News : New Call Centre Could Save Auckland Ratepayers Money

#contactcenterworld, @aklcouncil
Auckland, New Zealand, Aug 14, 2017 -- Auckland Council's new merged call centre has opened, expecting to save ratepayers up to $3.1 million.
Six sites have been moved into one, dubbed the "Centre of Excellence", based at the Manukau Civic Building in south Auckland.
It will see a boost of jobs available for south Aucklanders through The Southern Initiative - a "win-win situation", mayor Phil Goff said.
"By consolidating six centres into one we're saving on property costs, saving on duplication. That's major financial savings for residents and ratepayers in Auckland."
Goff said centralising the call centre will save about $1.4m with total savings of up to $3.1m through an optimisation programme.
2018 Top Ranking Performers Present:

CONTACT CENTER & CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
BEST PRACTICES
BERLIN - ORLANDO - MACAO
FIND OUT MORE!"Bringing people together into one centre means we can create a really good working environment and people can work together as a team and support each other."
Speaking at the centre's opening, Auckland Council transformation director Patricia Reade said the programme had brought about efficiencies in how council operated.
Part of that involved technologies allowing call centre staff in other parts of the city to work from home.
Reade said there are 75 "home agents" - much more than the 30 she had expected.
"We involved our staff and we took them with us. We're keeping experienced staff in other parts of Auckland," she said.
"People say 'we have to be in Orewa, Henderson' . . . [that's] not true and we have proven that. I'm proud of the quality of transition."
Auckland Council's 22 service centres - based around the city - were not impacted in the changes.
"If it's about service centres you can't centralise them, you need that face-to-face contact with the public and they need to be regionally based," Goff said.
Stuff reported in January that staff had been told about the changes before Christmas last year.
Reade said at the time that council had been looking to merge its call centres for some time.
The move to Manukau meant council would save on lease costs, she said.
#contactcenterworld, @aklcouncil
Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz
Related Editorial
- Auckland Council - No Customer Service Centre Closures
- Auckland Council to Merge Call Centres in Manukau, Job Cuts Not Clear
- Auckland Council's Top 10 Crazy Call Centre Queries
- Arlington County Emergency Phone Center Workers Need More Training, Audit Says
- Paying $430,000 for Advice on Centrelink Call Centre ‘Outrageous’
- City Makes Improvements to 911 Response Time, Meets National Standard
More Editorial From Auckland Council
About Auckland Council:We look after over 101,000 hectares of public open spaces, 59 libraries and represent over 1.5 million Aucklanders, from Wellsford in the north to Franklin in the south. We keep the region ticking and are tasked with future proofing Auckland for generations to come.
Published: Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Industry Suppliers | Get Listed |
![]() | TTEC TTEC (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a global customer experience company that designs, builds and operates captivating omnichannel customer experiences on behalf of the world's most innovative brands. Founded in 1... (view more) | |
![]() | Blue Ocean Contact Centers We thrive on delivering critical customer service solutions that go beyond transactional interactions. As such, our goal is to enhance lifetime customer value, providing support that is a reflection o... (view more) | |
![]() | Horizon Contact Centers Horizon is an on demand international Contact Center and (BPO) Company. | |
![]() | Avaya Avaya is a recognized innovator, leading business communications for the digital age. Avaya delivers smart global solutions and technologies for customer and team engagement, unified communications an... (view more) | |
Get Listed |