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Experts predict the internal combustion engine will not lose its dominant position any time soon, but developing engines to meet ever tighter emission limits is costly. So what role are alternative fuels likely to play in the future? Oskar Levander, VP Innovation, Engineering and Technology at Rolls-Royce Marine shares his views.
Although nobody can predict how long our oil reserves will last, we can forecast with certainty that demand for it, and with it the price, will continue to stay high.
For vessel operators fuel now makes up an increasing proportion of costs. And prices will rise next year, with the shift to low sulphur distillate fuel, assuming that a 0.5 per cent global sulphur cap comes into effect in 2020. That's in addition to the 0.1 per cent sulphur requirements that are expected to be enforced in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in North West Europe and North America from next year.
Owners operating almost exclusively within these zones have been seeking solutions to these issues for some time. They are the main reasons owners, designers and equipment providers like Rolls-Royce have been investing heavily in maximizing ship and propulsion systems efficiency. These new rules mean there is no alternative but to switch to more expensive low sulphur distillate fuel, which is compounded by supply worries, move to engines that can burn more environmentally friendly fuels, or fit appropriate abatement technologies.
Until now, fuel selection has mainly depended on two factors, ship size and ship type. Large vessels have predominantly used HFO, with market sectors, such as offshore support vessels favouring more expensive fuel grades.
In the future fuel selection will have many more dimensions. In addition to size and type, operating region and pattern will play a larger role in ECAs for low sulphur fuels. Pricing and availability also varies from one region to another. Vessel range impacts fuel feasibility due to space and cost constraints. So, for two similar ships with different operating profiles one may opt for LNG while the other will select diesel. In fuel selection there is no longer a simple right choice.
The main alternatives
Today HFO powers 90 per cent of the world's ships and marine gas oil or diesel the rest. Over the last 10 years LNG has emerged and is now gaining acceptance, mainly due to attractive pricing and its environmental benefits. The industry has now become more accustomed to it. In the early days the concern was safety, now it is developing adequate bunkering infrastructures within the ECAs. With the move to LNG by a number of operators, infrastructure development is moving ahead at a rapid pace.
I have long held the view that LNG will be the fuel of the future for a growing number of ships.
There is no doubt that gas will be available much longer than mineral-based fuels. Engines that burn it comply with the emission limits which diesel engines can only meet with the help of expensive exhaust aftertreatment. Gas engines run cleaner and quieter. Pure gas installations simplify the machinery fit, resulting in a very lean and cost efficient installation, when diesel and auxiliary systems are removed.
Discussions around Methanol as a marine fuel are cropping up more frequently. It is available in other industries and we are used to handling it as a cargo offshore. But there are issues as it is toxic and requires twice the space of diesel. As with anything, it is economics that will either favor or reduce its wider take-up. The price is what will matter. Currently it is running some 10-15 years behind LNG, but is not likely to play as big a part in the fuel mix as LNG.
Dimethyl ether (DME) is another fuel linked to Methanol, but likely to play a smaller part. It is a very clean burning fuel and requires pressure tanks onboard.
Biofuels are a different story. Here we have many different types and no binding specification. Although today's engines are suitable for many grades, the lack of standards makes uptake difficult, hence the need to mix with fossil fuels. They are also limited by production, due to the impact on the world's ability to produce food. So as a marine fuel it is only likely to appeal to niche markets. But this could change when we move to the next generation of biofuels.
Hydrogen is unlikely to become a primary fuel for ships any time soon. It makes no sense to use LNG or electricity to produce it. These feedstocks should be used directly as the fuel unless there is an abundant supply and turning it into hydrogen would be useful for energy storage. So H2 is only practical in a handful of countries with surplus onshore energy.
What are the alternatives?
Derived from vegetable oil which is transesterified with roughly ten per cent methanol and then purified. The resulting fuel is very similar in its combustibility to conventional diesel fuel. However rising food prices have raised doubts over the viability of production in the long term. A breakthrough is expected with the arrival of second generation diesel, when it can be made economical. In contrast to today's biodiesel it uses the entire plant, so that three times the quantity can be produced from the same crop acreage. Its storage lifetime and NOx emissions are still too high to comply with forthcoming regulations.
Is readily available and produced from feedstocks that include natural gas, biogas, coal and biomass.
The environmental benefit depends greatly on the method of production. Transport and distribution is similar to gasoline and ethanol.
It is toxic and its flammability range is greater than diesel fuel with a lower flash-point and it is not yet covered by international regulations.
Conversion costs are lower than for LNG. Pressurised tanks are not required. Storage volume is roughly twice that required for MGO. Combustion produces no SOx and low particulates, but NOx levels do not comply with IMO tier III when powering a diesel.
Dimethyl ether (DME)
Produced from the same feedstocks required for methanol production. It can also be made from methane that occurs from decomposing cow and chicken manure, rotting grass clippings and landfill gas.
Its properties are similar to LPG and can therefore be transported and stored in a similar way.
It is non-toxic and burns cleanly producing no SOx, with reduced levels of NOx and CO2.
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)
Natural gas is a mixture of gases that consist primarily of methane. LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to -162⁰C and liquefied. In this form it occupies around a 600th of the space in its gaseous form.
LNG does not explode or burn. It needs to be in vapour form and mixed with air to burn and there is no direct environmental damage from a spill.
It must be returned to its gaseous form by a regasification unit to be burned in an engine, where it burns much cleaner than other marine fuels. The first LNG ferry powered by Bergen gas engines commenced operating in 2006.
Compressed natural gas (CNG)
It is a highly compressed from of natural gas which can be as much as 99 per cent methane. Normally compressed to a pressure of around 215 bar it is commonly used as a gas fuel for motor vehicles.
The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is working with SpaceX and partner agencies to monitor the debris field of the exploded Falcon 9 rocket in the Atlantic Ocean more
Tero Marine informs it has secured a multimillion (NOK) contract for delivery of fleet management software to Norwegian shipping company Boa Offshore. The Bergen-based
Thrustmaster of Texas, Inc. has been supplying wireless remote controls for thrusters since the 1980s, offering products that are supported through their lifecycles
Sanmar's new custom-built, general purpose shipyard at Altinova, Turkey, has launched three 60-metric-ton bollard pull tugs on the same day, less than five months since work first started at the yard.
The 17 National Standardization Bodies represented on ISO's Marine Environment Protection Sub-committee (ISO-TC8-SC2) has voted in favor of circulating ISO 19030
The Obama administration issued a potential setback to Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic oil exploration plans on Tuesday, telling the company that established wildlife
A former BP Plc engineer deserves a new trial on an obstruction of justice charge related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
U.S. Coast Guard and police boats cleared a way through protesters in kayaks at a Seattle-area port on Tuesday so a drilling ship could head for the Arctic on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell.
Seepage from disused fuel pipe contained on Prince Rupert industrial waterfront
Efforts are underway at Prince Rupert's industrial waterfront to stop a slow leak from an abandoned fuel pipe,
A group of Danish investors have sued OW Bunker for 800 million Danish crowns ($120 million) for misleading them in its initial public offer (IPO), after the ship
Solvent-free product offers a single-coat solution for rapid cure and return to service, suitable for a wide range of oil products and chemical cargoes.
Bergen Tankers' 95-meter-long chemical and product tanker Bergen Viking has returned to service following its conversion from diesel-electric to liquefied natural gas (LNG)-electric propulsion.
Cheniere concluded its maiden LNG spot trade earlier this week at for late-July delivery to an Asian buyer, reports Platts quoting a source with direct knowledge of the deal.
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which administers the canal, is looking at building a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal near the Canal.
The ACP


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Important Ticket Information
- All tickets and packages are non-refundable. Cancelled performance(s) due to inclement weather or any other reason is not cause for a refund.
- If you choose e-tickets, please print them out and bring them with you to the festival.
- Please bring your ID to the festival, as all patrons who intend to purchase alcoholic beverages must have their ID scanned, regardless of age or appearance.
- Children under the age of 12 who are accompanied by a parent/guardian get into the festival free; anyone over 12 must have a ticket.
Special discount for JAHA members
- Members of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association are entitled to a 15% discount on your tickets.
- To take advantage of your member discount, call Diane at the War Memorial at (814) 536-5156 ext 148 or 126, or buy in person at the War Memorial Box Office.
- Not a member? Contact Melody Tisinger at (814) 539-1889!

subset: commoncrawl


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8 Reviews
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Me, too, I don't like gravy in creamed chicken or turkey. And I always use sherry in my cream sauces; it does enhance the taste. For a slightly different flavor, Marsala works too. And this is the process I have always used, with the addition of onions and fresh mushrooms to the butter before I add the turkey. Tarragon adds to the flavor. Only thing different: I don't use Bisquick, have my own recipe, Cloud Biscuits, which goes together almost as quickly and they are really really good. Didn't add the cheese though. So, all-in-all, a good recipe and actually a very good lesson in making a cream sauce. Sarasota, thanks for posting . . . Janet
This is an astonishingly delicious recipe! I asked SarasotaCook about the interesting process to make it and she "this is how my Mom made it". Since Mom Knows Best, I followed the instructions exactly and it turned out flawless! It was so well-received by my family that they begged me to make it the next evening: how can you turn down a request like that? The 2nd time I added shittake mushrooms and served it over baked potatoes but the thyme biscuits initially made were incredible. The thyme and sherry are such a superb combination together; this proves that you can have simple ingredients turn into a sublime meal. :)
Loved how easy and tasty this was. Made it for two to use up the last of my turkey breast. Made the biscuits using Ultimate Cloud Biscuits but adding the thyme and cheese. Turned out so good.
This is a wonderful recipe. Everyone loved it.
WOW! Perfect and easy. This had the best taste with just the right flavors. I eliminated the salt, used unsalted butter and Heart Smart Bisquick due to sodium restrictions but I'm sure it made no difference. I have leftover biscuits which I wrapped and put in the freezer to use with some leftover cooked chicken next time.
This was a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey! I loved the sauce that went with the turkey. The biscuits were a bit too peppery and not quite cheesy enough for my tastes. Next time, I would double the cheese and decrease the pepper in the biscuits by half. Wouldn't change a thing about the creamed turkey though. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was great! It was well worth the effort put into getting the correct ingredients. My hubby didnt love it, but said it was good. My son and I gobbled it up! The biscuits were very good also. Just a hint of thyme made them savory. Thanks for a great recipe! I definately have left overs to take to work, and I am sure its going to warm up just great. Thanks Sarasota!
I won't rate, as I changed it to meet our gf/cf needs. I really liked the sauce. The sherry really makes it. My kids did not like the dish, but it may have been the drop biscuits I made. Here's what I did: I used half chicken broth, half milk, also Earth Balance and coconut oil. 1/2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp (or less) salt, less pepper, and a gf biscuit mix that I dropped onto the chicken mixture and baked the whole thing for 20 minutes at 350°. I really liked it. If I make again, I may reduce the sherry a bit and attempt to make regular biscuits to go with it (it's a challenge making gf biscuits).


text: The Thought Robot wiki last edited by wizadman on 01/24/15 02:26AM View full history WeaponThe Thought Robot is the weapon the Monitors made to defeat Mandrakk (Dax Novu`s final gift - A Living Weapon). It is powered by a massive special fission of dualities that are really symmetries.Superman RobotIt took the combined energies of the Anti-Matter Ultraman and the positive matter Superman to signal and power it. It took the form of a giant Superman while controlled by Kal-El. The robot fought and defeated Mandrakk, discovering his original identity in the process. The battle left him blinded and damaged beyond repair. Before he falls, the robot engraves its own tombstone with a warning.AbilitiesThe Thought Robot is made of pure thought and capable of adapting instantly to counter any future threat. A sentinel suit designed for a single Purpose - To Protect All Existence Against The Ultimate Enemy (Superman Beyond 3D issue 2)Powers and StatsTier: 1-COrigin: DC ComicsName: Cosmic Armor Superman, Thought Robot, Cyborg SupermanGender: Male by appearance, otherwise N/AClassification: MachineAge: UnknownPowers and Abilities: Super Strength, Super Speed, Invulnerability, Reactive Evolution, Flight, Heat Vision, Is a walking plot machine, Can break the Fourth Wall, Has the thoughts of Superman and Ultraman.Destructive Capacity: Megaverse Level+Range: MegaversalStrength: Immeasurable (held the multiverse in his hand)Speed: Immeasurable (above and beyond time and space)Durability: Megaverse Level+Stamina: InfiniteStandard Equipment: None notableWeaknesses: None notableNotable Attacks/Techniques:Adaptation: The Thought Robot is capable of adapting instantly to counter any future threat.Heat Vision: Fires beams of heat from the eyes at his enemies.


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VIEWS: 57 PAGES: 29 CATEGORY: Personal Finance POSTED ON: 7/15/2010 Public Domain
Servicefirst Inc Employment Agreement document sample
VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) Call Centre Guidelines Part of the e-government strategy 1 Introduction 1.1 Authorship and maintenance This document comprises best practice guidelines for the use, management and design of UK public sector Call Centres. The document has been produced by the Call Centre Working Group, chaired by the Central IT Unit, as part of the e-government strategy and as such is endorsed by the Information Age Government Champions. The maintenance of this document is the responsibility of the Central Information Technology Unit http://www.citu.gov.uk/. The authoritative text of the document is to be found on the Information Age Government Champions Web site at http://www.iagchampions.gov.uk/guidelines/callcentres/callcentres.html. 1.2 Authority of the guidelines These guidelines are intended to deliver Ministers" wish that the information and services provided by government Call Centres should be easily accessible, efficient, helpful, of a high quality and present a coherent impression of government activity. It is Ministers" desire that in achieving this these guidelines enable government Call Centres become an exemplar of best employment practice. The types of services and information delivered by government Call Centres may vary greatly but the basic principles and good management practice should not. Departments should be able to account for their adherence to the guidelines, and where necessary to explain why departure from them may be justified. Compliance with the guidelines will be an aspect of the reviews of public sector use of Call Centres that will be carried out by the Cabinet Office. Departments will be expected to set out their plans to converge with these guidelines as part of their initial e-business strategies in October 2000. 1.3 Who should read this document These guidelines should be read by: business managers across the wider public sector, including Board members, strategy and policy developers; Call Centre staff and their representatives. Call Centre managers and IT professionals across the wider public sector; those tendering for outsourced contracts for Call Centres; those providing consultancy to Call Centre developments across the wider public sector; officials who wish to use Call Centres in support of service delivery or communication of information to the public. 1.4 What is a Call Centre? Page 1 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) There are many possible definitions of Call Centres, that are focused on a technical definition, a service delivery definition, or a number of agents definition. For the purposes of this document the definition is: A facility specifically set up to handle calls from citizens or business. This facility will be the primary telephone interface with a citizen or business for specific services or for a department, agency, non-departmental public body (NDPB) or local authority. The facility will be a structured environment where calls are handled by a group of agents whose main job is to handle incoming and/or outgoing telephone calls. This definition is intended to explicitly include departmental switchboards where they have become the primary information-giving service for a department, agency, NDPB or local authority (e.g. a Public Enquiry Unit). The guidelines are to be applied to all government Call Centres that meet the above criteria, whether they are out-sourced or run in-house. 2 Aims and scope 2.1 The aims of the document The Modernising Government White Paper commits the Government to publish guidelines for a more coherent approach to the use of Call Centres for giving information and delivering services http://www.citu.gov.uk/moderngov/whitepaper/4310-05.htm This document concentrates on areas where optimal results can be achieved only by a common approach across government. In adopting these guidelines, the Information Age Government Champions have been mindful in particular of the following aims as set out in the White Paper: 2.1.1 Accessibility "Make certain that citizens and business will have choice about how and when to access government services." 2.1.2 Efficiency, speed of access and helpfulness "Answer telephone calls quickly and helpfully. *Each department and agency will set a target for answering calls to telephone enquiry points, and will publish its performance against this target." 2.1.3 Access to information "Give staff at call centres and other offices better access to information so that they can deal with members of the public more efficiently and more helpfully." 2.1.4 A common approach to identification "A common approach to how people identify themselves when dealing with government Call Centres" Page 2 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 2.2 Scope The document aims to set out Why public sector organisations should consider a Call Centre Guidelines for effective Call Centre implementation Guidelines for technical implementation Guidelines for procurement of Call Centres Guidelines for staffing of Call Centres Throughout the document three main needs are addressed: Call Centres are an increasingly important interface in the management of government relationships with the citizen and business. Call Centres and therefore Call Centre agents need to be valued as a primary interface to citizens. Often a Call Centre agent will be the first point of contact with government and the interaction will be the 'moment of truth' in terms of the citizen"s impression of the efficiency and quality of government.<See Sections 3.3, 3.5 and 3.6> There is a need for a consistent Call Handling Strategy across government. Policy decisions for the delivery of services through Call Centres have so far usually been made in isolation within departments, agencies and local authorities. This can lead to confusion among citizens as to whom they should contact, difficulty in finding numbers, bouncing around of enquiries between departments, agencies and local authorities and provision of inaccurate and out-of-date information.<See Sections 3.2 and 3.5> For new Call Centres to be effective requires process and cultural change. The how, where and when of the conduct of business needs more flexible approaches than current processes and structures provide. As part of the introduction of any Call Centre it is crucial that there is a clear business case for change that supports and enables organisational and cultural re-engineering. <See Section 3.4> 2.2.1 Contact Centres In drawing up these guidelines the Government is well aware that Call Centres are rapidly becoming Contact Centres that can deal with e-mail, video, fax, text-chat and voice over IP telephony. Adopting a wider range of contact media for dealing with citizens and business in the contact centre – which is ideally a highly structured environment for dealing with contacts – potentially makes it easier for citizen"s or business to be supplied with a consistent high-quality service. In some cases it may be appropriate to consider postal communication and face-to-face contact as part of the Contact Centre, but in other cases this will not be appropriate. The approach to technical standards in this document takes this into account. There are, however, wider issues regarding performance targets for e-mail, fax handling and the integration of these technologies into Contact Centres. Future versions of this document will provide guidelines on these subjects. Page 3 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 3 Why public sector organisations should consider Call Centres The e-government Strategy sets out a vision that "all services which can be electronically delivered should be". The strategy proposes that "these services should be accessible over the Internet and through mobile phones, digital TV, and call centres as well as through personal computers and that the mix for any service will be determined in relation to [customer] demand". The strategy sets forward a vision for "electronic service delivery that does not do away with the need for personal contact" but rather calls for it to be "better supported by new technologies". Within this context, when used appropriately, a call centre can deliver three benefits: better service greater effectiveness cost savings. The power of using a call centre approach is that it has the potential to achieve all of these benefits simultaneously. 3.1 Better service From the citizen"s or businesses viewpoint, the call centre can transform the experience of interacting with government into a rapid single interaction. Call Centres can potentially do this by: eliminating or reducing form-filling and lengthy waits for replies interactively making and reviewing decisions about a "case" while the caller is on the line dealing immediately with any questions reducing the effort involved in dealing with government; eliminating the most and possibly all (where appropriate) of the need to travel to face to face meetings dealing with citizens at a time that is convenient to them, e.g. in the evenings and at week-ends At the heart of this transformation is the ability to deal directly with another person who has all the necessary information and decision making capability at their finger-tips. 3.2 Greater effectiveness Call centres become effective by placing all the tools needed for the interaction at the call centre agent"s disposal, through a computer system, while the agent deals with the caller. This makes it possible to: resolve issues/problems far more easily and quickly than a paper-based process eliminate ambiguity by asking questions for example to resolve apparent contradictions in the information given to the agent routinise and control the process, using the best of current practice in the work of all the agents "intelligently" supplement the agents" knowledge with screen-based information automate those parts of the task that do not require supervision by the agent, in particular back-office work, and re-deploy staff from back-office functions to the front line. Processes that require citizens to complete and post forms can result in a high proportion of cases requiring further follow-up. The experience from Pensions Direct is that around 40% of returned forms have mistakes on them and that Call centre-based processes can reduce this to a few percent. Call centres are especially effective where: Page 4 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) there is an existing process that is well known that is already routinised or can be made so easily; the process is being re-designed, and a routine process being employed, for example, when a new process involves multiple agencies, opening a joint call centre can prove a very effective way of dealing with citizens. the process has multiple decision points and branches. Using appropriate software, all the appropriate information needed by the agent can be delivered to the agent"s desktop as the process progresses. A routinised process does not mean the content of the process has to be routine, or that no expertise is demanded of the agents – indeed implementing a call centre can increase the skills demanded from the agents. However, it does mean that the overall process involved in dealing with callers must be well defined. Greater effectiveness can also produce an indirect benefit – the satisfaction for Call Centre staff of solving customer"s issues and problems quickly in single phone call. 3.3 Cost savings Greater effectiveness will inevitably lead to ongoing cost savings, but there are other savings besides. These include: reducing the space needed to deliver service, where appropriate. reduce the amount of work in progress by reducing the number of interactions to deal with individual cases more effective utilisation of staff time. However, reducing costs should never be the sole focus of a Call Centre project and the introduction of the Call Centre should result in improved customer service. 3.4 Other benefits One of the most worrying phenomenon today is the increasing level of abusive language and physical threats that a small number of citizens exhibit towards "front line" staff in central and local government. Call centres eliminate physical threats and make it far easier to control abuse by empowering staff to terminate interactions by hanging up and allowing recordings of conversations. 3.5 When a call centre is not likely to succeed There are four circumstances where call centres are not likely to succeed: lack of senior management support; Where there is strong customer demand for other forms of service access; the process is not amenable to routinisation; data access problems; too strong a focus on cost savings; 3.5.1 Lack of senior management support Overall, the most vital condition for a call centre to succeed is the commitment of senior management to making it work. One of the principal reasons is that call centres often require a fresh approach to the way work is organised. The call centre therefore requires a commitment to look at business processes afresh. Without this commitment, the call centre will at best fall far short of its potential. 3.5.2 Inability to routinise Call centres produce their benefits by routinising the process of interacting with the caller. Where the process of interacting with the citizen is not well defined or varies a great deal, or is necessarily a long process there will be difficulties in making a call centre succeed. The Page 5 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) process itself may be difficult to define, or there may be a new business objective that is not well understood because it is so new. 3.5.3 Data access problems Most call centres depend heavily on the ability of the agents working in them to access the data they need via a computer system. This data falls broadly into two areas: "case" data – data on the citizen or business being dealt with "process" data – data that the agent uses to deal with the caller, often derived directly from policy. Though some call centres use data only of the second type, most require rapid access to both types. If there are insoluble problems in quickly accessing either type of data, this will make it very difficult for the call centre to succeed. 3.5.4 Cost focus Implementing a call centre purely to gain a reduction in operational costs tends to reduce service to citizens which in turn reduces the job satisfaction of the staff. If the call centre fails to gain the co-operation of call centre staff and callers, it will fail. 3.6 Addressing the challenge of government call centres Government Call Centres are likely to face far more challenging environments than most commercial Call Centres. It is very important not to underestimate this challenge while at the same time moving towards meeting it. Commercial Call Centres normally have quite a narrowly defined purpose, and will be able to predict and control the types of call they have to deal with and the content of these calls. In contrast, government Call Centres will have to deal with a very wide range of calls, and by their nature a significant proportion may not be predictable. This will be especially the case for Call Centres whose main mission is to act as the interface between large government entities (such as entire departments) and citizens and businesses. These factors make it vitally important for prospective and existing Call Centre managers to assess and categorise the types of call they receive and the responses that the Call Centre must give. This will be no small task in itself, but measuring "where you are" is the first step to deciding how to get where you want to be. Once the calls have been categorised, an "80-20 rule" should be sought. It is very likely that a high proportion of calls (say 80 per cent) fall into a small number of categories (say 20 per cent of all categories). Once such a rule is identified, it can be used to routinise the 80 per cent of calls while treating the remaining 20 per cent as exceptions. For example, it may be that the 80 per cent of calls can be dealt with by general call centre agents, (with appropriate training and information systems), while the remaining 20 per cent have to be passed on to specialist staff. It is likely that there are multiple layers of the "80-20 rule": within the "difficult" 20 per cent, it may be that 80 per cent of the calls are less difficult than the remaining "very difficult" 20 per cent. Once the "easy 80 per cent" has been identified, there is the option to provide "self-service" facilities for dealing with calls in this category; this is explored further in The choice of Self-Service <Section 3.5> Exercises of this type will always be left with a core of calls that are simply too difficult to routinise and trying to do so will distract effort from solving the problem of efficiently handling the "easy" majority of calls. Indeed, setting in place a system that does handle the "easy" calls will normally make it easier to handle the difficult calls, because more time can be devoted to them on a case-by-case basis. Page 6 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 3.7 Call Handling across government The Call Handling Strategy will support more seamless interaction between government and citizens and business. This will form part of a wider Access strategy for government that is currently being worked on by the Service First Unit of the Cabinet Office, through the Access Service Action Team. Presentation of consistent information In order that citizens and business may interact with government more seamlessly the Service First Unit of the Cabinet Office will: make it clearer to citizens and businesses whom they need to contact for services and advice by: publishing a single list of central government contact details and opening hours on the Internet at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/servicefirst/index/directory.htm make it easier for citizens and businesses to find the numbers they need by: organising the single list based on citizen"s needs as well as on a department by department basis. manage the publication of government contact details for advice, information and services centrally; focus policies on joining up Call Centres around life episodes, citizen or business needs or a specific client group. Page 7 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 4 Guidelines for effective Call Centre implementation 4.1 Setting Performance targets Call Centres should set performance targets (see below) and publish their performance against these targets annually. These targets must be realistic and achievable within reasonable timescales and the resources available, and must be set in the context of the overall performance of the rest of the organisation in which the Call Centre exists. Call Centres should work in partnership with staff and their representatives to achieve a common understanding of the goals and targets for the Call Centre. Call Centres should also consider setting different targets for different services or client groups. This is often an important part of making sure that a Call Centre achieves its important objectives. Before the targets are set Call Centres must establish their current performance, preferably by understanding their current performance against the measures set in these guidelines, using statistics from their current systems or suppliers. Where these are not available, other means should be used such as monitoring a random group of live calls or "mystery callers'. It is acknowledged that some of these methods are not very precise, but some knowledge of the current position is better than none at all. It is important in setting these targets that the performance objectives of the service being offered are clear at a business, operational, quality and people level. Therefore in determining the targets for answering calls to its Call Centres, departments should also determine and state: the business level objectives of the service being offered (e.g. for NHS Direct this may be the number of callers referred to a more appropriate level of care); the operational objectives (discussed below); the quality of service objectives, e.g. customer satisfaction, level of complaints, etc; the people objectives, e.g. staff turnover, sickness/absence rates, training, responses to staff attitude surveys etc. Operational targets The operational targets should be stated as: 1 service level, the percentage of calls answered (plus call abandoned within the benchmark time) divided by all calls whether answered or abandoned. For example, 80 2 per cent of calls answered in 60 seconds (often expressed as 80/60) . This target is a powerful and easily understood measure, but should never be quoted in isolation because so doing leads to unrealistic expectations. It is counterbalanced by the management measures quoted below: too high a service level will lead to too low an occupancy level and vice-versa. The following management measures will assist in meeting the operational target and contribute to the overall picture of Call Centre performance: agent occupancy (the percentage of agents" available time spent on calls, including follow-up work specific to calls; 1 Once accepted by the ACD. Note also the requirement (below) to state busy signal rates. 2 For consistency purposes these measures should not include the time taken by a customer in an IVR self-service or call-steering transaction. Page 8 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) call abandonment and unavailability (busy signal/engaged tone) rates, as percentages of all calls; average call length of all completed calls; the proportion of enquiries that are dealt with in a single call, without the need for the caller to be called back or to call again; fulfilment despatch (e.g. orders for literature despatched within x days). In addition, these operational objectives always need to be placed in context, and other appropriate operational statistics given, such as typical call duration, the total volume calls, the volume of calls in the busiest period (either 15 minutes or one hour), and the typical cost of servicing each call. It is important to ensure that operational objectives are not pursued to the exclusion of business and other objectives. A weekly picture of performance would help Call Centres" understanding of seasonal and specialist demands. 4.2 Handling implementation as part of business re-engineering In deploying new Call Centres, or new services into existing Call Centres, it is recommended that: the business process being applied to the Call Centre is viewed from the citizen's perspective. For example, this may be achieved by including citizens or citizen"s representatives (e.g. NACAB, Consumers Association) in the earliest stages of development and/or through using market research, feedback from front line staff, trials or focus groups. a key principle in the design of the Call Centre will be that the majority of calls to a published Call Centre number should be capable of being handled directly by the person 3 answering the call, or by a single answered transfer . Call Centres will be asked to publish annually the percentage of calls that are handled directly by the person answering the call. 4 in the design of a Call Centre service the impact on "service providers " should be a primary consideration. The level of service Call Centres offer will on many occasions be determined by the level of service provided by a "service provider". It is recommended that where it is appropriate, a Service Level Agreement be put in place between the "service provider" and the Call Centre to ensure that the required level of service can be provided to the caller. Call Centres, particularly where they are routinely handing calls or tasks off to back offices, other agencies or other Call Centres, should consider the appropriateness of putting in place or using existing systems to record contacts with citizens, referral to back offices, referral tracking and response/completion. Depending on the service this may involve recording full contact details or just statistics. there is an internal communication and education plan to ensure that all staff are aware of the role of the Call Centre, its boundaries and when they should refer calls to the dedicated Call Centre facility. This means communicating very clearly the Call Centre services and ensuring, where appropriate, that staff are trained to refer or divert direct callers to the Call Centre. 3 It is recognised that this may be difficult to measure precisely and if this is not possible then estimates should be made. 4 A service provider in this context is any individual, or group of people, outside direct management of the Call Centre, who are essential to the delivery of the Call Centre service to the customer. This may be a co-located, but separately managed paper-based processing team, another department, or an element of the service that is sub-contracted. Page 9 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 4.3 Setting Opening hours Departments deploying Call Centres should undertake customer research into current and potential future demand for opening hours as part of the service definition. The people's panel has undertaken government wide research into demand for service opening hours and the results have been published on the Service First website at http://www.cabinet-office/servicefirst 4.4 Charges for calls Call Centres offering a national service should, as a minimum, offer a number that is chargeable at the same rate from any fixed telephone, regardless of location of the caller within the United Kingdom (national rate or local rate number). The choice of a national rate, local rate, freefone or premium rate number should be determined by the individual business requirements. 4.5 The way calls are answered All agents answering calls should do so in the same format: "Good morning/afternoon/evening, (name of department or service), (agent name) speaking, can I help you?" The agent name is so that callers can refer back in subsequent calls. This may be an "adopted" name. 4.6 Recording of calls When calls are being recorded for audit or coaching purposes there is a legal obligation to advise callers of this fact. OFTEL guidance states that "Every reasonable effort must be made 5 to inform all parties to the telephone conversation that it may or will be recorded." This warning may be in promotional leaflets, in the announcement system while callers are queuing or in advertising, and may not necessarily need to take place at the point of the call itself. Staff should also be made aware, in advance that calls are being recorded and the purpose of that recording. More guidance on the use of monitoring and recording for coaching purposes is given at Section 22.214.171.124. 4.7 Using Interactive Voice Response Poor design or inappropriate use of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) leads to poor perceptions of the quality of government services. However IVR also has great potential in two roles: an adjunct to call centres a self-service medium (this is discussed below under "The choice of self-service"). 5 OFTEL Requirement under the Privacy of Messages condition of the Self-Provision Licence (SPL) and the Telecommunication Services Licence (TSL) – Sections 7.3 and 7.4 Page 10 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) IVR is a powerful means of improving customer service and operational effectiveness, but it must be applied appropriately and systems and dialogues designed properly. IVR has gained a bad reputation in many quarters because of inappropriate use and bad design. In a Call Centre environment, this means providing a list of options to callers. Appropriate uses include: providing a list of languages spoken (in these languages); identifying different types of call and directing them to different groups of specialist agents; identifying the caller ahead of the call being answered (where callers have alphanumeric identity numbers) and (where necessary) provide security clearance; offering the caller simple information that may remove the need to speak to an agent. Where on-hold waiting times are significant, it may be appropriate to play information announcements to the caller, to remind the caller of any available self-service options and to inform the caller when the less busy periods are, so the caller has the choice of calling back during these times. In considering the use of IVR within government Call Centres departments should review any proposed dialogue against the Dialogues 2000 Dialogue Engineering Style Guide for Interactive Voice Response Dialogues which is available from the Dialogues 2000 team, http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/d2000 This guide covers industry best practice in requirements capture, dialogue representation, the composition of voice messages, the recording of voice messages and the usability evaluation of services. New IVR dialogues should undergo usability assessment through a trial with citizens before launch. It is also recommended that the usability assessment is repeated at least annually. Monitoring the call statistics (e.g. abandoned interactions) will also show up problems in IVR implementations. 4.8 Providing ease of access Ease of access for those who are hard of hearing should be provided by: a textphone system; operators trained in the effective use of the TypeTalk service. If a textphone system is deployed then it should be checked monthly to ensure continued correct working and agents should be given regular training in its use. In addition Internet access with "Text-Chat" can provide an alternative access mechanism for those who are hard of hearing. Ease of access should be provided for those whose first language is not English. As part of the design of a Call Centre service Call Centre managers should identify the potential demand for the service in all languages. The demand could be met by matching recruitment profiles to the language requirements or by use of a service such as Language Line. Call Centres will be asked to report annually on the number of calls where callers specified a language preference that was not met (classified by language). Page 11 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 4.9 Ensuring the quality of the call Callers themselves are key to providing information about the quality of the service being offered. It is recommended that all Call Centres monitor the quality of the service they are providing at least annually. Some of the main methods of achieving this are through: A survey of callers on the telephone or by post. Callers are often happy to give a telephone number on which they may be contacted later and asked their opinions on the service, or you may give them a freefone number to call, or transfer them to a researcher at the end of a call. Each method has advantages and disadvantages in terms of take-up and the type of information that can be gathered. "mystery calling" This involves obtaining the services of someone to pose as a caller in order to test the service being provided. It is important that Call Centre agents are made fully aware of the reasoning behind the exercise. Listening-in to or recording calls. In addition, Call Centres should ensure that there is a complaints handling and escalation procedure in place for callers to use. This may be a business-wide or business process procedure rather than purely a Call Centre procedure. The results from all the above methods may be used to refine Call Centre and business processes and operation. 4.10 Provision of consistent information Call Centres should empower their agents by giving them access at their fingertips to the information and tools to meet caller demands and the appropriate training to ensure that they are focused on citizens" needs. The effectiveness of a Call Centre in meeting customer needs will be largely reliant on deploying appropriate information systems and ensuring that they work effectively in the relevant Call Centre environment. In order to increase the accuracy and consistency of information provided to citizens, regardless of whom they call within government, Call Centres should monitor annually: the percentage of calls transferred to other government departments, agencies, NDPB and local authorities (categorised by department, agency etc); the percentage of calls where caller is referred (i.e. given a telephone number to ring) to another government department, agency, NDPB and local authorities (categorised by department, agency etc); the percentage of calls where the call is not handled or referred (categorised by department, agency etc). The Central IT Unit of the Cabinet Office will analyse the results from the management information provided and prioritise the implementation of a common information system. CITU will then investigate the potential implementation of a common information system for agents that signposts across the wider public sector: contact names and numbers; service experts; basic information for call routing. Page 12 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) The common information system should be based on the GSI, a common directory, common data exchange formats and a virtual voice network for the transfer of calls. It will take into account the need for data protection and privacy. 4.11 Providing the choice of self-service Self-service channels (Internet, kiosks, digital TV, interactive voice response, speech recognition, automated e-mail response) require access to the same information used by Call Centre Agents, although it may be displayed in different formats. Design of support systems for agents should bear in mind possible future use by the end-customer directly. In the design of any Call Centre information systems, consideration should be given to the use of information sources from, or for other delivery channels. Where a Call Centre is primarily providing information, consideration should be given to providing the same information on a website, allowing Call Centre agents to add greater human value in more detailed enquiries. Consideration should also be given at the design stage to the linking of Call Centres to other delivery channels. (e.g. the use of "call-me" buttons on websites, Digital TV and kiosks). Self-service plays an important role in extending the hours of availability and offering an immediate response (rather than waiting in a queue) to citizens and businesses; it also can relieve the Call Centre of repetitive routine work. For these reasons, all the self- service media should be regarded as potentially important, and their design, especially of the menus and dialogues, should be given a high degree of attention. 4.12 A common approach to citizen identification A common approach to how citizens identify and authenticate themselves with a Call Centre in order to access government services electronically over the telephone is set out below. Call Centres should examine their current identification processes against this common standard. Call Centres should also be aware of the government"s Authentication Framework. Alignment of the Call Centre Guidelines with the Authentication Framework will result in the production of a Call Centre profile for the recommended Trust Levels 0,1,2 and 3. Levels of identification and authentication should vary according to the nature of the transaction that is being performed. 1. Class 1 Provision of information on government services that is not specific to an individual Examples Provision of leaflets, oral information, tourist information by post. Identification No identification of the individual is required and should not be requested. Provision of material through the post requires name and address, but there is no reason for verification. 2. Class 2 The disclosure of personal information by government to an individual Example Pension forecast, dates of payments, tax liability, payment values. Identification Random permutation of minimum of two pieces of personal information from, for example: Full name Address Postcode Date of birth Page 13 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) Identification number (e.g. NINo or Tax ref as appropriate to the service) Plus a piece of information only likely to be known by the caller, for example Mother's maiden name Random digits of a PIN number 3. Class 2a Disclosure of personal information to government by an individual that could affect payments to, or liability of the individual Example Change of circumstances (address, name, marital status) Identification Random Permutation of minimum of two pieces of personal information from, for example: Full name Address Postcode Date of birth Identification number (e.g. NINo or Tax ref as appropriate to the service) Plus a piece of information only likely to be know by the caller, for example Mother's maiden name Random digits of a PIN number Written proof of change of circumstances may be required by statute or may be a sensible fraud prevention activity. In the case of benefits payments it may be necessary for a site visit also to take place 4. Class 3 Payment for a government service by an individual Example Purchase of TV licence Identification Valid credit or debit card details (This may be in addition to identification of Class 2a, depending on the service, e.g. purchasing of books may only require card details, paying your TV licence would require Class 2a identification) 5. Class 4 Payment to an individual by government Example Benefit payment Identification Any innovative arrangements will require identification appropriate to audit and risk assessment requirements. With the emergence of new technologies and processes we will keep this class under review. 6. Registration Initial registration for a service by an individual Example Passport application, driving licence application Identification Any innovative arrangements will require identification appropriate to audit and risk assessment requirements. With the emergence of new technologies and processes we will keep this class under review. Page 14 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 5 Technical standards 5.1 Objectives In the private sector many Call Centres are becoming multi-media contact centres in order to provide consistent service across a choice of access mechanisms, including: e-mail website interaction (e.g. "show and tell" and "Call-Me" functionality) text-chat fax post voice-over-IP telephony standard voice calls video. In the past it has been difficult for Call Centres to upgrade their technology and add in new services. This has been due to the lack of open standards in the industry, the high cost of new services or the high cost of systems integration and operation of new services, all based on different technologies. The objectives are therefore: suitability for purpose: applying an architecture and standards that are suitable for the business purpose; enabling Call Centres to take on new technology at minimum cost and minimum disruption to existing services; enabling ease of integration with government enterprise wide legacy IT Systems (Databases, legacy mainframes); enabling ease of integration between Call Centres; enabling ease of integration of new applications, management information and Computer Telephony Integration packages into existing Call Centres. 5.2 An open architecture For all new Call Centre deployments the use of an open architecture should be considered, so as to allow for the future provision of e-mail handling website interaction (e.g show and tell and Call Me functionality) text-chat voice-over-IP telephony video Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). The Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum (ECTF) recommends a suitable open architecture http://www.ectf.org/ Any proposed architecture should be closely examined to determine whether it meets the objectives set in section 3.8.1. 5.3 Standards Page 15 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) The following are emerging standards that departments should consider in pursuing the stated objectives: the ECTF M.100 standard for server to administration applications interoperability the ECTF C.100 (JTAPI) standard for call control interoperability the ECTF S.100 standard for application interoperability (C level API specification) the ECTF S.300 standard for Service Provider Interfaces. More details of all of these standards can be found on the ECTF Web site at http://www.ectf.org the H.232 standard for integration of Voice over IP technology into government Call Centres In addition departments should ensure that plans are made for all Call Centre agents desktops to be IP-enabled and have access to browser technology, opening the way for wider use of IP-based technologies in the future. Page 16 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 6 Procurement guidelines 6.1 Objective of this section This section provides advice on the issues to take into account in procuring call centre systems and services. It concentrates on the differences from the procurement of other types of systems and services, and the additional considerations and actions that are required in a call centre project. It does not attempt to describe the complete procurement process and is in addition to existing procurement advice such as that published by the Cabinet Office on Best Quality Services (BQS). For simplicity, most of these guidelines speak of a single call centre, but the same principles apply to multiple call centres. 6.2 At the start of procurement process 6.2.1 Setting the objective The call centre must have a set of business objectives, formulated in business terms that can be easily communicated. Call centre projects without clear objectives tend to encounter major problems. The more precisely and realistically these objectives are formulated before any procurement activity commences, the better. While narrow objectives are easier to address, if the needs are not genuinely narrow, there is no point in forcing them into a narrow definition. The proposals from prospective suppliers should be judged on their ability to meet the business objectives. 6.2.2 Sizing the call centre Predicting the size of a brand new call centre is always going to be a challenge, but it still has to be done in order to secure a successful procurement and implementation. Any organisation considering whether introducing a call centre is appropriate should start by collecting as much data as it can about its existing calls. The more information that can be gathered, the better. Project managers can then begin to estimate the likely size the call centre, based on: the number, length, timing and subject of phone calls currently received. the estimated increase in these calls when a call centre service is introduced the likely length of calls – for example are the typical interactions with callers likely to be more or less complex than they are at present the time staff spend on pre- and post-call activity the likely staff occupancy the prospective efficiency gains from dealing with callers in one interaction rather than multiple interactions Any hourly, weekly or seasonal variations in peak call traffic; any other factors that are pertinent to the project in hand. The final call centre sizing work may require specialist assistance (for example, from vendors of automated call distribution systems who typically have load simulation capabilities) and even then it will always be an estimate, so it is worthwhile to have contingency plans. 6.2.3 Determining data access and technical integration The most problematic part of most call centre projects is giving the agents access to the data they need to do their work. Accessing and updating with "customer" data where that data is not "owned" by the organisation setting up the call centre can cause particular problems, as Page 17 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) can "customer" data that is spread across multiple systems, that has duplication and reconciliation problems. Therefore, one of the key issues to determine before beginning the procurement process is to establish: where the data is located who "owns" the data. the degree of duplication any reconciliation problems how it can be accessed Requirements for data interchange, access and technical integration need to be set out in the service requirements for the Call Centre. A serious problem with data access is a valid reason for postponing or cancelling a call centre project, as it can make it impossible for the call centre to meet its business objectives. 6.2.4 Future-proofing the call centre Call centres may need to change rapidly and radically. For example, many call centres create demand for their services and have to be scaled upwards. New trends are emerging in call centre capability; there is an increasing need to consider distributed and "virtual" call centres that have multiple sites. Also the ability to handle transactions spanning multiple media, such as web transactions and e-mail but also fax and post, is becoming important, especially in dealing with enterprises. It is therefore important that the ability for call centre to "flex" is part of the requirements document.<see Technical Guidelines section> 6.2.5 Involving the call centre management Involving the right people is important in any procurement process. In a call centre project, the management team that will eventually run the call centre must be closely involved in the procurement process from an early stage if at all possible. If the call centre is new, this should mean recruiting the call centre manager and deputy managers in time to participate fully in all the principal stages of the procurement. 6.3 The outsourcing, co-sourcing and 'in-house' alternatives Outsourcing is where a supplier provides an ongoing service in return for a fee. Co-sourcing is a type of outsourcing where the investment needed to set up the service is jointly funded by the customer and supplier. In the right circumstances, co-sourcing can lead to a lower ongoing cost for the service and a higher degree of collaboration than is typical in "conventional" outsourcing. Outsourcing a call centre can be done at multiple levels: outsourcing of the entire call centre operation, including the staff functions and their management. outsourcing the entire call centre infrastructure, buildings and technical, but not the staff. This may be achieved by renting call centre spaces outsourcing the technical infrastructure of the call centre, for example buying network services from a telephone operator rather than your own switch or getting an IT services provider to provide the IT infrastructure. a "tactical" level where you retain control over the processes in an existing call centre but place specific "work packs" externally to a call centre agency. This may include outsourcing overflow and/or outsourcing specific bundles of time-limited work, especially work that does not require access to confidential data, for example requests from members of the public for an information pack. All these are potentially valid choices, depending on circumstances. The first three are strategic and require considerable investigation. The fourth is easier to consider provided there a discrete "work packs" that can be delegated to an external agency. Taking this into account, it can be used to reduce the capacity needed by the call centre. (It is also an option Page 18 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) that all existing call centres should consider, budget permitting, if they are having problems with high call volumes and meeting performance targets.) An important consideration in any outsourcing contract whether strategic or tactical is the disengagement planning. The supplier must provide watertight guarantees that the contract can be terminated in an orderly way and the service resourced in some other way. 6.3.1 Reasons for considering outsourcing There following are reasons to consider outsourcing as a potential option for provisioning the call centre: When the call centre is going to have difficulty in meeting its service level targets in a cost-effective way on its own. An outsourcer has access to a much larger pool of resources than a small call centre operation; these resources can include management skill, human resources, technological resources or operational expertise. The outsourcer should be able to offer greater flexibility and "scalability" (the ability to increase the size of the call centre). Where the capabilities that might be outsourced are not "core competencies" of the department that is procuring the call centre. In some cases the capabilities may be seen as a distraction to the main organisational objectives. Where the capital requirements for building a call centre are difficult to meet. In general, the private sector currently has relatively easy access to investment capital. When the function under consideration for outsourcing is easily defined, readily achievable and good performance is easy to measure and incentivise. If this is not the case, managing the contract with the supplier is going to be overly burdensome. Where there is going to be a problem acquiring the skills needed to operate a call centre. Where some flexibility in sizing is needed, for example where it is difficult to predict the size of the call centre or where the volume of calls varies strongly over time. On the latter point, contractual conditions need to be carefully specified so that passing some possibly arbitrary threshold in call volumes, for example, does not lead to a steep increment in cost.) 6.3.2 Reasons for "in-sourcing" the call centre The following are reasons for considering developing the Call Centre in-house. They apply most strongly when compared with outsourcing of the entire call centre Where the function under consideration for outsourcing is not easily defined, not readily achievable and good performance is difficult to measure and incentivise. These circumstances will tend to create problems in any call centre, but will lead to constant disputes with an outsourcer. (An in-house small-scale pilot can help to discover how serious a problem these issues are in practice.) Where core competencies or core skills are needed in the call centre. Where staff in the call centre have other skills that the organisation does not wish to risk losing, even where these skills are not core connected to competencies. Where staff may move from working in the call centre to other parts of the organisation (and vice-versa) on a regular basis. Where call centre staff are involved in doing work other than answering or making calls. Where the information required for answering calls is not well developed, organised or even understood because of the newness of the call centre. This will typically be the case in a pilot project, but also in call centres that have a broad mission. Where there will be a substantial problem "disengaging" from the chosen supplier. Page 19 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 7 Staffing the Call Centre These Call Centre guidelines call for more customer-focused service and improved call handling in public sector Call Centres. It is important to recognise that Call Centre agents, team leaders and managers are critical to achieving this goal. Their proper motivation, recruitment, retention, training, reward, health and safety are essential elements of effective use of Call Centres in the public sector. Call Centre staff must be provided with user-centred and customer-focused information and support systems in order to deliver the level of service that is desired. In achieving this Call Centres should: work in partnership with their staff and trade unions: o recognising and valuing the central role of all staff in the Call Centre; o having a common understanding of the aims and goals of the Call Centre; o having an agreed work culture (attitudes, beliefs and behaviours) in common with the rest of the business; o having a shared commitment to training every individual in the Call Centre; o encouraging and supporting staff to identify and enhance their own skills; o having an inclusive relationship between the Call Centre, staff and their representatives; adopt high quality employment standards; employ robust equal opportunity policies. Many existing HR policies and practices are directly applicable to the Call Centre situation, however there are particular issues that require special attention in this environment. 7.1 Working patterns Traditional public service conditions offer a core time, of between 10am and 4pm and flexi- time outside of these hours. However, the customer facing nature of the Call Centre environment requires certainty for managers on the number of staff available to answer and make calls at a particular time of day, and the need to support extended business day. The associated change in working patterns for staff will need to be worked through with the appropriate Unions against the background of a clear understanding of the business need and the calling profiles to the services being provided. Once the business need and call profiles are understood there are a number of potential ways of achieving working patterns that match the business requirements. These are not exclusive and their successful application will depend on their appropriateness to the business need that is being met. Maintain a flexi-time system with the flexi time to be worked being agreed at a team level. Typically this method has been used successfully with teams of around 12 Call Centre agents. The team is responsible for ensuring staffing to a certain agreed level, but they are able to decide which agents work particular hours amongst themselves. This has the positive effect of empowering staff to take control of their own working patterns, within agreed boundaries, whilst ensuring appropriate staffing levels. An understanding of individuals general working pattern preferences can be helpful in setting up the teams initially. The identification of shifts that are not popular with full time staff can lead to the creation of new posts to cover extended working hours (e.g. 4pm to 8pm). Recruitment to a wider range of part-time shifts (4 or 5 hours) can give great flexibility to staff and be family- friendly as well as giving flexibility to the Call Centre manager to meet peaks in demand. There can be positive benefits in building a team spirit from having teams working the Page 20 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) same shifts, with opportunities before and after the shift for teams to receive information and discuss problems, concerns or advice. Where Call Centres are co-located with the appropriate "off-line" processing centres then skilling staff for the Call Centre and the "off-line" environment can be a good way of providing variety to staff and flexibility to Call Centre managers. However different skill sets are required in these different environments and therefore will not be appropriate for all staff. In this environment Call Centre managers would need to work to ensure that staff are appropriately skilled for the Call Centre environment and that these skills are maintained on an ongoing basis. Many of these approaches can be deployed within current public service terms and conditions. All of the approaches can lead to an element of flexibility in providing part time work. Evidence from the private sector is that varied shift patterns to suit different working hours needs can be very beneficial in providing jobs that are family friendly and promote diversity. 7.1.1 Supporting Flexible Working The degree of flexibility in working patters that is required in a Call Centre environment means that the HR role is considerable, and requires close attention. Co-location of the HR function with the Call Centre is advisable in larger Call Centres. The provision of appropriate IT systems is essential to enabling flexible working. The IT Systems are required to make it straightforward for staff to find customer focussed information, support continuity in tracking customer problems across shifts and enable staff to work on multiple products and services. 7.1.2 Home Working The technology exists to support working from home, which has the potential to give another element of flexibility and convenience to Call Centre employees and managers. However, in considering whether to use home workers in Call Centres the following issues need to be taken into account: The security implications, both physical and technical of allowing home working for Call Centre agents who are required to access Government data in order to carry out their job. The needs of the Call Centre agent to interact with their colleagues for social reasons and in order to remain in touch with changes to working practice and service delivery. The ongoing training needs of the Call Centre agent working at home. The ongoing management of geographically dispersed resources. 7.2 Resourcing Strategy In approaching the resourcing of a Call Centre the following approach should be taken: 1. A clear analysis of the skills required to meet the identified business need; 2. The creation of job descriptions from an analysis of the business process design; 6 3. An evaluation of the jobs required using existing Job evaluation schemes. ; 4. Where re-deployment of existing staff is a desired outcome, an audit of the skills needed versus the skills available should be undertaken. 5. The creation of a resourcing strategy for the Call Centre. In the majority of cases the creation of new Call Centre specific grades will not be appropriate and existing Civil Service grades can be deployed. 6 CITU is currently working with the JEGS implementation team to ensure appropriate guidance is available for applying JEGS to jobs that require Information Age skills. Page 21 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) As a new Call Centre develops it will be important to review the resourcing strategy and the posts. 7.3 Recruitment and training 18.104.22.168 Recruitment process It is essential that the recruitment processes applied to selecting staff for the Call Centre take into account the need to evaluate the applicants" telephone skills in a live environment. This will be best achieved through a structured telephone interview rather than through a traditional face-to-face interview. In conducting a telephone interview it is far better to bring a potential applicant into the Call Centre or an assessment centre in order to conduct the interview. In addition, telephony interviews will be of most benefit if they are mixed with tests that require the interviewee to use IT Systems at the same time. The telephone interviews may be augmented by the use of face-to-face interviews, role plays or assessment centres to test, for example, team work skills. The recruitment process should be subject to the normal consultation processes with staff representatives. 126.96.36.199 Training i) Induction Training It is extremely important that there is a planned programme of induction training in a Call Centre environment and this will need to cover Customer Service skills Call Handling skills Communication skills Familiarity with IT Systems Explanation of appropriate business processes and business and organisational context of the Call Centre Management training for team leaders Obviously the length of induction training will depend on the skills the individual already has and the complexity of the business processes. A number of colleges now run foundation courses in Call Centre agent skills, and NVQ"s in Call Centre management, team leading and for Call Centre agents. A list of Call Centre Association approved courses is at Appendix A. ii) Ongoing Training Call Centre agents should be given coaching and training on an ongoing basis. In a Call Centre environment it is particularly important to build the time required for ongoing 7 training , into staffing profiles. This is equally true for team meetings. Call Centres should publish their targets for the number of days training a year for their employees. Part of the ongoing training and coaching of a Call Centre agent will need to include coaches (often team leaders) listening in to calls being handled by the agent. It is extremely important in this environment that: Call Centre staff have been informed beforehand that monitoring is taking place; immediate, direct feedback is given by the coach after a listening in session, with counselling on identified strengths and weaknesses; 7 Training in it's widest context, including peer to peer, mentoring, Computer based training and background reading as well as training courses. Page 22 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) the objective is for the listening in of calls to be an aid to coaching Call Centre staff with an overall objective of improving quality of service by identifying shortcomings in procedures and or determining the individual training/development needs of Call Centre staff. In addition peer to peer coaching or mentoring, including listening in to other agents calls can be an important method of training and encourages consistency in call handling. The ongoing training, including skilling of staff in different services being offered by the Call Centre, has a benefit for the Call Centre agent and the Call Centre itself in providing greater flexibility in meeting resource demands. The development of career paths, within the Call Centre and from/to other parts of the organisation can assist staff in seeing potential progression within the Call Centre and in moving to other parts of the organisation. 7.4 Retention and motivation Call Centres in the private sector have experienced some problems in retention and 8 motivation of staff, evident in the large variations in staff turnover. Staff retention has not been seen as a large problem by the Call Centres represented on the government"s Call Centre Working group, but public sector Call Centres need to be aware of the potential causes of high staff turnover in order to prevent this becoming an issue. In surveys carried out in the private sector, the intensity of the Call Centre working environment is quoted as a major reason for high staff turnover rates. The approach to performance management recommended in these guidelines will assist Call Centres in preventing this from becoming an issue. For all staff, there is a need to avoid the repetitive nature of work that can be a hallmark of Call Centres where staff are dealing with multiple transactions of the same type. This can be achieved through: Providing staff with a variety of work within the Call Centre multi-skilling staff in a wide range of services; Moving staff between back and front offices; Other causes of high staff turnover can be lack of definition of the work (unclear objectives) for Call Centre staff or labour market conditions in a particular area. Staff feedback from existing Call Centres in the public sector has suggested that the focus on customers has been a positive factor in ensuring that staff feel valued and motivated in their work. 7.5 Staff Performance Management These guidelines recognise the need to tackle performance management of the Call Centre from a balanced scorecard approach. This is equally true in assessing the performance of Call Centre staff. The approach adopted to performance management should be balanced and reflect Quality objectives the customer facing nature of the role requires regular feedback from live calls that have been listened into by a team leader. The operational objectives of the Call Centre The business objectives of the Call Centre 8 Income Data Services, Pay and Conditions in Call Centres 1999 Page 23 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) It should be recognised by Call Centre managers that other factors affect the performance of the Call Centre including the performance of IT systems, the effectiveness of business processes and the physical work environment. Improvements in systems, processes and the work environment can have much bigger impacts on Call Centre performance than the pursuit of operational objectives alone. 7.6 Health and Safety CITU are working with the Health and Safety Executive, looking at the emerging findings from the HSE"s study into working conditions in Call Centres. HSE published a Local Authority Enforcement Officers Circular in November 1999, providing a checklist of Health and Safety issues for Call Centres covered by Local Authority Enforcement Officers. Although not directly applicable to government Call Centres, the circular contains a useful checklist and is published for reference as an Annex to these guidelines.<to follow> The longer business hours in a Call Centre mean that consideration needs to be given to the personal safety and security of staff in choosing the location of the Centre. Attention needs to be given to the modes of transport available to and from the site and the hours of operation of public transport. 7.7 The Call Centre Manager and Team Leader roles The Call Centre Manager role and Team Leader roles in Call Centres vary significantly from traditional management roles in the public sector and require specialist training, experience and support. The roles are characterised by: Moment by moment management The need to respond instantly to changing conditions in the Call Centre The need to interpret immediately complex management information The need to give continuous feedback on performance to staff The need to cope with multiple different working patterns The need to manage attendance and sick absence so as to provide maximum performance from the Call Centre. Page 24 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) 8 Annexes Annexe A: Performance targets This table provides a template for departments reporting on all the performance targets proposed in this document. Measure Target Service level To be set by individual Call Centres Percentage of calls that are handled directly To be set by individual Call Centres, but the by the person answering the call, without the expectation is that Call Centres will move to a need for the caller to be called back or to call target which is at least 50 per cent again. Number of calls re-directed to other No target government departments, agencies, NDPB"s and local authorities (categorised by department, agency etc) Number of calls where caller is referred to No target another government department, agency, NDPB"s and local authorities (categorised by department, agency etc) Number of calls where the call is not able to No target be handled or referred (categorised) Number of calls where caller specified a No target language preference that was not able to be met (classified by language) Number of calls in each language handled No target Additional management indicators Business objectives To be set by individual Call Centres Quality objectives To be set by individual Call Centres Staff objectives To be set by individual Call Centres Agent occupancy To be set by individual Call Centres Average call lengths of completed calls To be set by individual Call Centres Call abandonment and unavailability (busy To be set by individual Call Centres signal) rates, as percentages of all calls Annexe B: Members of ECTF ECTF Membership Roster Auditing Members, Principal Members Aculab plc Analogic Corporation, Amtelco Ariel Corporation, Aspect Telecommunications Artesyn Communication Products, AT&T Ascom Business Systems AG, Brooktrout Technology AudioCodes Ltd., CallScan Limited Bell Actimedia, CCS TrexCom Blue Wave Systems, Cisco Systems Bosch Telecom GMBH, Compaq Computer BST Communication Technology, Corporation CSELT CAPI Association e.V., Cyberlog International Centigram Communications Corporation, Deutsche Telekom AG CML Technologies, Page 25 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) Dialogic Corporation Computer Telephony Solutions, Ericsson Comuniq ASA, Excel Switching Corporation Comverse Network Systems, Fujitsu Limited DataKinetics Ltd., IBM Corporation DeTeWe Kommunikations, KPN NV Dr Materna GmbH, Lernout & Hauspie Speech Dragon Systems, Products Lucent Technologies ERNI Components, Microsoft Corporation ETeX-Sprachsynthese AG, Natural MicroSystems Corp. E.T.R.I., NEC America Executone, Nokia Telecommunications Force Computers, NortelNetworks Frequentis Nachrichtentechnik Ges.m.b.H, Nuance Communications Global Communications Systems Research, Philips Speech Processing GTE Government Systems, Picazo Communications Hewlett-Packard, Rockwell Electronic Industrial Technology Research Commerce Institute, Siemens AG Inter-Tel, Inc., SI Logic Ltd. Intervoice, SpeechWorks International Magellan Network Systems, Sun Microsystems Marconi Communications, Telesoft Design Micrologica, Unimax Systems Mitsubishi Electronic Corporation, Corporation Unisys Nitsuko Corporation, Witness Systems Oki Electric Industry Co., Periphonics, Philips Business Communications, Pivotech Systems, RadiSys Corporation, Registry Magic, Sonetech, Syntellect, TeleDirect International, Teloquent Communications Corporation, TEMIC, Vanguard Communications Corporation, Voice Technologies Group, West Interactive Corporation, Xerox Corporation , Xiox Corporation, Annexe C : Members of Dialogues 2000 # 1/2/1 Interactive Media Ltd 20/20 Productions Ltd Accent Marketing and A Ace Ltd ACTIUS Ltd Research Advanstar Aculab plc Advanced Telecom Services Communications Alcatel Business AGC-Tel Consultants Ltd Air Miles Systems Ltd Page 26 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) Andersen Consulting Anglian Water Argos Distributions Ltd AT&T Automobile Association AxiCom B BAA plc Bank of Scotland Barclays Bank Bradford and Bingley BBC Bouygues Telecom Building Society Brann Contact 24 Britannia Building Society BRITE Voice Systems British Airways British Gas Trading British Midland Airways Broadsystem BT Laboratories BUPA Cable and Wireless C C3 Cabletel (UK) Ltd Communications Cairntech Ltd Calderstone Capital Call Centre Association Call Centre Management Call Centre Consultants CallCraft Association CAP Motor Research Ltd Caravan Club Catalyst Media Cellular Services Cedar Celcon Blocks Limited Development Limited Channelvox Ltd CITEL Technologies Citicorp Clement Clarke City Technologies Ltd Clear Consulting Ltd Communications Cobalt Telephone Computer Support Compact Catalogues Ltd Technologies Ltd Services Comverse Technology CRIMP A/S CSELT S.p.A. (Europe) Ltd Customer CT Consulting CTS Ltd Communication Systems GmbH D Data Integration DBM Marketing Delius Ltd Dell Direct UK DETECON GmbH Dialtone OY Dolphin Software Systems Driving Standards Agency Ltd Encyclopaedia Britannica E Elite Introductions Energis International Ltd Entropic Ericsson Ltd ETSA Power European Infopoint Ltd Eurovoice Ltd Express Newspapers plc Financial Telemarketing F Fiat Research Centre Fidelity Investments Services Ltd Financial Times First Call Ltd Ford Credit Europe plc Glass's Information Services G Gilmark GPT Ltd Grafton Consulting Great Universal Stores HighTrack Communications H Halifax plc HiTeKnowledge (HTK) Ltd Ltd Holistique Communication hotlines Hydra Associates I IBM Laboratories Ltd ICM IMC INTELLIHOME Corporation Interact Systems IMRG Plc International Ltd Internet Intervoice ITC Videocommunications J J. Markowitz, Consultants J. Sainsbury PLC John Lewis Partnership Page 27 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) K Key Voice Techonologies Kingston Communications KiQ L Lan & Spar Bank Lasermedia Retail Systems Laura Ashley Licensing Executive Link Interchange Network Ltd Lloyds Bank Plc Society Lloyds TSB Group Plc London Electricity Man Machine Technology M Mannesmann Autocom GmbH Marks & Spencer Plc A.S. Martin Dawes mdr training Media Synthesis Ltd Telecommunications Melita Europe Ltd MFI Furniture Centres Microvidec Multimedia Midland Bank Plc Milk Marque Miller Freeman UK Ltd ML Interactive Nationwide Building N NAG (UK) Services Ltd National Westminster Bank Society Next plc Nokia Telecommunications Nortel Europe Limited Norwich Union Nuance Communications O Oak Telecom Old Mutual Olivetti UK OSI P PC-Plus Pearson plc Periphonics Philips Speech Processing Portfolio Solutions The Post Office Powergen plc Publicis Technology Q QPQ Ltd Quantum Systems R Reuters Revolution Rover Group Royal National Institute for Royal Bank of Scotland Plc the Blind S Safeway Stores Scanner Systems Limited Shonut Siemens Communications Sokete Ltd Specialized Ltd SpeechWorks S.R.I. International SSL Standard Life Staples Direct Starwood Corp Ltd Synphonix Recruitment Syntegra (BT Global Comms) Syntellect Europe Ltd T T-NETIX Inc TALK 2 Taylor Nelson Sofres Plc Technology Warranty Technico Technology Project Services Solutions Telco Global Telephone Information Telecom Potential Group Plc Communications Services The Telebusiness TELEPHONETICS Interactive Telesoft Communications Partnership Voice Systems Ltd Telia Telecom AB Telsis Ltd Page 28 VERSION 1.3 (2nd May 2000) Annex C : Scope of HSE Report Although regulations and guidance exist which cover office environments, Local Authority Enforcement Officers, the TUC and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers have all proposed that telephone call handling centres present a unique working environment. An initial scoping study, commissioned by HSE and carried out by HSL, confirmed that greater knowledge of the health risks in the context of call centre work was needed. The study also indicated that some current work practices may have a detrimental effect on the psychological and physical well-being of call centre employees. The aim of this project is to examine current working practices across a broad range of call centres, in terms of their location, sector type, size and maturity. The main physical and psychological health risks associated with call centre working will be investigated as will the potential measures available to reduce these. This work will enable HSE to develop sound guidance, for the industry and enforcement officers, based on risk reduction and best practice Page 29
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Marquise Henry Joins Force Trucks
06.26.2009 //
Force Trucks is proud to announce that Marquise Henry is the newest addition to the Force Trucks Team. Head over to FORCE TRUCKS for Marquise Henry's intro interview.
Force Trucks is proud to announce that Marquise Henry is the newest addition to the Force Trucks Team. Head over to FORCE TRUCKS for Marquise Henry's intro interview.
MJ, Farrah Fawcett and GSD in NY… Posted by John Bradford Yesterday was a harsh one in LA as far as celebrities were concerned. Farrah Fawcet died of cancer in the morning, Michael Jackson died of cartiac arrest in the afternoon (in case the 24 hour news coverage from every TV channel didn't clue you […]
Davis Torgerson hits the Etnies Team Facility.
Check out the new commercial for Mike Mo's colorways for Lakai.
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Stop by the Carl's Jr. at the Block of Orange this Saturday from 1 – 3 PM for a chance for meet and greets with autographs from their favorite top professional skaters who will be competing in the Maloof Money Cup 2009 (including Adam Dyet and Pierre-Luc Gagnon/PLG)! This event will feature samplings of Carl's […]
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Picture Wheels' weekly webclip with Dennis Durrant.
Nike's Debacle is available for a free download on Nike's website. The video is only available for 30 days so be sure to take advantage of it while it lasts!
Not Available on DVD Video Clip featuring: Benny Fairfax, Clint Peterson, Danny Brady and Paul Shier.