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Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where each call centre used to answer telephone calls from members of the public to Jobcentre Plus helplines is located; and if he will make a statement. (245447)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking where each call centre used to answer telephone calls from members of the public to Jobcentre Plus helplines is located; and if he will make a statement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus has 31 Contact Centres which are used to answer telephone calls from members of the public. They are at the following locations:

Annesley

Bangor

Blackburn

Bootle

Bridgend

Caerphilly

Clydebank

Coventry

Derby

Dundee

Exeter

Garston

Grimsby Crown House

Grimsby Europark

Halifax

Lincoln

Liverpool

Lowestoft

Marton Mere

Middlesbrough

Newcastle

Paisley

Pembroke Dock

Poole

Preston

Sheffield

Southend

Taunton

Telford Newtown House

Telford Plaza

Torquay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets have been set to measure the quality of service given to members of the public calling Jobcentre Plus helplines; and if he will make a statement. (245448)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what performance targets have been set to measure the quality of service given to members of the public calling Jobcentre Plus helplines; and if he will make a statement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Contact Centres are measured against a range of internal performance indicators which support and underpin the Jobcentre Plus targets. All Contact Centre Customer Service Agents have key work objectives which are put in place to support, contribute and feed into the achievement of the following six national Jobcentre Plus targets:

Job Outcome Target—This is the measure of our success in helping people in to work. It is based on an automated reporting system, which reports movements into work and off benefit by matching Jobcentre Plus and HMRC data.

Customer Service Target—This measures Jobcentre Plus' performance in meeting the standards and commitments set out in the organisation's customer and employer charters.

Monetary Value of Fraud and Error—Contact Centre Directorate has a direct impact on this target by taking appropriate action when fraud is suspected during interaction with the customer and more specifically through the referrals that are generated from calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.

Average Actual Clearance Times—This is measured through the processing of claims within specified average actual clearance times, for Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance—18 days, 11 days and 12 days respectively.

Employer Engagement Target—This is measured by “mystery shopper” calls made by an independent organisation and is a measure for professionalism and information provided over the phone.

Interventions Delivery Target—This is a measure of the efficiency of Jobcentre Plus in booking customers in for work-focused interviews within set timescales to provide effective employment support and advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of Jobcentre Plus is on the use of recorded messages on helplines used by members of the public. (245453)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking, what the policy of Jobcentre Plus is on the use of recorded messages on helplines used by members of the public. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus has standard messages on all its 0845 and 0800 numbers that conform to recognised business telecom practices. This ensures that messages are coherent and that there is consistency in greeting— which includes information to customers concerning call costs and why calls are monitored and recorded, whilst taking into account customers with accessibility and diversity needs. Messages are kept as short as possible, while ensuring customers are directed to the most suitable source of help for their needs.