Equality Impact Assessment - Environmental Services Contact Centre

• Home
• Your Council
• Equalities
• Equality Impact Assessments
• Equality Impact Assessments - Environmental Services
• Equality Impact Assessment - Environmental Services Contact Centre

Function being assessed:

Contact Centre, Environmental Services

(for Appendices and Action Plan see links at the bottom of the page)

Is this a new function or a review of an existing function?

The Contact centre is a new service, established in March 2008, as detailed in “Changing Kingston, Choosing our Future”.  It was set up as a one stop shop to assist Environmental Services customers.

What are the aims/purpose of the function?

The Contact Centre was set up as to provide borough residents with a central access point for all environmental enquiries.  Operating as a typical multi channel one stop shop the Contact Centre has been in operation since March 2008.

The Contact Centre is split into two parts:  (i) A customer facing helpdesk, providing residents with a range of services including appointments with surveyors and duty planners as well as handling routine enquiries, and (ii) a telephony and correspondence section.

Is the function designed to meet specific needs such as the needs of minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people etc?

The Contact Centre is a universal service and should provide equal access for all.  The helpdesk itself was designed to be fully accessible. It is predominantly at a low level (with short lengths at higher level for people to stand and write) and includes an induction loop. The low table and chair layout in the reception area improves standards of accessibility.

The main telephony and correspondence section of the Contact Centre was designed to ensure accessibility standards are met.  The area is spacious, light and with air conditioning, ensuring the best possible working conditions for staff.

Helpdesk and telephony staff have been trained to assist residents who requiring translation or information in alternative formats, using KIS (Kingston Interpreting Services). The Helpdesk also maintains a central list of other language speakers.

In addition, the Contact Centre works closely with other service areas to ensure residents have access to the services they require, e.g. Setting up of assisted waste/recycling collections.

When the Contact Centre was in the planning stages, the Disability Equality and Access Officer produced a guidance document on disability equality issues that needed to be addressed when the Contact Centre was set up. See Appendix 1.

Contact Centre staff attended specifically tailored Equalities training as part of their induction program. One element of that training was a drama-based presentation from Dramanon; the other element was a day’s training by Council equalities officers, including a talk and question and answer session given by a visually impaired resident. All Contact Centre staff are expected to attain NVQ Level 2 in customer services. This qualification includes units that relate to both Equalities and Diversity. All permanent staff have now achieved this qualification.

The induction also covered areas such as Plain English, Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Complaints,

See Appendix 2 – Equalities presentation and Appendix 3 – Programme for the Equalities day provided during the induction training.

What information has been gathered on this function? (Indicate the type of information gathered e.g. statistics, consultation, other monitoring information)?

The Contact Centre key performance indicators show that residents are able to access services quickly and efficiently.  The % calling out of hours remains below the 5% target indicating that the extended office hours (8am-6pm) meet the service needs.  Abandoned calls have continued to reduce (except during the borough-wide waste rollout).  Average answer times also continue to improve.

November the Contact Centre completed a satisfaction survey for helpdesk visitors.  91% of residents who completed the survey were at least satisfied with the service provided by the helpdesk staff.

See Appendix 4 – Contact Centre KPISv2

More general monitoring data is not yet in place, although the Citizen Relationship Management system (CRM) has been designed with equalities fields and additional needs fields available. Changes are currently being made to the system to operate a “flag” system so that a customer with specific needs can be easily identified.

Internally we also monitor closely completion of timely 1-2-1s and appraisals to ensure that all staff have access to performance feedback and supervision.  Sickness absence is also closely monitored in line with corporate guidelines.

Does your analysis of the information show different outcomes for different groups (higher or lower uptake/failure to access/receive a poorer or inferior service)?

Access appears equal to all groups.  However, channel migration strategy in the future will need to bear in mind equalities issues, such as the implications for those who do not have access to or knowledge of IT facilities for contacting the Council.

Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)? If they are, explain in what way.

Any differences in experience or outcome are not justified.

What action needs to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or meet previously unidentified need?

See Action Plan (link below) for actions to be taken.

Monitoring of all communication channels needs to take place to identify satisfaction amongst relevant groups and address any particular issues.  This work should be considered high priority and will be included as part of the ‘One Council Customer First’ project.

The CRM needs to be developed to include a “flag” system that allows agents to know immediately if the resident has a particular need, eg requires information in an alternative format.

Ongoing equalities training and refresher training will be provided for all staff, particularly those who did not benefit from the six-week initial induction training.

When will you evaluate the impact of action taken? Give review dates.

June 2009

Assessment completed by:

Russell Anthony

Environmental Services Contact Centre

16 February 2009