111 contact centre
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Posted Thu 12 April 2007 @ 3:33 p.m. by Sarah Putt
The $40 million spent recently on improving the police’s emergency contact centre operation certainly didn’t go on the décor, that’s if the Northern comms centre is any indication. Located in a nondescript building in central Auckland, hot desking is essential when there isn’t enough space for agents to have permanent work stations.
I visited the centre recently and spoke to acting team leader Terry Mar, who says he’s looking forward to a promised renovation in July and he’s even heard a rumour that Karen Walker might design it. But before politicians cry out that taxpayers money is being wasted on frills, the fact that the centre achieved a service level exceeding world standards last year (see previous Mouthpiece post) suggests they might, if nothing else, need the extra room to accommodate the increase in staff.
Despite the cramped surroundings Mar says that working in the emergency centre is among the most interesting work you can have in a contact centre. And with a starting salary of $40,000, possibly one of the most well paid.
There is a mix of sworn and non sworn staff on duty. Non sworn agents start as call takers, and after a couple of years usually progress to the dispatcher role.
Mar and his colleagues estimate about 60 per cent of calls on the 111 line are ‘bona fide’ emergencies. However they would never discourage people calling the line. While we spoke he answered two calls that came through the ‘deaf line’ – a special 0800 number that enables those who suffer hearing loss to type out their complaint. Mar says he’s worked at the centre for five years and answers this dedicated line about five times ever shift, yet not once has a deaf person ever called – its always a wrong number.
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