A Model for Continuous Improvement

NCCC wins Call Centre Association Global Standard

As part of the ESB National Customer Contact Centre's continuing drive to achieve operational excellence, the NCC has formally been accredited with the Customer Contact Association's Global Standard for Call Centres.

Achieving the global standard was dependant on the NCCC attaining satisfactory scores following evaluation and measurement of all its day-today procedures and processes while working on behalf of ESB Customer Supply and ESB Networks.

The evaluation particularly focused on the following areas: People, Communictions, Culture, Organisational Efficiency and the Policies & Legislation that affect operations, service performance and working towards achieving the benchmark provided the NCCC with significant benefits, as the global standard offers strong foundations for customer service delivery, supports and facilitates continuous improvement, ensures consistency of management approach and service implementation throughout the business, identifies gaps or weaknesses in process inplementation; is motivational for employees and leads to improved recruitment, retention and staff satisfaction, symbolises a recognised commitment to customers and employees and is compatible with other quality models.

Preparation and planning for the accreditation process began in October 2006 with the appointment of a fulltime project manager, Carmel Geaney, to oversee all the improvements that needed to be implemented to ensure success. Having completed the various stages, a ‘Portfolio of Evidence’ was compiled for inspection by the British Standard Institute Auditors on behalf of the CCA.

A pre-assessment visit was made by BSI to NCCC in April and the auditor's report was very positive, stating, “The centre has produced an abundance of excellent quality evidence to satisfy all relevant clauses of the standard. It is therefore in an excellent position to proceed to full assessment.”

The ‘full assessment’ took place over four days in July and it included an in-depth analysis of all procedures and policies as well as a series of confidential interviews with Team Leaders and Agents, who were randomly selected by the BSI auditors. Following the auditors' report to the Standards Committee of the CCA, ESB’s National Customer Contact Centre was awarded full accreditation status. This is a very significant achievement and one which positions NCCC at the forefront in continuing to deliver quality customer contact solutions.

Formal presentation of this international award was made by CCA Chief Executive, Anne-Marie Forsythe to ESB Customer Supply & Group Services Executive Director, Brid Horan, at a celebratory dinner in Rochestown Park Hotel on Thursday, November 29th.

Speaking at the event Brid Horan said that she wanted to be present not just to accept the award on behalf of the NCCC, but to personally place on record her thanks, on behalf of ESB, to each individual team member for the excellent customer service they were delivering. “You have turned the Customer Contact Centre around from when it was set up just over 10 years ago with five staff handling calls for Cork city," she said. “From there you have taken over the whole country and delivered such a phenomenal service on behalf of ESB Customer Supply and ESB Networks. You are the face and the voice of ESB to our customers countrywide.”

More and more we are becoming a ‘telephone society’, said Brid, who stated that doing business with ESB by telephone is now a pleasure. In relation to service, she said it was now a question of: “What do we want? We want customer service! When do we want it? We want it now!” The ESB Brand is safe in the hands of the staff at the NCCC and the management and Board of ESB are aware of this, she said, “The targets are challenging and tough and we are watching it, but I want to acknowledge, faceto- face, that success. It happens because the staff here come to work every day and deliver that service to our customers.”

The accreditation was the result of a lot of hard work, said Brid, who added, “It takes courage to go for a standard.” She acknowledged that the initial idea by NCCC Manager, Denis Cambridge was a good one. “It took vision and courage by you to bring people forward and to continue to bring best practice and provide best customer service.”

Brid acknowledged the Trojan work done by Project Manager, Carmel Geaney, and she said that the applause on the night by Carmel’s colleagues said it all.

“We know you provide excellent customer service and now you have an award to prove it.”

The Executive Director noted that the week of testing and auditing of internal operations by the accreditation body was tough and that not many centres have achieved the global standard accreditation. “It’s never the end of the road,” she added. “Customer service never stops and the demands of customers, businesses and society will change.”

Brid thanked the Customer Contact Association for its support and the CCA's Chief Executive, Ann Marie Forsythe, in particular for attending the event to formally present the award. Brid Horan concluded by reminding the staff, “The end of your conversation determines how the customer sees us. I urge you to continue the good work you are doing.”