Call handling must go ‘beyond the call’

The latest thematic report focusing on the contribution of police contact centres to delivering effective incident management has been published and highlights the importance of incident grading, proportionate response, clear resolution and capturing meaningful customer feedback.

The Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) report entitled Beyond the Call, presents the second phase of inspection and follows the November 2005 thematic report First Contact.

It was found that an application of clear criteria for grading of response greatly assists in establishing customer expectations, and helps to ensure the appropriate and proportionate response.

However, the report says “despite commitment from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to implement the grading criteria set out in the National Call Handling Standards (NCHS), almost half of forces have yet to make these criteria the sole method of grading incidents”.

Findings related to customer feedback reveal that some customer surveys to assess satisfaction with response and resolution of their contacts, consistently reflect that action following non-emergency calls often leaves callers’ expectations unfulfilled.

Central to achieving the correct operating culture is the effectiveness of front-line supervisors, both in directing resources and in making sure that staff availability is notified to controllers, says the report.

“A key factor is the effectiveness of joint working between control and response staff. Any conflict or disconnect between these functions directly affects service consistency and quality.

“It is important that senior managers for the two disciplines overtly share accountability for the full range of service delivery and that this is reflected in the application of National Intelligence Model processes and in personal development reviews.”

It adds that to achieve corporate cohesion in service delivery, it is important that each force adopts a single corporate approach to incident management.

“In some forces, there is a ‘mix and match’ approach between different command units and this can create confusion and inefficiency.”

The report emphasises that “ACPO has a key role to play in setting visionary goals that will nurture the development of a shared national approach to service delivery, and contact management should be considered as part of this approach.”

Training is seen as a vital element in developing contact centre staff. Training needs to include “gathering accurate intelligence at the outset, making the right decisions on incident grading and either resolving incidents there and then or deploying resources to incidents”, says the report.

It was concluded that a general lack of formal professional qualifications in the dispatch or control function is problematic but it is “encouraging” that individual forces are developing their own training modules, some of which have been formally accredited.

The report concludes: “The Service should grasp this opportunity to transform police contact management, based on the considerable good practice highlighted in forces across the country. If it fails to rise to this challenge, recommendations from the recent HM Treasury report will enforce changes that could challenge the unique relationships between locally based police and their public.”

Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said: “For too long, contact centres and their staff have been regarded as an adjunct to operational policing rather than a core element of service delivery. To move the service forward, it is important that chief officers and senior managers recognise and support the valuable contribution of contact centre staff in achieving high-quality operational service delivery.”