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Phone changes slash lost calls
A NEW telephone system at West Wiltshire District Council has helped to dramatically cut the number of lost calls.
The new system was installed in February and there were concerns about its performance in the planning department and commercial services department but now performance has improved.
Latest figures revealed to councillors on Wednesday showed that lost calls relating to planning have reduced from 1,300 last October to just 70 in March this year.
That represents a drop in percentage terms of the total number of calls received by the council from 16 per cent to just one per cent.
And in commercial services, the number of lost calls has fallen from 1,169 to 187.
Andy Spurway, ICT manager, said the system has been reconfigured to improves its reliability and customer services staff will continue to monitor call performance across the council.
3:20pm Wednesday 21st May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Josey, Nr Westbury on 7:48pm Wed 21 May 08
Our councillors should be very ashamed of this record and should resign. The number of lost calls is still unacceptable but is the truth that people have got so fed up with Doris the comuter voice with her eldless press 1 options and her being so "sorry we can't take your calls beacuse we have sent out Coucnil tax bills" excuse for nobody being availabe to take your call and then not talkng to anyone that people just don't bother anymore? No wonder this lot are being abolished and the sooner the better.
Our councillors should be very ashamed of this record and should resign. The number of lost calls is still unacceptable but is the truth that people have got so fed up with Doris the comuter voice with her eldless press 1 options and her being so "sorry we can't take your calls beacuse we have sent out Coucnil tax bills" excuse for nobody being availabe to take your call and then not talkng to anyone that people just don't bother anymore? No wonder this lot are being abolished and the sooner the better.
Posted by: Russell Hawker, WESTBURY on 8:49am Thu 22 May 08
Josey
The Scrutiny Committee of WWDC has discussed this problem several times and again last night. We are definitely not happy with the telephone system and have asked for a report at our meeting next month looking into the cost of changing back to a full human operator service again as soon as possible.
We heard last night that North Wilts DC has tried a similar automatic menu system and then pulled the plug on it recently.
We were told that officers are planning some improvements to the WWDC automatic menu system next month to speed things up. The Scrutiny Committee members will be able to test the revised system for themselves for a few days before our meeting next month.
I don't think I heard one councillor who was happy with the current system, which was implemented under the last administration at WWDC (LibDem) under the personal leadership of the then Council Leader herself - Sarah Content (who held the "Putting Customers First" brief herself).
Russell Hawker
Vice Chairman
WWDC Scrutiny Committee
Josey
The Scrutiny Committee of WWDC has discussed this problem several times and again last night. We are definitely not happy with the telephone system and have asked for a report at our meeting next month looking into the cost of changing back to a full human operator service again as soon as possible.
We heard last night that North Wilts DC has tried a similar automatic menu system and then pulled the plug on it recently.
We were told that officers are planning some improvements to the WWDC automatic menu system next month to speed things up. The Scrutiny Committee members will be able to test the revised system for themselves for a few days before our meeting next month.
I don't think I heard one councillor who was happy with the current system, which was implemented under the last administration at WWDC (LibDem) under the personal leadership of the then Council Leader herself - Sarah Content (who held the "Putting Customers First" brief herself).
Russell Hawker
Vice Chairman
WWDC Scrutiny Committee
Posted by: Russell Hawker, WESTBURY on 8:56am Thu 22 May 08
Another point: Contrary to the article above which says that the system was installed in February, the current system was installed much earlier than that.
In February, some adjustments were made to the new system to try to make it work properly (eg. stop callers ending up back at the starting menu if officers do not pick up the phone after the call has been routed somewhere specific).
Another point: Contrary to the article above which says that the system was installed in February, the current system was installed much earlier than that.
In February, some adjustments were made to the new system to try to make it work properly (eg. stop callers ending up back at the starting menu if officers do not pick up the phone after the call has been routed somewhere specific).
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