New standards for public sector call centres

Cabinet Office Minister Ian McCartney has launched a series of new initiatives aimed at improving the standards of service and the working practices in public sector call centres.

McCartney, whose announcement weaves unsteadily between public and private sector issues, seems to hope that commercial operators will take up the same initiatives.

His proposals include:

• establishing an 'agreed work culture' in every centre
• providing adequate staff training and information access
• reviewing pay and conditions to ensure they are appropriate
• setting consistent performance targets
• using 'mystery callers' to ensure that service standards are met
• limiting the number of times a caller can be re-directed.

Government research shows that over 70% of people prefer to deal with public agencies by telephone. Along with rapid development in the private sector, call centres have been introduced in the NHS, Benefits Agency, Child Support Agency and the Employment Service, as well as many local authorities.

Elliott Chase