there is no provision for early closing or late opening. Use of time generated by early closing or late opening would provide an invaluable forum for disseminating HB and CTB procedural/operational changes, discussing customer service issues or undertaking refresher training. Staff stated that they would welcome such a forum and it has been confirmed by RBS management that this issue is now being progressed at a corporate level.

Management Information

We found that an electronic caller flow system was not in place at either Folkestone or New Romney. We accept that it would not be appropriate at either Hythe or Lydd due to the small volume of callers. The information currently manually collected by staff only identifies the number of callers.

The information provided by an electronic caller management system would enable SDC to better understand the reasons for customers calling into each of the outlets. The system could be used to identify operational weaknesses and to measure the impact of new procedures on the service. This information could be used to better inform future training needs. It will also enable SDC to better target its resources. A simplified clerical version to capture data should be developed for Hythe and Lydd District Offices.

Conclusion

Overall we found that customer services procedures were reasonably sound but could be significantly improved by:

We were pleased with verification procedures and, generally, with reception and training procedures. By addressing the issues identified in this appendix RBS should be in a position to ensure that it offers excellent customer service.

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