Handling two million calls per year, the centre, which is classified as small with its 50 seats, was awarded 23rd place alongside companies including Virgin Atlantic, Coca-Cola and Sky. This placement represents a three-point improvement over 2012, and a 20-place improvement over 2011. The team were recognised by the International Customer Management Institute at an awards event in London.
Contact centre manager Blake Wilson said, "The team outperformed even my highest expectations. We have been matched against global brands and have managed to hold our own. This shows the Contact Centre team takes customer services very seriously and is committed to improving the service our callers and visitors receive, matching and outperforming some fantastic companies."
Calls to the centre last on average around 45 seconds, which means each agent takes between 300-400 calls per shift. Patients, relatives and visitors call into the centre every day from all over the world for directions to wards, along with a host of other enquiries.
The contact centre is crucial to the running of the Trust and its near-8000 staff, as it coordinates the bleep devices used by clinicians to alert each other to emergencies. Staff may also call one of the centre’s trained agents to track down a specific clinician or service, so a savvy knowledge of the Trust is essential.
Not every call to the centre is entirely straightforward, and no two are exactly the same, as manager Georgina Smith explains, “Each customer has a different set of expectations; patients are usually anxious and are always treated with kindness as we try and point them in right direction. Likewise with our own colleagues, who might just need guidance in the most efficient way possible. Our agents hold vast amounts of information on the whole hospital and will often use four different systems simultaneously in order to route a call.”
The team is hoping to build on its continued success, with plans to climb even higher in the rankings next year.
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PR & Communications
Cambridge University Hospitals
For further information, please contact Graeme Keeton, communications officer,
Communications Department, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ
Tel: 01223 274 713 Email: graeme.keeton@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
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Addenbrooke’s contact centre named one of UK’s best
4 November 2013
The Addenbrooke’s contact centre, which channels calls from all over the world on everything from parking to appointments, has reconfirmed its top 50 status as one the best in the UK.