http://www.hertsdirect.org/yrccouncil/civic_calendar/archive/...7/081113%2007%20Item%206%20Cust%20Care.doc

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HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

POLICY AND RESOURCES CABINET PANEL
THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2008 AT 2.00PM


CUSTOMER CARE STANDARDS UPDATE

Report of the Director, Corporate Communications

4.5.5      The group is aware of the National Numbering Strategy and the government’s intention to have a 0300 range of numbers exclusively for the public sector. The National Numbering Strategy encourages public sector organisations, including local authorities, to consider adopting 0300 numbers.

4.5.6      Intentionally positioned next to 01 and 02 numbers, the aim is to build trust that, by calling a 0300 number, callers always pay a local call rate and can be assured that the organisation they are calling isn’t engaged in “revenue share”.

4.5.7      Implementing the 0300 number - In preparation for a single number, we have already introduced (in June 2008) a simple mechanism on the CSC General Enquiry number offering callers two choices – by pressing 1, callers access social services or education and by pressing 2, any of the council’s other services.

4.5.8      We are able to replace that local direct dial number with a 0300 number from BT who can provide a memorable “golden” number.

4.5.9      We may then start advertising/promoting only the single 0300 number in all new publications/directories/stationery etc. so that, over time, the call traffic gradually migrates to the single number. We will monitor use of the service specific numbers and if appropriate we can divert them all to a single queue without incurring further cost.

4.5.10      A plan is being prepared setting out timescales for introducing, publishing and promoting the new number.

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Further information on this meeting is available here.

... the aim is to build trust that, by calling a 0300 number, callers always pay a local call rate



Is it just me?  Or am I now too old to understand?

I'm going for a long lie down  :(

Please be assured that, even in your prone position, it is not you.
In the UK we have a standard call rate, whatever the gepgraphic destination, and this is, with many operators, part of the prepaid (NEVER free) bundle. This applies whether 01, 02X or 03X (vain hope for a uniform and sensible layout).

People search for simple language.

I repeat my comment that a suitable simple term to describe this rate as charged and as used to define which calls are included in pre-paid packages is urgently sought.

Source: Hertfordshire County Council

http://www.hertsdirect.org/yrccouncil/civic_calendar/archive/Review%20and%20Recommendations%20Topic%20Group/081219%20%20Minutes.doc

MINUTES of the meeting of the REVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS TOPIC GROUP held on Friday 19 December 2008 at 10.30am

5.2 The Group AGREED that the following recommendations still had actions outstanding and asked for a progress report at a later date:

[…]

Telephone number contacts
      it was noted that the cost implications of converting to one number were quite considerable, and that the outcome of the 0300 Government consultation was needed before any decision could be made.

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Although the main contact page shows geographical numbers, this page gives 0300 123 4040.

Despite the very promising move that the Council made to move to 0300 numbers, Hertfordshire Education Supply Service uses a 0844 number.

In a recent newsletter it makes the following claim:

http://www.thegrid.org.uk/schoolworkforce/teachers/supply/documents/SupplyNewsletterNo2_Aug09.pdf


Quote:

0844 number. The 0844 number which we use is NOT a premium number. It is a low-call number and, after the 0800 free-phone number, it is one of the cheapest ways to phone.

Dave wrote on Nov 4^th, 2009 at 10:06pm:

Quote: 0844 number. The 0844 number which we use is NOT a premium number. It is a low-call number and, after the 0800 free-phone number, it is one of the cheapest ways to phone.

0844 880 2577 is a call type "g6" number. Before those numbers classified as being used for Premium Rate Services, these are the most expensive possible numbers to call - the cheapest type of number to use.

This is not however a public service number, it is used by schools and supply teachers, not those whom Hertfordshire County Council serves.

But, SCV, your final paragraph misses a point - the money used by schools to call these numbers will come out of the school budget and is thus money which is not available to spend on pupils & their education.  This is a point I made a long time ago that if one local authority is using ngns, other LAs will need to call it so it is still council tax payers, albeit those from another area, whose money is being wasted by paying revenue to the receiving LA (hope that is clear).   This becomes more of an issue as LAs enter into more partnerships with other LAs to "cut costs" & hence there will, of necessity, be more telephone contact between LAs.

The point I made was with reference to the topic, which is about the 0300 policy of Hertfordshire County Council. It may be that this is not actually being breached in this case.

There are several further points I could have made:

Revenue sharing numbers represent one simple way in which one public body looking to save money can impose charges on another that uses its services. The questionable efficiency of this means of funding transfer is something for which those on both sides are accountable. It is perhaps unlikely that the sums involved would be sufficient to warrant serious investigation.

I regret that my knowledge of typical business telephone tariffs and bundles is not sufficient to have any impression of the scale of the impact on business callers to 0844 numbers. We must remember that in business the cost of any telephone call is relatively tiny when set against that of the person making it. A highly efficient business call to an expensive number is very much cheaper than an unnecessarily lengthy call to a free number. For that reason I focus my campaigning energies exclusively on the cost of residential calls.

Charging those working as supply teachers for access to what amounts to an agency service through their telephone bill is a questionable practice. The hopeless misunderstanding about the cost of calling this number would undoubtedly mean that this charge is not declared as part of the T&C's. Any user would therefore have valid grounds for a potential complaint. This would however have to be set in the context of the value of the call to them as a means of earning.

Another important point is that supply teachers often have to phone from a mobile, so this costs a lot more.

Have just discovered this page - hat tip to HCC for moving over to 0300 numbers http://www.hertsdirect.org/contact/
Has your council done the same?

Numbers listed include:-
General enquiries      Minicom (Textphone) users     Archives and Local Studies     Children, Schools and Families      
Disability Information     Education benefits (inc free school meals)     Environment and Roads           Fire Safety enquiries      
Health and Community Services (inc adult social care and disability)     Libraries            Passenger Transport (inc concessionary fares)      
Registration Service           Trading Standards      WasteAware