Written answers
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Department of Social Protection
Departmental Staff Data
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
348. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which agency staff have been used in her Department in each of the past five years to date for the purpose of answering and transferring calls on their switchdesk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55440/13]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The Department has used both the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and Eircom for switchboard staff in each of the last five years. The total number of telephone calls managed through the switchdesks operated by these switchboard staff in 2013 was 513,255.
The Department is embarking on a major overhaul of its telephony systems which will extend, as far as is practical, the use of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and other technologies to route calls automatically. The Deputy will appreciate that, in the Social Protection area, it is likely that there will always be groups of customers who will need direct personal intervention to help them reach the appropriate area in the department for assistance.
No comments