Agenda item

The Board previously made a request to observe calls at the Contact Centre in respect of their on-going inquiry into Leeds Building Services.

As this visit was unable to take place, the Board have asked to meet with a Manager and a Customer Services Officer from the Contact Centre to discuss their work.

The Chair introduced Rachael Murray of the Contact Centre. The Chair explained that the Board wished to carry out a visit to the Contact Centre however this was not possible and so requested attendance from Officers.

RM explained her role as being one of support to Customer Service Officers (CSO) who takes calls for Housing Leeds which can cover a variety of issues from housing applications, rent, ASB and repairs. Her role is to look at issues that get fed back to the Contact Centre where things have not been done correctly such as processes and to either correct them or liaise with the Customer Service Officer on training.

This can be where a CSO has raised a repair incorrectly, for example the wrong code or priority and RM can discuss why it was raised in that way. The Chair asked on this point, isn’t Leeds Building Services better placed to correct these issues. RM clarified that if a CSO raises an order for a plumber instead of a joiner, LBS would correct this but then give feedback to the Contact Centre about the order so that this can be done correctly by the officer in future. However there have been some instances where LBS have returned a job raised incorrectly and asked Contact Centre to re-raise a job, however it was noted that this does not happen often.

The Chair then asked if something is raised incorrectly, do LBS ask the Contact Centre to call the tenant. RM explained that it depends on the issue and situation however in the majority of cases LBS do this but it can happen.

The Chair asked how often errors happens. RM explained this can happen to newer CSOs as there is a lot of information to take in about processes across the City and there are sometimes different procedures, for example repairs depending on the area depends on how the order is raised.

OG asked about the procedure used to record a repair on the system. RM explained data protection questions are asked then the tenant is questioned about their repair. They would then go onto the system and book the repair accordingly on the system. (As if it is a property in East it’s different to South and West. Then would then give the customer the appointment time and the contractor details and reference number and any guarantee period on the repair and if there is a recall they would then contact the contractor.

The Chair asked if the CSO has enough information in front of them without having to seek clarification from elsewhere, for example on types of heating at a property. RM confirmed there is information available on the system for the CSO to use without needing to ask the tenant, and it was clarified this is covered in CSO training.

RM asked if the procedure for reporting the repair the same for East Leeds as it is for other areas of the city. RM explained the way it is recorded on the system is the same but the way the repair appointment is booked is different. RM explained it is a bit tricky to explain since members have not seen the system but explained that for South and West they have pictures to click on representing individual repairs and what is needed to be done, but for East Leeds there is a drop down menu to select a job from, i.e. plumbing and it will bring up different options relating to plumbing jobs. The Chair asked which is the best one to use, pictures or a drop down menu. RM explained when you are new the pictures are easiest as some jobs could be a plumber or another trade, but as you get more experienced the easier it is and so the drop down menu isn’t as tricky as first seen.

The Chair asked if some mistakes are caused therefore on the East Leeds area because they are the drop down rather than the pictures and RM agreed this could be the cause of some of the errors, but acknowledged that some East Leeds orders are not done on the drop down system, for example drainage on high rise properties, which you have to use the picture system for.

The Chair asked if the system could be made a bit easier for East Leeds? RM explained it would be better if it was all the same for all areas but wasn’t sure for the reason it is different, as the system selects the contractor for you.

MH asked that the Board is aware East Leeds has a large number of high rise flats and does this make dealing with those repairs more complex compared to other areas? RM explained that multi storey flats have a wide variety of heating systems which can make them more difficult to deal with, but also we have to take into consideration leaks which would have an effect on other properties if not dealt with quickly.

MH asked how do you identify the correct heating source when a tenant reports a fault in their heating system? RM explained this information is held on the system but CSOs have a handbook which they can use which has the heating types in, for example district heating. RM explained part of her role is when information is passed on to the Contact Centre they would then add this to the handbook. The Chair noted that the reason for asking this question is because within his block jobs have been raised to the wrong trade.

PM asked if there been instances where Leeds Building Services have come back to you or your colleagues because the information passed onto them was not enough to enable them to move forward with the repair? RM explained CSOs add as much information as is given by the tenant as the system allows them to add extra text onto the order but there is only so much the Contact Centre can add. The Chair added isn’t this where the Contact Centre need to ask the right questions to prevent the incorrect operative going out because this has a knock on effect for planners who cannot meet the customers’ expectations. RM agreed this is an issue and this is where the feedback can be used to improve questioning techniques.

JW asked if RM can think of any improvements, when taking and recording the initial repair call, which means the level of information passed to Leeds Building Services helps them ensure the most appropriate operative is sent to carry out the work quickly and efficiently? RM explained they have a series of questions to help identify what the issue is and so RM couldn’t think of anything that could be used to improve as there is a lot of support and information which CSOs can use already.

OG asked if you can tell us what involvement if any in reporting repairs online/by email and how are they handled and by whom? RM explained the Contact Centre don’t have any involvement with this area of work as it is done by the responsive repairs team by Housing Leeds. RM noted if the tenant calls in about their repair to the Contact Centre then they would then deal with that.

The Chair thanked RM for her attendance and invited Debra Harding to join the meeting.

The Chair introduced Debra Harding, Operations Manager of the Contact Centre and explained that there is currently an inquiry on East Leeds repairs being carried out by the Board and this is the reason for requesting attendance as they have a role to play in Leeds Building Services work by taking calls on repairs.

RM asked have you any vacancies in your department and is there a large turnover of staff? DH explained there are fits and starts and that because we are the entry level staff build up knowledge and then are promoted to a higher grade and so there is a natural turnover. However a higher graded post was created and this has led to fewer loss of staff.

The Chair asked if DH is aware that some tenants bypass the Contact Centre and go direct to Leeds Building Services which are not repair contacts which are not ongoing. DH noted this depends on the number that is called by the tenant and clarified that the line asks is this a first time call on this repair.

The Chair asked how many agents at the Contact Centre handle repairs? DH explained 49 FTE deal with all Environment and Housing calls, however staff can be trained on repairs and 22 FTE deal with mainly housing repairs and this is monitored constantly to ensure there is appropriate number of staff to deal with demand as required.

OG asked can you explain the training that is given to agents that deal with repairs? DH explained they have a general induction into Leeds City Council and then have classroom based training which can take between two to three weeks to get to know the different systems and processes. CSOs then have consolidation training which is where they take calls but under full support. They then move to a nursery bank where they take calls but continue to have support and only when ready they then move onto a team, which still has a helpdesk facility, should they need it.

The Chair asked about number of calls coming through to the Contact Centre. DH explained they can give overall statistics from April – November which was 233,340 calls, of which the number that came through as a first time repair is 87,766. Unfortunately the telephony system cannot break down the calls by area. The Chair noted that as a job number is given for each repair, if a prefix was put before this to identify the area would this be helpful? From a Contact Centre point of view this wouldn’t be of use, but it may be useful as the overall picture for services.

PM asked can you explain from the start the procedure agents in the Contact Centre follow to record a repair? DH explained the call would be routed through to a CSO, who would greet them and ask data protection questions. They would then ask what type of repair the tenant wanted and would use different techniques to identify this and use systems, diagrams and procedures as appropriate. The Chair asked if the procedure is the same across Leeds? DH explained it is a standard question technique regardless, but depending on the area, the contractor may be different.

The Chair asked if there is any benefit to using a picture system rather than a drop down menu especially for new staff. DH responded that visual aids can be good but it is often down to personal preferences, and there isn’t always a suitable picture for every situation that can be encountered.

The Chair asked are out of hours staff trained and also can they provide as good a service because there is no helpdesk function on an evening. DH confirmed there is no helpdesk but the training is different as they deal purely with emergencies and the criteria for raising a repair is much stricter out of hours. The Chair asked where does the repair go, is there a planner out of hours? DH explained it will go through to whichever contractor is on duty.

MH asked can you think of any improvements, when operatives are taking and recording the initial repair call, which means the level of information passed to Leeds Building Services helps them ensure the most appropriate operative is sent to carry out the work quickly and efficiently? DH explained it is difficult to answer as the member of staff can only take something on face value from the customer. The Chair noted that this is down to questioning and DH explained that questioning technique training is given.

JW asked if you can tell us what involvement if any in reporting repairs online/by email and how are they handled and by whom? DH noted that this isn’t done by the Contact Centre and this is dealt with by the responsive repairs team and so the Contact Centre do not raise these repairs.

The Chair asked if there would be any advantage in East Leeds having a bespoke Contact Centre taking their own repairs rather than the main contact centre. DH said there are both pros and cons to this however there is a major issue with staffing issues and the value for money considerations on the number of calls received. The Contact Centre is currently looking in future at a ‘go to’ person who is specialised from within the service which can help with calls and this is being looked into with Housing Leeds.

The Chair thanked RM and DH for their attendance and answering the Boards questions.