Central Beds Council sorry over 'disastrous' delays answering calls amid 'rising demand' for services
A rising demand for services in Central Bedfordshire has led to an apology from the council to callers experiencing a slower response from its switchboard.
Current average waits for residents and service users trying to ring the local authority have shot up from two-and-a-half minutes to four-and-a-half minutes, according to Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen.
Calling for urgent action to strengthen switchboard staffing, he referred to them as “disastrous call wait figures” that were published in a recent Central Bedfordshire Council agenda.
The figures were buried in a report to its corporate resources scrutiny committee earlier this month, he explained. “The paper made no mention of why the performance has suddenly worsened, or of any corrective action to improve matters.”
A CBC spokesman said: “We recognise that call wait times to our contact centre have increased in recent weeks and apologise to residents who have experienced delays.
“We understand how important it is for people to reach us quickly, particularly for urgent matters. Demand for our services has risen, which has contributed to longer waiting times.
“We’re taking action by reviewing staffing levels, improving our call handling technology and targeting resources at peak times to reduce delays. Most of our common services are available online.
“This offers residents a quicker and more convenient way to get things done 24/7, without the need to call. We’re continuing to expand and promote these digital services, so that anyone using them can resolve inquiries quickly and easily.
“At the same time, we’re committed to ensuring that nobody is left behind. We recognise that some residents are unable to access or use digital services, or may need urgent or more complex support.
“Then it’s vital that they can still speak to us directly when needed. We’ll continue to monitor performance closely and take further steps to improve response times, while making it easier for residents to choose the contact method that works best for them.”
Councillor Owen told the local democracy reporting service: “It’s a pity we couldn’t question the executive member responsible for this report, who’d left the meeting before his report was reached.
“There must be many callers to the CBC switchboard who give up in despair at having their call answered,” he warned. “These are our residents and our service users.
“Every one of them is ringing because of an issue that they need to discuss with our officers. Why are we not taking immediate action to improve things, starting with an urgent executive meeting to show they’re in control?” he asked.
Adding that he managed a large BT telephone (operator) exchange in the past, he suggested: “My operators were expected to produce average call wait times of four-and-a-half seconds, day and night 365 days a year, not four-and-a-half minutes. I would lose my job if they didn’t.”