House of Commons - Public Administration

Select Committee on Public Administration Written Evidence

Memorandum from Catherine McGrath

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST: CHOICE AND EFFICIENCY

Telephone Services and Contact Channels

Service providers in the public sector are changing the way they interact with their clients. In pursuit of efficiency, government departments are encouraging people to contact them by telephone or email. Recorded messages and automated options are now expected, face to face services less common. The Pension Service has established contact centres to replace its 500 local offices and job seekers can now look for employment online and by phone. [148]

When operating successfully, contact centres and websites can provide a cost effective and efficient way for consumers to access a department's services. The DWP, for example, saves £2 for every transaction with a client that takes place by phone rather than via the post. [149]There are also benefits for the consumer. Customers can now choose from a range of contact channels including the telephone, email, online forms and applications and the post, all of which enable them to make their enquiry at a time, and from a location, convenient to them.

These changes do not, however, suit everyone. Callers with hearing difficulties may prefer to meet an adviser in person or use a textphone or minicom service. Someone with complex circumstances might like to know that one adviser is overseeing their case and not have to deal with a different person at every stage. Those without access to computing facilities or without basic IT skills may also find it difficult to find the information that they need as more and more information is provided online.

This research sets out to establish how much choice citizens have when contacting government departments and how efficient and useful the telephone services on offer are. One-hundred and twenty-three phone lines, across three departments were documented during this research and the contact mechanisms offered alongside them noted. A mystery shopping exercise was conducted on three telephone services to test the quality of service when making an information request and seeking information about other contact channels.

STAGE ONE: DEPARTMENTAL SURVEYS

The first stage of research sought to establish how many contact channels are offered by the Home Office, HMRC and the DWP.

Eight possible contact channels were identified:

— Central numbers for the whole country.

— Regional numbers and local offices.

— Dedicated minicom or textphone numbers for the hard of hearing.

— Postal addresses.

— Email addresses and online forms.

— Fax numbers.

— Face-to-face services in a dedicated offices.

— Contact centres offering a face-to-face service on a range of issues.

RETRIEVING CONTACT INFORMATION

The telephone numbers for each department were easily located online. Each department has a dedicated contact section on their website, often detailing a number of the available channels.

The DWP's contact page is particularly well organised. It contains a large quantity of information, but as it is structured around different types of enquiries, including benefit types and organisations, it is easy to navigate. The site also usefully directs clients to other organisations who will be able to help them with their enquiry if the issue does not fall within the DWP remit. For example, where benefits are administered through HMRC the site directs visitors accordingly.

The HMRC website also groups contact information around customer type. However, there is no comprehensive contact list. The site has two lengthy contact pages, Helplines and Orderlines and General Enquiries. Some information is held on both lists, and some on only one, but the lists do not acknowledge each other. The site would benefit from a single, comprehensive listing.

The Home Office's contact page is clear and guides the user to the sites of the relevant Home Office department. Although this is not problematic, users might like to have all of the relevant information on the Home Office contact page, rather than having to follow further links.

RANGE OF CONTACT CHANNELS

It is clear that these departments are aware that citizens will wish to contact them in a number of ways. Only nine phone numbers, all operated by HMRC, were offered as the exclusive way to contact a service.

DWP

The DWP provides the greatest number of ways for citizens to contact them. Forty-one national lines dedicated to a particular area of the DWPs work were identified, as well as 70 local and regional numbers and a large number of local offices. The major organisations within the DWP, Disability Carers Service, Debt Management, Pension Service and the Child Support Agency, all offer at least five contact channels, all including addresses, emails and minicoms. All but eight of the lines identified (85%) are associated with a minicom or textphone number.

Each of these key organisations operates a range of national numbers. For example, the Disability and Carer's Service runs four national lines, the Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance Helpline, Carers Allowance Unit, the Benefit Enquiry Line and the Vaccine Damage Payment Unit. The Debt Management Service has 23 national lines, a different number for different alphabetical groups.

The Jobcentre Plus network provides consumers with the opportunity to speak to someone face-to-face and a central contact point for many DWP issues, as well as providing information online and over the telephone.

Home Office

The range of contact channels offered by Home Office departments varies with their function and the needs of their clients. The Prison and Probation Services focus on directing people to the prisons and regional probation units. Services with a larger client base, including UK Visas, IND Enquiry Bureau and the Passport Service are coordinated on a national level, with regional support. These services all have at least five contact channels, including support for the hard of hearing, email and a face-to-face service.

HMRC

HMRC offers a more limited range of contact channels than the others. They have a network of over 270 local centres to handle a range of issues, but appear to have focused their resources on providing national helplines. Fifty-five lines were identified. Of these, eight were offered in conjunction with a minicom or textphone (15%), seven an address (13%) and 14 an electronic contact service (25%).

Within the groups of helplines dedicated numbers are provided for different enquiries. For example, four lines are provided for different types of national insurance enquiries—registrations, contributions, contributions from the self employed, and contracted out pensions. There are also five self-assessment helplines and four lines for those involved in the construction industry scheme.

COST OF CALLING

The Central Office of Information (COI) recommend that "free services [are] appropriate if you are targeting those who may be deterred by the cost of a call (for example, the elderly, young people or those on low incomes or where the nature of the call is confidential) and is particularly applicable if your objective is to encourage as many people as possible to call".[150] Where this is not possible they recommend local rate numbers or geographic numbers (those starting with 02- or 01-). They advise against national rate numbers, such as 0870 and 0871, as they may be prohibitively expensive for the caller. [151]

Most government run telephone lines heed this advice and choose to run low costs services, demonstrating awareness that citizens should not have to pay disproportionately for contacting public service providers. A majority of government services operate non-geographical numbers and among the 121 lines examined 53% were non-geographical, 92% of which charged the caller nothing or a local rate.

Very few numbers are free. They are usually provided in cases where the consumer can provide the department with information about those exploit the service such as the Anti-Benefit Fraud Helpline and Customs Confidential.

Table 1

PERCENTAGE OF TYPES OF NUMBER USED BY EACH DEPARTMENT

	Free (0800)	Local (0845)	National (0870)	Normal	Used to call from abroad
DWP (52)	8%	21%	0	58%	13%
HMRC (55)	4%	67%	0	13%	16%
Home Office (14)	0	36%	36%	29%	0
Percentage of total lines	5%	44%	4%	34%	13%

DWP

Seventy-nine percent of the DWPs telephone lines charge a local or normal rate. They offer more lines than the Home Office or HMRC free of charge, but this is still only 8% of their total. It could be argued that those who could be claiming DLA, Attendance Allowance or a Carers Allowance should be encouraged to call. There may also be a case for offering Debt Management services free of charge, as the people calling these lines are likely to be financially vulnerable.

Home Office

The Home Office does not offer any lines free of change, but 72% of their lines are offered at local or normal rate. Twenty-nine percent charge a national rate. The national rate numbers include the Immigration and Passport Service Advice Line and IND Complaints. Both of these lines could fall under the COI definition. People should not be discouraged by the cost of obtaining and tracking their application for identity documents or a passport, or from providing feedback on the service.

HMRC

Eighty percent of HMRC lines are offered at local or normal rate. Only 4% are free of charge. As Tax and Benefits Confidential was established as "an advice line that offers people operating in the hidden economy confidential help and information to help them put their affairs in order", more people may be inclined to call if the service was offered without charge. [152]Similarly some people may be more inclined to call one of the minimum wage helplines if there was no charge. Furthermore, it is incongruous that the Tax Credits Helpline is offered at a local rate, whereas the Pension Credits Helpline operated by the DWP is offered without charge.

MOBILE PHONES

Many people now use a mobile phone as their primary form of telecommunication and may not have a landline. Those on low incomes are more likely to choose a pay-as-you-go mobile over a landline or monthly billing mobile contract in order to regulate the amount spent on telephone calls.

Mobile phone operators often levy high charges against non-geographical numbers, such as those used by government departments. This high cost means that calls to these helplines will be disproportionately expensive for mobile-phone users and defeating the object of running low cost telephone lines, and often placing the greatest financial burden on the most vulnerable groups.

Table 2

COST OF CALLS TO NON GEOGRAPHICAL NUMBERS ON A PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONTRACT

	Cost per minute
	O2	Orange	Vodafone
0800	15p	25p	30p for first 3 minutes,
0845	(minimum charge)	(minimum charge)	10p thereafter
0870

The problem of non-geographical numbers for mobile phone users has been noted and is beginning to be addressed. Since April 2005 Orange, Virgin and 3 customers have been able to call the Pension Credit Application Line for free. [153]Furthermore, in recognition of the prohibitive costs for mobile users Ofcom has introduced the 0808 range of numbers which are free to call. The mobile network O2 recently announced that calls to these numbers will be free. [154]

STAGE TWO: MYSTERY SHOPPING

A mystery shopping exercise was carried out on three telephone services—the Tax Credits Helpline, Immigration and Passport Service Helpline and Crisis Loans Direct.

The following factors were noted about each line during the exercise:

— Length of the recorded introduction.

— Number of options offered.

— Time spent between making a selection and having call answered.

— Opening hours.

Once in contact with a telephonist the following was noted:

— Ability to offer the information requested.

— Friendly and/or helpful.

— Offer a call back service.

— Knowledge of the mincom system.

TAX CREDITS HELPLINE

The helpline is the primary means of contact for people claiming tax credits. The only other channel offered is a textphone service.

To test the quality of the service a situation was created in which the shopper calls to enquire whether her friend is entitled to child tax credits and the process for obtaining the credits, including where the forms can be obtained and the application process. Information on call back services and services for the hard of hearing were also requested. The exercise was repeated three times, producing consistent results.

Table 3

MYSTERY SHOPPER FINDINGS FOR THE TAX CREDITS HELPLINE

Tax Credits Helpline
Length of recorded introduction	47 seconds
Number of switchboard options	5
Time until call answered (hold/ringing)	19 seconds (average)
Opening hours	8.00 am to 8.00 pm
Minicom	Yes
Call back	No

The initial recorded message is of a reasonable length and the options clear and concise. The options included connecting to an operator and all of the telephonists were friendly and helpful. They offered the same information and advised the same next steps.

The automated system is, however, complex. Once an option has been selected, most present the caller with another set of options.

None of the three telephonists were initially sure if the helpline offered a minicom or textphone service, but they all sought the information from their colleagues. When asked if they offer a call back service, which they do not, all of the telephonists offered an unprompted explanation.

IMMIGRATION AND PASSPORT SERVICE HELPLINE

All services relating to passports are referred to this number. To test the quality of the service a situation was created in which the shopper calls to enquire about the steps a relative would need to take to obtain their first passport, including the documents required, cost and assistance with the process. Information on call back facilities and services for the hard of hearing were also requested. The exercise was repeated three times and produced consistent results.

Table 4

MYSTERY SHOPPER FINDINGS FOR THE IMMIGRATION AND PASSPORT SERVICE HELPLINE

IPS Helpline
Length of recorded introduction	1 minute 23 seconds
Number of switchboard options	4
Time until call answered (hold/ringing)	6 seconds (average)
Opening hours	24 hours
Minicom	Yes
Call back	No

The introduction is relatively long. The message begins by informing the caller of how the IPS was formed and then directs the caller to the website, before asking the caller to press 0 to proceed. The caller is then offered four options. The message is unnecessarily long and provides the caller with unnecessary information. The options are, however, clear and concise.

It took very little time to get through to a telephonist, all of whom were helpful. They provided consistent answers to the questions, which may have been partially scripted.

The telephonists were all unsure as to whether they offered a minicom service, but all sought the information from colleagues. They all knew that the line generally does not provide a call back service, but offered a range of exceptions to this rule. One telephonist suggested they could call back for particular enquiries and another said the call back service is automatically offered when the lines were particularly busy.

DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE AND ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE HELPLINE

This is one of the four means of obtaining information on DLA and AA. To test the quality of the service a situation was created in which a daughter calls to find out if an elderly relative, who is no longer able to care for herself, is entitled to any financial support and the amount offered. Information on call back facilities and services for the hard of hearing were also requested. The exercise was repeated three times.

Table 5

MYSTERY SHOPPER FINDINGS FOR DLA AND AA HELPLINE

DLA and AA Helpline
Length of recorded introduction	43 seconds
Number of switchboard options	4
Time until call answered (hold/ringing)	1-2 seconds (average)
Opening hours	7.30 am to 6.30 pm
Minicom	Yes
Call back	Yes

This is an easy service to use. The introduction is relatively short and there is only one set of automated options from which the caller must select, after which they are put through to an operator.

On the whole the staff were helpful. They provided the similar answers to the questions, but they varied in the clarity of their descriptions of the service and the amount of detail they offered. Each telephonist offered to send out the relevant forms, without prompting. They all had excellent knowledge of the other services offered by the helpline, including the call back service and minicom number.

CRISIS LOANS DIRECT [AWAITING MORE INFORMATION ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL SET-UP OF CLD]

Three lines were selected from different areas of the UK, Midlands, Wales, Scotland. Each line was called ten times. The attempts were made over three days, each attempt at a different time. On no occasion was it possible to get through to any of the lines.

Table 6

MYSTERY SHOPPER FINDINGS FOR CRISIS LOANS DIRECT

Line	Length of Recorded Intro	Number of Options	Opening Hours
South Birmingham (0800 169 9891)	46 seconds	2	9.00 am to 5.00 pm: M, Tu, Th, F 10.00 am to 5.00 pm: W
Edinburgh (0800 328 3834)	Unknown	Unknown	8.30 am to 4.00 pm: M, T, Th, F; 10.00 am to 3.30 pm: W
Cardiff (0800 389 0271)	33 seconds	3	08.30 am to 3.30 pm: M, T, Th, F; 10.00 am to 3.30 pm: W

South Birmingham

During a 46 second introduction the line offers the caller two options. Once an option has been selected a recorded message informs the caller that all the lines are currently busy, states the opening times and then disconnects the call. Fifty percent of the recorded messages were from Jobcentre Plus and the rest from Crisis Loans.

Edinburgh

During eight of the ten attempts the line was engaged. When calling after 3.30 pm a recorded message plays informing the caller that Crisis Loans Direct is now closed and stating the opening times before disconnecting the call.

Cardiff

Following a 33 second introduction, callers are presented with three options. Once an option has been selected the line gives an engaged tone. When calling after 3.30 pm a message is played informing the caller that there Crisis Loans Direct is now closed and stating the opening hours. The caller is then disconnected.

CONCLUSIONS

Range of Channels

Each of the departments appears aware that customers have different needs and will want to contact them in different ways. The broadest range of contact channels is provided by the DWP and services such as the Passport Service, where demand is likely to be high and customers are most likely to have a range of needs. Practices such as emphasising telephone and e-services, indicates that the departments know that the cost and convenience of contacting them is important to clients.

Although this broad range of contact channels is an ostensible success, the proliferation of telephone numbers and channels does not necessarily equate to a good and efficient service for the client and tax payer. As the number of contact channels and options within each channel increases, the probability of confusion rises as it becomes less clear to the customer which is the right number or channel to be using. This may be a particularly difficulty if an enquiry does not fit into the official demarcations between the lines, resulting in inefficiency as customers are passed between lines.

This is a notable problem for the DWP, particularly for organisations such as the Disability and Carers Service and Debt Management Services, who provide a range of national numbers. The NAO and PAC have both recommended that the DWP continue with their programme of rationalising and reducing the number of telephone numbers that the caller must choose between. [155]However, any rationalisation of numbers must be considered in conjunction with the efficiency of the telephone service. If a telephone number is replaced by an extended series of options on an automated system that directs callers to the appropriate adviser, then one inefficiency may have been replaced with another.

Where a limited range of contact channels are offered the channels that are provided must not prohibit any group from accessing the service. For example, if a department encourages citizens to contact you by telephone it should be a free-phone number or the call centre should be able to call customers back. Neither the IPS nor Tax Credits Direct are currently able to offer these service comprehensively. Such telephone lines should also offer a minicom service, or be compatible with another service for the hard of hearing.

Cost

Each of the three departments adheres to the COI guidelines on call pricing. Eighty-three percent of the lines examined charged nothing or a local or normal rate for the call. Only five percent of these were free, even though more free numbers could be justified under the guidelines. HMRC runs a number of national rate numbers and following the COI's recommendations these charges should be reconsidered.

Despite the proliferation of lower cost numbers, the increasing use of mobile phones means that callers may not receive the low cost service. Each department should develop arrangements with mobile phone service providers to ensure callers do not pay a high rate for calling them. Failing to do so may deter people from accessing the services to which they are entitled.

Service Quality

The Identity and Passport Service, Tax Credits Helpline and the DLA and AA Helpline all provided a generally high quality service. The telephonists were all helpful, and although their knowledge of the other channels offered in conjunction with their number varied, they were all able to respond to the questions asked. The automated systems varied in their complexity, but all were easy to navigate and the periods on hold were brief.

The three Crisis Loans Direct numbers tested all provided a very poor service. Of 30 phone calls to the service, no call was answered and on the Birmingham and Cardiff line calls were disconnected by the service. The Edinburgh line did not even have a recorded message during opening hours. Given that the Crisis Loans Direct numbers will be called by people in times of financial need, this level of service is of particular concern. Crisis Loans Direct must increase its capacity to receive calls.

A high quality telephone service should direct callers to other services or channels that may better suit their needs. Telephone operators should therefore know about the other services offered by the department and the other channels associated with their service and direct the customer accordingly. For example, the website should provide information about all of the contact channels available and call centre staff should know whether there is a minicom service or if forms are available online.

When a minicom or textphone service is offered staff and potential callers should be informed of its function. Currently few staff or callers know what the service is for. The mystery shopping exercise found that telephone operators are often unsure what the service does or if there is one associated with their telephone number. [156]Furthermore, the NAO found that 90% of calls to the Pension Service textphone were abortive, largely because clients were calling the number when they had been unable to make contact on the normal telephone number. Publicity and information about the service, for staff and the public, could help to eradicate this inefficiency.

Although this study has been unable to examine this, inefficiencies may also arise if information from all channels is not stored centrally and helpline operators are unable to assist the caller. The Citizens Advice Bureau found that enquiries were often not resolved as staff passed callers between different advisors and telephone lines because they were unable to access the relevant information. When researching their 2004 report, they found that Tax Credit Helpline operators often cannot answer questions about the state of a claim or explain why there has been a problem, they can only "log" a query for staff in another office to deal with. [157] Contact centres should also ensure that up-to-date information, provided through all channels, is available to all advisors.

Recommendations

Retrieving contact information:

— Contact page should clearly display contact information.

— One contact channel should have information about the others.

Range of contact channels:

— A range of contact channels should be offered to ensure that no client is excluded or deterred from using the service.

— The function of the textphone service should be explained.

Functioning of telephone services:

— No more telephone numbers than necessary should be offered. The number offered should be balanced against the number of automated options that a caller will have to choose between.

— Short and informative introduction, with a limit of around 45 seconds.

158

— Call centres should be able to call clients back.

— Clients need to be reassured that they will not need to repeat information is they choose to contact a department through more than one channel.

Cost of calling:

— Call centres should try to limit the cost to the consumer. Although most services already offer a non-geographical local service, the costs of calling from a mobile phone should be considered, perhaps by entering into agreements with major mobile phone providers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CAB, (2004), Hanging on the Telephone: CAB evidence on the effectiveness of call centres, CAB.

COI, (no date), Better Practice Guidance for Government Contact Centres, COI.

HMRC, (2007), Contact Us—Helpline, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/contactus/helplines.htm, accessed 01/05/07.

Jobcentre Plus, (2007), "Jobcentre Plus: Our Service Standards", DWP Website, http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Aboutus/Publications/index.html, accessed 17/04/07.

NAO, (2006) DWP: Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO.

PAC, (2006), DWP: Delivery Effective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO.

Telephone Helpline Association, (2007), "O2 Removes Charges for Calling Freephone Helplines", THA Website, http://www.helplines.org.uk/o2_removes_charges_for_calling_f.htm, accessed 16/04/07.

Telephone Helpline Association, (2007), "Important Changes to Non-Geographic Numbers", THA Website, http://www.helplines.org.uk/Importand%20changes%20to%20non-geographic%20numbers.htm, accessed 16/04/07.

Varney, David (2006), Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer, TSO.

March 2007

148 Varney, David (2006), Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer, TSO, p 9. Back

149 NAO, (2006), DWP: Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO, p 5. Back

150 COI, (no date), Better Practice Guidance for Government Contact Centres, COI, p 32. Back

151 ibid. Back

152 HMRC, (2007), Contact Us-Helpline, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/contactus/helplines.htm, accessed 01/05/07. Back

153 Telephone Helpline Association, (2007), "O2 Removes Charges for Calling Freephone Helplines", THA Website, http://www.helplines.org.uk/o2_removes_charges_for_calling_f.htm, accessed 16/04/07. Back

154 Telephone Helpline Association, (2007), "Important Changes to Non-Geographic Numbers", THA Website, http://www.helplines.org.uk/Importand%20changes%20to%20non-geographic%20numbers.htm Back

155 PAC, (2006), DWP: Delivery Effective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO; NAO, (2006), DWP: Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO. Back

156  NAO, (2006), DWP: Delivering EVective Services Through Contact Centres, TSO, p 55. Back

157  157 CAB, (2004), Hanging on the Telephone: CAB evidence on the effectiveness of call centres, CAB.Back

158   Jobcentre Plus, "Jobcentre Plus: Our Service Standards". DWP Website, http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Aboutus/Publications/index.html, accessed 17/04/07. Back