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DWP Central Freedom of Information Team
e-mail: [DWP request email]
Our Ref: VTR 767
9th September 2008
Dear Mr Bradistini
Freedom of Information Request - VTR 767
Thank you for your correspondence of 31 st July requesting information on telephony volumes and call handling for telephone number 0800 032 8350. This is the telephone number for Crisis Loan Direct (CLD) Belle Vale, Liverpool, and Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) which deals with customer applications for Crisis Loan Living expenses.
Belle Vale BDC provides the CLD service to customers within the Merseyside, Wirral, Cheshire, Halton and Warrington areas.
To enable me to respond fully to the issues you raised, I asked the, Belle Vale BDC Manager to provide me with the information you require.
We do not at present have statistically valid telephony management information for this site but we are in the process of rolling out new advanced telephony systems that will enable us to provide more consistent and accurate figures in the future.
I am able however to provide you with information collected locally in response to your questions 1,2,3 and 4 , although I should make it clear that we may not be able to tell the whole picture from this information or assess how it compares to other BDCs nationally.
1. The total number of calls received at telephone number 0800 0328350
On average Belle Vale BDC receives 7996 calls per week to the 0800 0328350. Current telephony does not identify how many of these calls are redials.
2. The number of calls answered by DWP staff at this number
The average number of calls answered each week by the DWP staff is 6133
3. The number of calls not answered by DWP staff at this number
On average 1863 calls to this number are unanswered each week
4. The average time callers wait before speaking to a member of staff
We do not currently hold statistically valid information to respond to this question at the present time
5. The average length of time per call, from initial reception by DWP, until termination
The Crisis Loan Direct section is staffed with Decision Makers who take the application for a Crisis loan for living expenses and make the decision in one telephone call; currently the average length of the call is 21 minutes.
6. The number of call back requests made by callers to this number for whatever periods records exist
We do not currently hold statistically valid information to respond to this question at the present time
I hope this information is helpful.
If you are not satisfied with my handling of your request please tell me why. I will then arrange for an internal review of your request and my actions. The review will be conducted by another officer of a more senior grade to myself who took no part in my original decision. The reviewing officer will advise you of his decision in writing.
If you are still not satisfied after we have looked at your request again, you can then ask the Information Commissioner to look into the way your request has been handled. The Commissioner is an independent officer who is appointed by Her Majesty the Queen and reports directly to Parliament. The Commissioner can see all the papers about your request and decide whether my decision is fair and meets the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Fax: 01625 524 510
Yours sincerely
Central FoI Team