Interactive phone system to improve efficiency

The Far North District Council will tomorrow (26 March) introduce a new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system in its Call Centre in a move designed to bring customers in direct contact with the people who can best help with their inquiry.


The IVR system will give telephone callers four single button contact options as follows:-


Press 1 - for resource consent or planning matters
Press 2 -for building consent or building matters
Press 3 -for rates or water billing matters
Press 0 -for anything else or to speak with a Customer Services representative


The intention was to streamline customer inquiries by directing callers to the departments with the appropriate level of expertise needed to respond to their specific inquiry, Contact Centre Manager Stewart Wright said today.


"The council has deliberately confined the IVR system to a single tier which means callers will not be confused by multiple options after their initial option has been selected.

If the call diversion is not answered, the IVR system will automatically refer the caller back to Customer Services for personal attention," he said. 


Mr Wright said it was anticipated the new IVR system would reduce the length of time before callers reached the department of their choice.


The move was one of a range of initiatives being taken to improve the level of customer services. 

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