SAYNOTO0870.COM - Surrey County Council

Keith Senior Member Offline Posts: 378 Surrey Gender:	Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault Reply #45 - May 1^st, 2008 at 1:31pm Haing said that I do agree with jgxenite's comment about the positioning of the number.
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Dave

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #46 - Oct 11^th, 2008 at 6:42pm

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Q...

Quote:

Question Time - Additional Questions and Answers

The Question Time event on 18 September raised many issues and it was fantastic to have such active participants.

Any outstanding questions which we unfortunately did not have time to answer during the event are listed here along with their answers.

[…]

Q: Why does Surrey County Council use an answer phone 0845 number for accessing its services? Contrary to the recommend actions of David Varnby to switch to normal rate numbers.

A: The council has been working to introduce a new 0345 number to replace the 0845 number. This new number will be included in all phone provider call packages. This number is set to be launched at the beginning of December. Surrey County Council will also introduce 0300 numbers, to run alongside the central 0345 number, which will be used to connect residents to particular services such as the library.

Changing this number and raising awareness has, and will, take some time. Surrey County Council plans to launch an awareness raising campaign to support the number change within the next few months.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #47 - Nov 3^rd, 2008 at 2:39am

Dave wrote on Oct 11^th, 2008 at 6:42pm:

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Q...

Quote:

Question Time - Additional Questions and Answers

The Question Time event on 18 September raised many issues and it was fantastic to have such active participants.

Any outstanding questions which we unfortunately did not have time to answer during the event are listed here along with their answers.

[…]

Q: Why does Surrey County Council use an answer phone 0845 number for accessing its services? Contrary to the recommend actions of David Varnby to switch to normal rate numbers.

A: The council has been working to introduce a new 0345 number to replace the 0845 number. This new number will be included in all phone provider call packages. This number is set to be launched at the beginning of December. Surrey County Council will also introduce 0300 numbers, to run alongside the central 0345 number, which will be used to connect residents to particular services such as the library.

Changing this number and raising awareness has, and will, take some time. Surrey County Council plans to launch an awareness raising campaign to support the number change within the next few months.

And guess who was amongst the attendees at the Question Time on September 18th and was forced to put down that question in writing because Surrey CC decided to make a session originally billed as Question Time on Council Tax in to only a Question and Answer session on Adult Social Care. Wink

I did manage to get a verbal question in at the very end of the evening asking how come when they had placards behind the panel on the stage also showing Surrey's roads and schools that they were now only taking questions on Adult Social Care and was it because the New Labour government had told them they must consult the public on Adult Social Care (which less than 1% of the population consume but takes up about 80% of the net budget directly funded by Surrey CC Council Tax payers) and not on other things. The questionmaster (the newsreader Nicholas Owen) allowed my question but I then got some fob off answer from the Council Leader suggesting their might be questions on other issues at some point in the future.

I didn't dare ask the 0845 question at the meeting as it had specifically been ruled out of order as not relevant for response on the night in advance of the meeting.

Interestingly one of the adult social care lobbyists came over and congratulated me afterwards on giving Surrey CC such a hard time on not properly consulting on all the other matters as he fully agreed these were even more important to the vast majority of council tax payers in the County than Adult Social Care.

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Dave

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #48 - Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 8:52pm

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2039777_county_hall_drops_0845_calls_for_cheap...

County Hall drops 0845 calls for cheaper alternative
By Richard Pain
21/11/2008

SURREY County Council is introducing a new 0345 contact number to try to make it cheaper for people to get in touch with the local authority.

It said it was making the change from 0845 after confused residents raised concerns about the cost of calling County Hall.

Surrey adopted the existing code five years ago when most public sector bodies switched to central call centres.

The cost of calling an 08 prefix remains at the local rate of about 4p a minute from a BT landline.

But most network providers do not include calls to 0845 codes in their inclusive packages, while it can cost up to 40p a minute to dial these numbers from a mobile phone.

In future, calls to the new 0345 prefix will cost no more than dialling 01 or 02 codes.

The new number, 03456 009009, goes live on December 1.

[…]

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Dave

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #49 - Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 9:13pm

Source: Surrey County Council

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/SCCWSPages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/R...

Ring the changes

Published: 01/12/2008

Surrey County Council has a new general enquiries phone number. The new number is 03456 009 009.

Seven other 0300 numbers have also been introduced. These numbers will allow residents, who know which service they need, to call directly, bypassing the numbered options on the main 03456 009 009 number.

The changes have been made to help save residents money, take away the confusion around call costs and answer those residents who have expressed concern over the cost of calling us.

Calls to an 03 number from any network will cost no more than those to 01 or 02 numbers. 03 numbers are also included in most call packages.

The old 08456 009 009 number will not be switched off for up to five years. This means that Surrey County Council will not be incurring any additional expense by introducing the new number. Most material will be updated with the new number only when it would normally be refreshed or replaced.

Start using the new number today.

The direct numbers are:

* Libraries - 0300 200 1001
* Registration - 0300 200 1002
* Roads and transport - 0300 200 1003
* Schools - 0300 200 1004
* Adult social care - 0300 200 1005
* Children social care - 0300 200 1006
* Jobs - 0300 200 1007

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jrawle

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #50 - Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 9:42pm

Dave wrote on Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 9:13pm:

Calls to an 03 number from any network will cost no more than those to 01 or 02 numbers. 03 numbers are also included in most call packages.

Shouldn't that be all call packages? Although I suppose to be doubly pedantic it is correct, as some packages don't include geographical calls.

Dave wrote on Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 9:13pm:

The old 08456 009 009 number will not be switched off for up to five years. This means that Surrey County Council will not be incurring any additional expense by introducing the new number. Most material will be updated with the new number only when it would normally be refreshed or replaced.

Does this also include the costs of running the number? While I know they are referring to letterheads and leaflets, it does imply that the ongoing costs are the same. However, this does show the advantage of allocating an 03xx range to run in parallel with the equivalent 08xx numbers, and why there's little excuse for others not to switch.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault
Reply #51 - Dec 4^th, 2008 at 2:54pm

jrawle wrote on Dec 2^nd, 2008 at 9:42pm:

Does this also include the costs of running the number? While I know they are referring to letterheads and leaflets, it does imply that the ongoing costs are the same. However, this does show the advantage of allocating an 03xx range to run in parallel with the equivalent 08xx numbers, and why there's little excuse for others not to switch.

Simon Pollock (aka Simon_From_Surrey), Surrey County Council's Head of Customer Services, is now giving active consideration to my suggestion that all calls to the 0845 number should be met with an instruction to redial on the 0345 number and/or at least be met by an introductory message before the main call centre IVR menu system telling callers that they can in future call the 0345 number as this will be cheaper if they have inclusive call packages or are calling from a Payphone etc, etc. This ought to make the changeover process much faster given the various old leaflets and signs on vans etc that may not be updated for quite some time.

He has already changed the website to make the alternative +44 20 number more visible because of problems with people like www.18185.co.uk still not connecting calls from their customers to 03 numbers and/or probably more widespread problems calling the 03 number from overseas at the present time. He has also changed the format of the alternate 020 number to show as +44 20 8 and not the incorrect +44 208 that was previously shown. He justifies showing it as an International number on the basis that in the main only offshore callers should need to use it and also that the sound quality on the +44 208 number is inferior due to what he calls "tromboning" on whatever voip system that number then connects to the main 03 call centre through.

Surrey County Council has also introduced a range of direct dial 03 prefixed numbers to various individual departments and services alongside the new main 03 number as they seem to have belatedly accepted that having only a single 0845 phone number for all calls and then hideous levels of IVR menus to get to the service you actually wanted to reach in the first place is not what most members of the public actually want.

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« Last Edit: Dec 4^th, 2008 at 2:58pm by NGMsGhost »

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SilentCallsVictim Supreme Member Offline aka NHS.Patient, DH_fairtelecoms Posts: 2,494	Re: Surrey County Council - It's the telcos' fault Reply #52 - Dec 4^th, 2008 at 4:12pm NGMsGhost wrote on Dec 4^th, 2008 at 2:54pm: Simon Pollock (aka Simon_From_Surrey), Surrey County Council's Head of Customer Services, is now giving active consideration to my suggestion ... Good points; well done both.
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NGMsGhost

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Finarea Now Connecting to 0345 At 01/02 Rates
Reply #53 - Dec 14^th, 2008 at 2:28pm

I just thought I would mention that following my emails 10 days or so ago to Ian Livingston, CEO of BT and Igor Tracchea, Commercial Manager at Finarea, that 18185 are now connecting calls to 03 prefixed phone numbers normally and are charging them at their standard 5p flat rate also charged for all calls (no matter how long in duration) to numbers starting 01 and 02
Smiley

More detailed information on this can be read in my post in the thread discussing call charges to 03 numbers at:-

www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1198929632/78

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« Last Edit: Dec 14^th, 2008 at 2:30pm by NGMsGhost »

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Surrey County Council's Outstanding 03 Success
Reply #54 - Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:00pm

I have recently been in touch with Simon_From_Surrey to see if he could provide any further thoughts or assistance on how best to further progress lobbying of Surrey Police, who still seem to be firmly wedded to their single 0845 contact centre number (whilst they did disclose the 01483 number already known to this website in response to an FOI from the owner of www.crimestoppers.org.uk they still absolutely refuse to list it at all on their own website or in any of their publications - not even as a number for callers to use from overseas).

Anyway in chatting with Simon he did provide me with some very interesting figures that show that Surrey CC's new 0300 and 0345 numbers have been an overwhelming runaway success with the public and that from a standing start on 3rd November last year that the 03 numbers are now used by the public for 86% of the around 10,000 calls per week to Surrey County Council's various different contact lines (including their main Contact Centre number of 0345 6009009) at the latest available date.

The level of takeup seems to have exceeded even Simon's most optimistic expectations, given that existing stationery was not immediately changed and that things such as BT phonebooks, some council vans and quite a few information leaflets still show the old 0845 number. Given the very rapid speed of change from 0845 to 03 number use Simon did seem to feel that most of Surrey CC's callers quite clearly did understand the benefits of calling an 0345/0300 number rather than 0845. He also says he has been approached by quite a few other County Councils still using 0845 numbers about the experience of changing over, including I suppose how they went about renegotiating the financial details with their current telecoms supplier.

The level of PR spend above what is normally spent on leaflets etc by the council to publicise the new 03 numbers has apparently been zero (changing numbers on the website and so on were a one off and done by regular council IT staff), the total extra telecoms running cost per annum compared to the 0845 number is apparently £11,000 or more meaningfully just one pence per resident per annum and the reduction in complaints received about the County Council's choice of phone numbers has apparently been 100%. Smiley

In the first main week of use (1st December 2008) the 03 numbers went from a standing start to accounting for 45% of all calls, and by 11th May 2009 this had risen to 72% and by 14th September 2009 the 03 numbers were being used for 86% of calls. And all of this is even without all council leaflets and phone books and other printed professional directories yet being updated with the new phone number. Smiley

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« Last Edit: Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:03pm by NGMsGhost »

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Re: Surrey County Council's Outstanding 03 Success
Reply #55 - Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:31pm

NGMsGhost wrote on Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:00pm:

Anyway in chatting with Simon he did provide me with some very interesting figures that show that Surrey CC's new 0300 and 0345 numbers have been an overwhelming runaway success with the public and that from a standing start on 3rd November last year that the 03 numbers are now used by the public for 86% of the around 10,000 calls per week to Surrey County Council's various different contact lines (including their main Contact Centre number of 0345 6009009) at the latest available date.

Having started this thread a year and a half ago in a critical mode, I am delighted to hear of Surrey County Council's success.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: Surrey County Council's Outstanding 03 Success
Reply #56 - Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:44pm

Dave wrote on Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:31pm:

Having started this thread a year and a half ago in a critical mode, I am delighted to hear of Surrey County Council's success.

Well I have to give credit where credit is due and Simon seems to have done an outstanding job in finally delivering efficiently and successfully on the hollow promises of his various predecessors in this role at Surrey County Council.

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« Last Edit: Sep 26^th, 2009 at 6:45pm by NGMsGhost »

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Re: Surrey County Council
Reply #57 - Dec 1^st, 2009 at 2:44pm

Hi everyone,

It's one year to the day since Surrey County Council moved from 0845 to 0345 and 0300 and I thought you would like an update.

Last week the percentage of calls going through the 03 numbers was 91%

We have not spent any additional money on promoting the new numbers, we have merely changed the website, directory enquiries and as items have "come up for reprint" we've updated the phone number.

The new numbers can be found all over the county, from road signs to van liveries, from leaflets to billboard posters.

We have posted the story on our website today

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/R...

and, that's pretty much that, a big success at virtually no cost

Many thanks for all who have posted on this forum for your support and suggestions

Have a great Christmas

Simon Pollock
Head of Customer Services
Surrey County Council

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Keith Senior Member Offline Posts: 378 Surrey Gender:	Re: Surrey County Council Reply #58 - Dec 1^st, 2009 at 8:16pm Happy Christmas to you as well Simon. It was satisfying to know that when an issue was raised it was acted upon. Shame other organisations don't follow your lead. You make an excellent reference as an organisation that when you get it wrong and it is pointed out, you puts it right and don't try and make excuses. Well done.
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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Surrey County Council Reply #59 - Dec 7^th, 2009 at 11:10pm Well done to Simon and his colleagues. Story from Surrey Comet, published today: Surrey County Council contact centre scoops customer service award http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/4781234.Surrey_County_Council_contact_centre_s...
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