Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Departmental Staff
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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866. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to details how much training is provided to Departmental staff answering phone calls from the public; what that training consists of; if they are trained in means-testing and how different payments interact; the amount of time that elapses between the beginning of training and those staff members receiving calls from the public; the measures in place to monitor the accuracy and factual correctness of information provided to the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46850/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department's Customer Charter 2023-2026 outlines the level of service customers can expect when interacting with the Department. It includes commitments to providing clear, accurate, and comprehensive information, ensuring courteous and respectful engagement. Additionally, it sets out measures to improve quality customer service through a Customer Action Plan. To fulfil these commitments, the Department is very active in the delivery of learning, training, and development to frontline staff.
The training provided to staff encompasses a comprehensive programme, typically lasting several weeks, with the aim of developing and supporting staff to handle telephone enquiries effectively, professionally and accurately. It comprises a combination of classroom-based training sessions, e-learning modules and supervised practical experience. This programme includes an overview of the key services provided by the Department, data protection responsibilities, scheme-specific legislative and operational guidelines including means testing where applicable, along with a comprehensive overview of the IT and information systems utilised.
To develop their customer services skills, staff undertake a frontline customer service course provided by the Department’s Learning and Development Unit. In addition, staff also undertake a telecommunications skills course covering call handling and use of the telecommunication systems and equipment. Detailed reference, training and support documentation is also provided to staff and regularly updated.
The duration of training varies across the Department and is dependent on the levels of previous experience and the complexities of the schemes they will be dealing with. More than 100 schemes are administered by the Department, ranging from means-tested and income-tested payments to universal and contribution-based payments. Following training, staff are supervised as they transition to handling calls independently and receive ongoing support and mentoring thereafter. Monitoring of call volumes and wait times, information provided to customers and staff performance and development is continually reviewed, with ongoing support and training provided. Frontline staff are promptly informed of any scheme or system developments that may impact customer payments, ensuring they can provide the most up-to-date information to customers. While calls to the Department are not recorded, sample call content is monitored and observed for quality and training purposes to improve customer satisfaction and review the information provided.
The Department of Social Protection values customer feedback and has a structured process in place to ensure that all customer comments, compliments, and complaints are addressed effectively. Customers can provide feedback through various channels, including completing the online customer feedback form on the Department's website or emailing the customer service team at Customerservice@welfare.ie. Additionally, the Department also conducts customer satisfaction surveys to measure the levels of customer satisfaction with the department’s contact centre service.
The Department provides alternatives to phone contact channels: our website (www.gov.ie/dsp) provides comprehensive information on all schemes and services and customers also use the MyWelfare.ie portal to apply for services, check the status of their applications, and access a wide range of online services. Additionally, customers may contact the Department email, post, social media and through in-person visits.
These measures are all part of our ongoing commitment to improving the quality of the services the Department provides.
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