The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONTACT CENTRES

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

With the arrival of the consumer age, we are witnessing the evolving ways in which people do business. This is resulting in changes in the way services are delivered. Customer views about the future are clearly expressed. They want:

• choice in how and when they access services;
• quick and efficient delivery of services; and
• to deal with organisations that are helpful and informed.

Customer contact is moving beyond traditional delivery channels to include telephone, e-mail, the web and digital TV, with the telephone still being the first channel most people choose. As people are increasingly experiencing good service in the private sector and many government agencies, they are becoming less tolerant of inefficient service in some areas of the public sector. The challenge this presents to the public sector is how to enhance customer perception and the value the public places on the services offered.

This is the precise theme of the Government's vision to modernise the way the public sector delivers policies, programmes and services. Under this vision for 21st-century government in Scotland the delivery of public services and public information is characterised by putting the customer at the centre of all service delivery. This means giving people choice in how they access services, allowing them to do so in ways and at times that are convenient for them, providing efficient and effective services and continuously improving the way these services are delivered. In embracing this agenda, the public sector will require to adopt a truly customer-focused approach, which will transform the way it provides services and information to citizens. Contact centres are playing a critical role in the delivery of reform and are fast being recognised as key enablers in improving standards and efficiency of service.

In the context of this document a contact centre can be seen as providing the main interface between an organisation and its customers - the people who receive public sector services. It is dedicated to the delivery of services in response to public demand across telephone, electronic mail and fax channels. It can be sited in a single site or networked across different physical locations. The most successful contact centres are those that are aligned to customer needs and are positioned as part of an overall customer management vision. A contact centre should not be positioned merely as a tactical and useful 'add-on', but be fully integrated into the organisation, providing a key delivery mechanism for the customer-focused organisation.

Developing a contact centre aligned to the modernisation agenda can deliver key strategic benefits by:

• enhancing access and offering a clear, published point of contact;
• improving consistency and quality of service by providing a focused approach to customer contact across services;
• increasing efficiency through better utilisation of resources;
• improving customer perception by enabling the delivery of a more efficient, seamless and joined-up service;
• developing a single view of the customer; and
• supporting a corporate approach to customer management.

« Previous | Contents | Next »