Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101 on Universal Credit: Telephone Services, if she will publish the (a) supportive lines and (b) agent led processes used by universal credit call centre staff, in addition to the Digital Channel Product.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Universal Credit is tailored to the individual needs of the claimant and the Department has chosen not to develop scripts or supportive lines for call handlers over and above the Digital Channel product.
Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff. It is therefore not possible to split them out into individual processes for sharing purposes.
Call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101, if she will publish the agent led processes and supportive lines available to universal credit helpline staff to assist claimants.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff.
The “Digital Channel Product” is a guide which has been developed for Service Centre staff to use during telephone calls, to encourage claimants to check and use their online account as an alternative method of contacting the Department. The product gives staff some suggested ways to introduce a discussion regarding the online digital service with claimants.
In addition to this product, call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are targets for the amount of time call centre staff spend on the phone to universal credit (a) applicants and (b) service users; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Sharma
There are no targets for time spent on the telephone to applicants or service users. Call durations vary dependant on the needs of the caller, and team leaders are encouraged to observe interactions to assure call quality.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the scripts that Universal Credit call centre workers use to answer calls from service users or applicants.
Answered by Lord Sharma
There are no scripts currently in use in Universal Credit for call handlers, the service does however guide colleagues through certain agent led processes to ensure correct steps are taken when appropriate. In addition there are supportive lines available to agents to assist claimants with being able to self-serve where this is appropriate.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data is collected by her Department on the experience of claimants using universal credit helplines.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Department conducts a regular independent customer survey for all main benefits, composed of around 15,000 telephone interviews per year. During 2018/19 around 4,500 Universal Credit claimants will be interviewed and questions will cover the whole of the customer experience, including telephone contact. In future we will conduct Universal Credit specific surveys. The Department uses standard call recording technology, the data is used to assess the quality of service our staff provide.