How "1823 Citizen's Easy Link" Has Improved the Enquiry Service to Citizens of Hong Kong HK Tang, Chief Executive Officer Efficiency Unit, HKSAR Government.

How "1823 Citizen's Easy Link" Has Improved the Enquiry Service to Citizens of Hong Kong HK Tang, Chief Executive Officer Efficiency Unit, HKSAR Government

Background Operation of Call Centre Performance Measurement Key Strategy Customer People Process Technology Outline

Too Many Numbers Too Difficult to Find 2189 8222 2184 8858 2510 6888 2363 0068 2763 9643 2989 9999 2864 9763 2363 0068 2238 0309 2038 9661 2516 7499 2510 6888 HKSAR Government has over 1 200 published numbers for enquiry and complaints HKSAR Government has over 1 200 published numbers for enquiry and complaints

Too Difficult to Get Through Always busy, not answered, or answered by machine Always busy, not answered, or answered by machine Over 40% call abandon rate Over 40% call abandon rate

Inconsistent Service Levels Department Service Standard abcdef g hij Response Times Information Quality First Call Resolution

IVRS Solution or Problem ? IVRS Solution or Problem ? Over 60% callers choose to talk to an operator

Citizens One Stop 24 hours enquiry service No need to understand government organisation structure Enjoy quality and responsive service Well-deifined service standards Departments Relief from non-core business Guaranteed service level through Service Level Agreement Tracking of case progress and timely reminder Useful enquiry statistics for management planning Solution : An Integrated Call Centre

The most caring and convenient government call center to provide quality services. Vision

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ( ) Architectural Services Department ( ) Buildings Department ( ) Civil Engineering Department ( ) Electrical and Mechanical Services Department ( ) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ( ) Highways Department ( ) Leisure and Cultural Services Department ( ) Marine Department ( ) Hongkong Post ( ) Rating and Valuation Department ( ) Transport Department ( ) Labour Department ( ) Participating Departments

Continuing Education Fund by Student Finance Assistance Agency Environmental Hygiene and cleanliness hotline for Team Clean Tax Return hotline for Inland Revenue Department SARS Enquiry Hotline for Department of Health SARS Home Confinement Hotline for Home Affair Department Various promotion programme by Tourism Commission, e.g. Symphony of Lights, CLP Lighting Up Hong Kong, Hong Kong Mega Sale, etc MTR Tseung Kwai O Extension Hotline and Westrail Hotline by Transport Department Hong Kong Infrastructure Experience by Planning Department Ad-hoc Projects

Established in July 01 Monthly calls around 120K and 40K emails 7 days X 24-hours Easy to remember 4-digit number 1823 Multi-access channels Multi-lingual Queue position / voice mail Trained agents 140 Well-equipped positions 91 Internet EMAIL Overview

HaveDept(s)ResponseUpdate citizen and Close file Reminder / Escalation to Dept(s) to Dept(s)RouteServiceRequests to Dept(s) Slope Location Etc. etc. HaveDept(s)Response Hotline No. KnowledgeBase CustomerRelationsManagement Citizen Enquiry/ Complaints Open contacts file & Log details Consult Knowledge Base Depts Enquiry handled SLOPE Slopejkjkjjkwjek Locatiojkskn Etc. etc.y Kjkjjkjekkrkejre kflkfldkf kksldk ksld Jkjuwiiuiuiu iui kkdk Mode of Operation

NatureItemsTarget ServiceCall AnsweredMore than 90% of call received Abandoned RateLess than 10% Telephone Service Factor More than 80% of calls answered within 12 sec QualityFirst Time ResolutionMore than 90% External Customer Satisfaction More than 3.8 (out of 5- point scale) ProductivityAverage Call Handling Time Less than 340 seconds OccupancyMore than 70% Performance Measurement

Call Received vs Call Answered

Email from Citizen

Target > 80% Call Answered within 12 Seconds

Average Speed to Answer

Target < 10% Abandon Rate

Target > 90% First Time Resolving Rate

Target > 3.8 (5 point scale) Customer Satisfaction

Complaint vs Comnpliment

Target < 340 Seconds Average Call Handling Time

Strategy Process Technology People Customer Key Strategy

On-going Customer Satisfaction Survey Monitor customer satisfaction towards the service and individual staff Continuous customer satisfaction survey to all callers through an automated IVR system Internal Call Monitoring Supervisors will monitor at least 100 calls/emails per month Voice and screen monitoring with well-structured guidelines Calibration by QA Officer to align assessment standard Intensive coaching to drive on-going improvement Complaint & Compliment analysis Monitor trend Understand nature for improvement Customer - External

Flexible charging scheme to departments Savings achieved by departments by transferring enquiry service to 1823 CEL An agreed sum based on call volume Fee per call Agreed number of call agents Principle : break-even not profit making Customers - Internal

Partnership with Departments Regular departmental Liaison Meeting and ad-hoc meeting to discuss department-specific issues Dedicated Liaison Officer from ICC to work closely with department to ensure smooth daily operation, timely update of information in Knowledge Base and response to requests from departments Dedicated Business Process Re-engineering Team to review and streamline the process, procedures and knowledge base Service Level Agreement with Departments Roles and responsibilities of ICC and Department Service standards Internal escalation to ensure timely action and response to enquiries/complaints Customers - Internal

Jenny LAI Call Center Mgr (Ops) Jenny LAI Call Center Mgr (Ops) H K TANG CEO H K TANG CEO Chris CHU Assistant Mgr (System Support) Chris CHU Assistant Mgr (System Support) George NG Manager (Adm) George NG Manager (Adm) Assistant Call Center Manager (Ops) Ricky CHEUNG Arthur CHOI Becky LEUNG Assistant Call Center Manager (Ops) Ricky CHEUNG Arthur CHOI Becky LEUNG Terry YIM Mgr (System Support) Terry YIM Mgr (System Support) Call Center Supervisors Admin. Assistant Technical Support Officers Admin. Assistant Training & QA Officer Venus YAU Prudence SZE Training & QA Officer Venus YAU Prudence SZE Senior Call Center Agents / Call Center Agent Ming PANG Senior Call Center Mgr (Ops) Ming PANG Senior Call Center Mgr (Ops) Business Process Re- engineering Team Assistant Call Center Manager (Adm) Wickie LAM Patrick PI Assistant Call Center Manager (Adm) Wickie LAM Patrick PI Organization Chart

Recruitment criteria tightly tied to job requirement, e.g. for agents Qualification: F5 standard with pass in English & Chinese Experience: Minimum 1 year customer service or call center experience Skills: Typing skills Personal competency: customer service and communication skills New recruits will go through an intensive assessment on the followings during the training period before qualified to handle call Customer Service skills System & computer skills Department knowledge and procedures 1823 CEL standard QA officer will closely monitor the performance of new recruits on a daily basis for one month before handling over the staff to operation division People - Recruitment

Induction Training for New Recruits NatureContentCourse Duration Orientation1 Day Soft Skill TrainingEffective Customer Service Training2 Days Team Building & Effective Communication1 Day Quality Assurance0.5 Day System TrainingUse of Telephony System0.5 Day Siebel Operation and Procedures4 Days Departmental Knowledge Training4 Days Field Practice & Assessment5 Days People - Training

Other Training e.g. EQ Course, how to handle difficult customers, first aid training Training on new system features Customer service focus Group Refresher training on updated departmental knowledge About 4 months to complete multi skill training Training for departmental knowledge for new recruits (1.5 to 3 days per department) 18Induction training for new recruits Personal Competency Departmental Knowledge System Skills Customer Service Skills DaysTraining 0.5 1 0.5 0.5 1

Motivation Scheme Smart Agent of the Month Smart Agent of the Year Smart Team of the Month Best Coach of the Year Call of the Month Award: Gift (e.g. hotel buffer coupon) Certificate Higher priority for Training or Visiting People Motivation

Weekly operation and QA meetings with supervisors to review agent performance Monthly team meeting amongst supervisors and agents to build team spirit and enhance peer learning Tea meeting with agents to enhance communication in an informal manner Bi-monthly lunch gathering with all staff to build up morale and to present awards Annual retreat day for all staff to cultivate call centre culture and align vision Annual Staff Satisfaction Survey to collect staff feedback People - Communication

Help staff set up a Recreation Group ( ) With the support of management, the Group itself organizes Staff opinion poll Visit to client departments Bi-monthly tea gathering and birthday party Recreation activities such as outings Competitions Support

Management Process Performance Management Quality Assurance Recruitment & Training Resources Management System and Procedure Enhancement Customer Handling Process Knowledge Base Updating Procedure and Standard Script Siebel Operation Process

Assess individual staff performance based on a set of measurable Key Performance Indicators in the areas of Service, Quality and Productivity to Drive performance of individual staff and self-motivation for improvement Provide clear guidelines for performance assessment and contract renewal Provide a basis for the incentive scheme Process Performance Management

Incentive Scheme Each of the staff is assigned personal performance targets Achievement of targets by staff will affect their entitlement to contract-end gratuity additional annual leave

Process Performance Management

Average Performance Score % of Gratuity Payment Extra Annual Leave Day 90-100100%1 Day 80-8990%1 Day 70-7980%0.5 Day 60-6970%0.5 Day 50-5960%Nil Below 500%Nil Process Performance Management

Process Quality Assurance Regular call monitoring Management Information Report Complaint from caller/department Supervisor / Manager observation Call evaluation and calibration Identify and prioritize areas for improvement Agent coaching Refresher training Knowledge base update Procedure review System enhancement

100% calls recorded by voice logger system Supervisors carried out call monitoring and complete evaluation form in system Each supervisor evaluates a minimum of 100 calls/emails per month Call evaluation emphasizes on accuracy of information given Carry out coaching and arrange training if required QA officer carried out calibration for evaluation by supervisor to align standard Process - Call Monitoring

Scoring Accuracy of Information 50% Call Handling Procedures 10% Customer Service Skill 15% Use of Siebel 15% Knowledge Base 10% Frequency 1-2% calls were monitored Supervisors submit weekly report Process - Call Monitoring

Ad-hoc Updating From departments From callers From ICC Update information to Knowledge Base Annual Review Initiated by ICC Ensure information accurate Ensure information accurate Change KB structure to facilitate call handling Change KB structure to facilitate call handling Process KB Update

Technology Architecture

Voice Telephone System (Avaya) Interactive Voice Response System (Apex) Computer Telephony Integration (Avaya, Q-Phone) Voice, Screen Logger (Nice) Data Email System (Microsoft Exchange) Fax System (Faxgate) Web Site (Microsoft IIS) Application Work Force Management System (IEX Totalview ) Customer Relationship Management System (Siebel) Customer Satisfaction Survey System (Apex) Analytics Call Management System (Avaya) Performance Management System (Custom-made) Others Backup Server (Veritas) Antivirus (Symantec) Technology Solution

Siebel 2000 (Service) is applied as the CRM Solution. Enquires and complaints are handled via different channels, telephone call, email, fax and e-form. Enquires are handled by agents consulting the Knowledgebase with Keywords and Subject matter. Complaints are logged based on the specific questions of the selected Subject Matter. Complaints are referred to action parties according to the assignment guidelines via e-mail/ fax or phone call for urgent cases. Reminder and escalation for non-action will be sent to action parties based on the Service Level Agreement. Cases are retrieved by caller contact telephone number, email address, case reference etc. Case status enquires from different channels can be handled Cross department cases can be handled CRM Solution

2 levels of contingency plan Disaster Recovery (Fire, Bomb Threat, ACD, CRM server, Telephone network, electricity supply, air conditioning) Business Continuity (IVRS, Email system, Fax system, CTI) In case of Disaster, operation floor will be vacated. Call flow of Disaster will be activated to inform the disaster and caller may leave voice mail if necessary and server (except ACD and voice mail) will be shut down. Setting up a backup site. Contingency

SystemTriggerImpactRecovery Action FireFire AlarmVacate floorDisaster announcement. Bomb ThreatReported bomb threatVacate floorDisaster announcement. Telephone Network Monitored by Technical Support; No incoming call No incoming callDisaster announcement. ACDMonitored by Technical Support; No calls to agent No calls to agent Disaster announcement. CRM ServerMonitored by Technical Support No access to knowledge and case logging Complaint logged on standard form and jot Enquiry cannot be handled and call back caller when system recovered Electricity Supply Alarm in Server roomNo power supply UPS step by automatically to support server and workstation. After 1 hr vacate the operation floor and change call flow to disaster announcement Air conditionerStaff in operation floorHot and poor air circulation Open window After 1 hr vacate the operation floor and change call flow to disaster announcement Disaster Recovery Plan

SystemTriggerImpactRecovery Action IVRSMonitored by Technical Support Calls cannot be routed to agents Change call flow to route direct to agents Email ServerMonitored by Technical Support No incoming and outgoing email Outgoing email by internet mail instead of email server Fax ServerMonitored by Technical Support No incoming and outgoing fax Print the fax and send it out by fax machine CTI ServerMonitored by Technical Support No screen pop up Agent change to another CTI client Greet caller by standard 1823 greetings Business Continuity Plan

DepartmentScheduleAdditional calls per annum Rating & Valuation Department account and billing enquiry March 2004210,000 Labour DepartmentJune 2004600,000 Companies RegistryDecember 2004110,000 Hongkong Post - Calls diverted from branch offices September 04 to March 05 100,000 Future Plan External Customer

To cope with expansion Rented 16 positions from the private sector Setting up a second call centre with 50 positions To build another training room to free up existing training positions for call handling Future Plan External Customer

To introduce a Web-based Case Management System to enhance co-operation between ICC and departments Departmental officers can retrieve details of their cases through the internet Departmental officers can update the case progress and provide interim/ final reply through the internet The system enhance the transparency of case handling by 1823 CEL and departmental officer Future Plan Internal Customer To conduct Internal Customer Satisfaction Survey

Introduced a computerized Performance Management System For staff to keep track of their own performance and award of incentives As a data warehouse to consolidate performance statistics for management planning Future Plan - Staff

How "1823 Citizen's Easy Link" Has Improved the Enquiry Service to Citizens of Hong Kong HK Tang, Chief Executive Officer Efficiency Unit, HKSAR Government.

Documents

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