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DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS (Read 151,540 times)
scotitch
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DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm
 
I dont know if this has been posted before but couldnt find anything using the search function.
Today i was working on a jobcentre plus switchboard and recieved a call from one of the members of this site. I would like to point out several points that i failed to make and some i did, firstly this is not an offical statement and comes only from me. Most jobcentres switchboards(not all) are subcontracted out to Haden BML, company name is changing later this month but it is still the same company. Secondly i may have mistakenly given the impression that i could transfer him to the section he required via a landline and not the 0845 number but under policy i was not allowed, what i really meant to say was i could transfer him but it would be through the 0845 number and he would still be charged at 0845 rate. Thirdly a point i never made at all for the reason this policy has come into use is because all the switchboards are going to be transfered to call centres who will not have the facility to make the transfer at all. On a personal note please understand we are a subcontractor and have to abide by DWP policy and their really is nothing we can do when you contact us as our hands have been tied on this, We have also been set a target of moving on any 0845 related calls inside 30 seconds. I know the frustation this causes many people as i am dealing with this regularly and while your member was very curtious many callers are not. My advise is simple and infact i tell callers the same thing  contact your local MP and pester him until something is done as the DWP will only accept either written complaints or you have to call the 0845 number.

Yours
   a very stressed out subcontractor
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SilentCallsVictim
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #1 - Nov 12th, 2008 at 6:51pm
 
scotitch

Thank for very much for your observations.

It is stated that the DWP is always ready to ring back to those who find the cost of calling a 0845 number to be a burden. Can you confirm that this is what you mean when you say that you have a target of "moving on" any 0845 calls within 30 seconds?
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Dave
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #2 - Nov 12th, 2008 at 7:06pm
 
scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
I dont know if this has been posted before but couldnt find anything using the search function.

It's very pertinent that you bring this up as the 0845 numbers for DWP were discussed the other week at the meeting of a parliamentary committee. Many people have reported that those answering geographical numbers cannot or will not put callers through.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Secondly i may have mistakenly given the impression that i could transfer him to the section he required via a landline and not the 0845 number but under policy i was not allowed, what i really meant to say was i could transfer him but it would be through the 0845 number and he would still be charged at 0845 rate.

So what you're saying is that someone can call the geographical number and it will be answered by you. If they call with something you are allowed to deal with on the geographical number, then you will presumably do so.

But, people can call the 0845 number and also be put through to you and you will deal with them on that number when you aren't allowed when they call the geographical number.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Thirdly a point i never made at all for the reason this policy has come into use is because all the switchboards are going to be transfered to call centres who will not have the facility to make the transfer at all.

What's the point in a "switchboard" that doesn't transfer calls? That's the point of them.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
We have also been set a target of moving on any 0845 related calls inside 30 seconds.

That's interesting. So the number of people trying to bypass the 0845 numbers are that large that there must be this "target".
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dan8
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #3 - Nov 12th, 2008 at 9:27pm
 
I tried calling the Social Fund and related grants department today. This is part of the DWP and it was an 0845 number based in Milton Keynes. It took me 7 attempts to get through to speak to an advisor there because the long winded recorded message which played the moment I rang the number kept cutting me off telling me that all the advisers were busy so call again later. But, each time I rang through I had to endure (and pay a premium rate for) the long winded 55 second recorded message telling me that I had reached the Jobcentreplus which was part of the DWP and that this number was only for enquiries related to the Social Fund and would be recorded for legal and other reasons! I had NO OPTION but to listen to this 55 second message every time I rang because it was only at the end of the message that the line either rang and rang before telling me that all advisers were busy and telling me to call back before disconnecting my call or ringing endlessly to wait to speak to one of those 'advisers'. There was no way of telling at any point during the pointless and very long recorded message whether I would be put through to someone or automatically disconnected! So, I spent all afternoon and several pounds before speaking to a human. As I only have a mobile phone and no landline number it ended up costing me £9.80 for the joy of trying to reach the Social Fund helpline. I told the adviser how long I had been trying to get through on the 0845 number and how much every failed attempt had cost me and asked her for a landline, geographical number that I could ring instead. She said it was a new callcentre with only the 0845 number that I had rung to access it. That's just shameful government short-termism without considering the full consequences of their pointless policies.
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Dave
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #4 - Nov 12th, 2008 at 9:47pm
 
dan8 wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 9:27pm:
I tried calling the Social Fund and related grants department today. This is part of the DWP and it was an 0845 number based in Milton Keynes. …

Might I suggest you write to your MP about this?
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SilentCallsVictim
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #5 - Nov 12th, 2008 at 9:57pm
 
DanB

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Can you confirm that there was no offer to call you back?

This point is frequently made, and I am anxious to confirm that it is simply a myth.

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derrick
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #6 - Nov 13th, 2008 at 3:45pm
 
scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Secondly i may have mistakenly given the impression that i could transfer him to the section he required via a landline and not the 0845 number but under policy i was not allowed, what i really meant to say was i could transfer him but it would be through the 0845 number and he would still be charged at 0845 rate.

Yours
   a very stressed out subcontractor



Untrue, you, or anyone that answers a call on an 01/02/03 number, cannot increase the cost of a call simply by transferring to another department, the caller has connected the call at whatever rate they are connected on, and this will not be changed during the course of that call!
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redant
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #7 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 10:19am
 
I note Silent callsvictims comment on the fact that the DWP will always call you back when a client has dialled an 0845 number-not the feedback I have recently received! I attended a meeting with the senior manager from the regional JobCentre Plus who are now tasked with rolling out ESA (employment support allowance).  We were advised that clients have to phone an 0845 number to initiate their claim and when asked how long this would take we were advised it would take 40 minutes. When it was stated that the cost implications were conciderable the reply was the usual "its a local rate call". It was pointed out this did not apply to mobiles, when the cost would be about £8 minimum, and with the length of the call credit or battery could run out.  The reply-use a landline.  The issue was then raised about receiving a call back from the contact centre-we were advised this would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.  I note on the DWP website they give an 0800 number for contact-how long this will last I don't know but it would appear not long based on comments by scotitch.  It would be interesting to know if the offer to ring clients back exists in print and where!  If anyone can point this out would be obliged.
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sherbert
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #8 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 11:10am
 
Remember 0800 numbers cost from a mobile.
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redant
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #9 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 11:22am
 
A very valid point Sherbert, I do note that when I tried the number this is pointed out on the preamble!
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SilentCallsVictim
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #10 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 11:51am
 
redant wrote on Nov 14th, 2008 at 10:19am:
I note Silent callsvictims comment on the fact that the DWP will always call you back .... It would be interesting to know if the offer to ring clients back exists in print and where!  If anyone can point this out would be obliged.  

To be fair I only referred to it having been stated that the DWP would offer to call back.

The reference is found in a posting on the parliamentary update thread.

This information was greeted with some scepticism at the time and was never confirmed.

Caroline Flint has now moved on, being replaced by Tony McNulty.

If I learn any more from continuing engagement with the DWP I will post it here.


On the general points that have been raised, it appears that the DWP agencies are very firmly committed to their telephone systems and the subsidy that is derived from use of 0845 numbers. Those who are lucky enough to be able to break through the system by using alternative numbers in the database, should be grateful to the staff who are perhaps defying their instructions by taking or re-directing calls.

I believe that this will only get resolved by a major political battle that results in extra funding being assigned to replace that earned from the revenue share. Perhaps this could be "lost" in the extra allocations that these agencies are expected to need for a period of recession.

MPs on all sides are already engaged in this fight; they should be encouraged and their numbers swelled.
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #11 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 11:53am
 
redant wrote on Nov 14th, 2008 at 10:19am:
I note Silent callsvictims comment on the fact that the DWP will always call you back when a client has dialled an 0845 number-not the feedback I have recently received! I attended a meeting with the senior manager from the regional JobCentre Plus who are now tasked with rolling out ESA (employment support allowance).  We were advised that clients have to phone an 0845 number to initiate their claim and when asked how long this would take we were advised it would take 40 minutes.

This is totally disgraceful. Anyone claiming such an allowance is the least likely to be able to afford to pay for a call, and least likely to have a landline. They should provide a freephone or geographical number, which are at least reasonable if called from a phonebox. Is there an option of attending an office in person to claim, or does it have to be done over the phone?
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scotitch
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #12 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 5:16pm
 
derrick wrote on Nov 13th, 2008 at 3:45pm:
scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Secondly i may have mistakenly given the impression that i could transfer him to the section he required via a landline and not the 0845 number but under policy i was not allowed, what i really meant to say was i could transfer him but it would be through the 0845 number and he would still be charged at 0845 rate.

Yours
  a very stressed out subcontractor



Untrue, you, or anyone that answers a call on an 01/02/03 number, cannot increase the cost of a call simply by transferring to another department, the caller has connected the call at whatever rate they are connected on, and this will not be changed during the course of that call!


EDIT we do not transfer the call we actually have to dial the 0845 using a prefix of 9 to get an outside line, i dont know if this makes a difference perhaps you could clarify this for me as i dont like passing on wrong information.
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« Last Edit: Nov 14th, 2008 at 5:38pm by scotitch »  
 
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scotitch
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #13 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 5:33pm
 
Dave wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 7:06pm:
scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
I dont know if this has been posted before but couldnt find anything using the search function.

It's very pertinent that you bring this up as the 0845 numbers for DWP were discussed the other week at the meeting of a parliamentary committee. Many people have reported that those answering geographical numbers cannot or will not put callers through.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Secondly i may have mistakenly given the impression that i could transfer him to the section he required via a landline and not the 0845 number but under policy i was not allowed, what i really meant to say was i could transfer him but it would be through the 0845 number and he would still be charged at 0845 rate.

So what you're saying is that someone can call the geographical number and it will be answered by you. If they call with something you are allowed to deal with on the geographical number, then you will presumably do so.

But, people can call the 0845 number and also be put through to you and you will deal with them on that number when you aren't allowed when they call the geographical number.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
Thirdly a point i never made at all for the reason this policy has come into use is because all the switchboards are going to be transfered to call centres who will not have the facility to make the transfer at all.

What's the point in a "switchboard" that doesn't transfer calls? That's the point of them.

scotitch wrote on Nov 12th, 2008 at 5:59pm:
We have also been set a target of moving on any 0845 related calls inside 30 seconds.

That's interesting. So the number of people trying to bypass the 0845 numbers are that large that there must be this "target".



Okay i will answer as best i can, firstly all the switchboards are jobcentre plus so we only transfer calls to jobcentre staff those who work in the Benefit delivery centres are not classed as such.
Secondly the 0845 numbers are completely seperate from the swithboard service and are answered by DWP staff who as far as i know do not transfer calls to us on the switchboard.
Thirdly the thirty second target, I have no knowledge of who wanted this introduced whether it was my company or DWP, but in answer to your question there are a large amount of people who call that have been given the wrong number to call by various departments within the DWP(There seems to either be no communication between departments or the staff just dont bother there backsides ) ie they are given the switchboard number instead of the 0845 number this is the type of call we have to move on within thirty seconds which is a target i do not stick to as your member who called would be-able to verify, i think i spent roughly 10 minutes speaking to him about the subject.

If i have missed anything or you want  more info just ask i wil  try my best to answer although by one of the other replies it seems i am being misinformed as well.
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Dave
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Re: DWP/JOBCENTRE PLUS
Reply #14 - Nov 14th, 2008 at 7:17pm
 
scotitch wrote on Nov 14th, 2008 at 5:16pm:
EDIT we do not transfer the call we actually have to dial the 0845 using a prefix of 9 to get an outside line, i dont know if this makes a difference perhaps you could clarify this for me as i dont like passing on wrong information.

Thanks for clarifying this. Callers will be charged for the geographical number which they dialled. Your office will probably incur charges for calls forwarded to the 0845 numbers, in exactly the same way as it would if you dialled a 0845 number from your office phone.


scotitch wrote on Nov 14th, 2008 at 5:33pm:
Okay i will answer as best i can, firstly all the switchboards are jobcentre plus so we only transfer calls to jobcentre staff those who work in the Benefit delivery centres are not classed as such.
Secondly the 0845 numbers are completely seperate from the swithboard service and are answered by DWP staff who as far as i know do not transfer calls to us on the switchboard.

Ah right. That explains why you can't put calls through as I had assumed that the staff answering the 0845 numbers were in the respective JobCentres.
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