Message from the Secretary of DPC Tim Reardon


Update to the NSW Public Sector - Customer Service

20 April 2020


To keep you well informed, this week we outline what the Customer Service Cluster is doing to help the community respond to, and ultimately recover from this crisis.

The Customer Service Cluster has just had its first birthday, with little to no fanfare.

And what a year.

They have provided hundreds of thousands of customers and businesses with assistance from drought, flood, bushfires and now the COVID-19 pandemic. That is in addition to their usual day jobs of serving millions of customers for their everyday needs.

They have a culture which places customers at the centre of everything they do, no matter what.

I am sure you access their services as I do, and it is quality every time. They are an absolute credit to the NSW public service.

Just like many others, they have thousands of frontline workers through Service NSW and many other parts of the Cluster.

Because of the pandemic, the Cluster has had to adjust the way they provide services with one aim - to keep the NSW economy moving through a difficult period. Safety first for their people of course, but they have simply found new and more convenient ways of delivery for customers. All credit to them.

They have been providing a massive amount of assistance to those who have been victims of the incredible bushfires over the Spring and Summer. They had to get all of that in place in January and February. In that task alone they have provided relief to thousands of people across the State.

They have then had to very quickly turn their focus to rolling out services responding to the pandemic.

In summary, they have:

  • Established a 24/7 hotline for customers and businesses.
  • Set up a COVID-19 specific website to provide consistent and up to date information on how we can go about our daily lives for the next few months - a single source of truth.
  • Launched an advertising campaign on commercial TV, digital platforms and social media in around 10 days, and appropriately used our frontline talent to tell it like it is - ‘Help Us Save Lives’.
  • Commenced recruiting 1,000 new team members to handle the rapid growth in enquiries and extended Service NSW contact centre hours.
  • Had teams working directly with impacted businesses such as airlines, tourism operators, those in hospitality, and our own cultural institutions, to match workers who have been stood down with appropriate roles in customer service.
  • Advised on NSW Government initiatives available to ease the cost of living and provided an online doorway for the financial support available to businesses and individuals.
  • Had more than 7,600 businesses apply for the $10,000 business grant giving the service a 99.1 per cent thumbs up. These businesses employ more than 26,000 people.
  • Revenue NSW and the Better Regulation team have prepared a fee relief package for businesses - tens of millions of dollars of fees are being waived to keep businesses moving. More than 1450 occupational licence fees have also been waved.
  • Provided support for both tenants and landlords by preventing forced evictions and requiring both to negotiate in good faith. Literally keeping a roof over many people’s heads.
  • Had the Data Analytics Centre use multiple data sources to support NSW Health and the State Emergency Operations Centre to better estimate next steps in slowing the spread of the virus and then moving towards economic recovery.

And a hallmark of the Cluster, more so than ever, is their empathy. Nothing is too hard. If a customer provides feedback that a service is bureaucratic, has too much red tape, or is simply too slow to access, they fix it, full stop. And do it quickly.

I am constantly in awe of how they enhance our reputation as part of the NSW public service, by delivering great customer service. That is the reason why they come to work every day.

We are incredibly fortunate to have them in our ranks.
Tim


Update to the NSW Public Sector - Customer Service

20 April 2020


To keep you well informed, this week we outline what the Customer Service Cluster is doing to help the community respond to, and ultimately recover from this crisis.

The Customer Service Cluster has just had its first birthday, with little to no fanfare.

And what a year.

They have provided hundreds of thousands of customers and businesses with assistance from drought, flood, bushfires and now the COVID-19 pandemic. That is in addition to their usual day jobs of serving millions of customers for their everyday needs.

They have a culture which places customers at the centre of everything they do, no matter what.

I am sure you access their services as I do, and it is quality every time. They are an absolute credit to the NSW public service.

Just like many others, they have thousands of frontline workers through Service NSW and many other parts of the Cluster.

Because of the pandemic, the Cluster has had to adjust the way they provide services with one aim - to keep the NSW economy moving through a difficult period. Safety first for their people of course, but they have simply found new and more convenient ways of delivery for customers. All credit to them.

They have been providing a massive amount of assistance to those who have been victims of the incredible bushfires over the Spring and Summer. They had to get all of that in place in January and February. In that task alone they have provided relief to thousands of people across the State.

They have then had to very quickly turn their focus to rolling out services responding to the pandemic.

In summary, they have:

  • Established a 24/7 hotline for customers and businesses.
  • Set up a COVID-19 specific website to provide consistent and up to date information on how we can go about our daily lives for the next few months - a single source of truth.
  • Launched an advertising campaign on commercial TV, digital platforms and social media in around 10 days, and appropriately used our frontline talent to tell it like it is - ‘Help Us Save Lives’.
  • Commenced recruiting 1,000 new team members to handle the rapid growth in enquiries and extended Service NSW contact centre hours.
  • Had teams working directly with impacted businesses such as airlines, tourism operators, those in hospitality, and our own cultural institutions, to match workers who have been stood down with appropriate roles in customer service.
  • Advised on NSW Government initiatives available to ease the cost of living and provided an online doorway for the financial support available to businesses and individuals.
  • Had more than 7,600 businesses apply for the $10,000 business grant giving the service a 99.1 per cent thumbs up. These businesses employ more than 26,000 people.
  • Revenue NSW and the Better Regulation team have prepared a fee relief package for businesses - tens of millions of dollars of fees are being waived to keep businesses moving. More than 1450 occupational licence fees have also been waved.
  • Provided support for both tenants and landlords by preventing forced evictions and requiring both to negotiate in good faith. Literally keeping a roof over many people’s heads.
  • Had the Data Analytics Centre use multiple data sources to support NSW Health and the State Emergency Operations Centre to better estimate next steps in slowing the spread of the virus and then moving towards economic recovery.

And a hallmark of the Cluster, more so than ever, is their empathy. Nothing is too hard. If a customer provides feedback that a service is bureaucratic, has too much red tape, or is simply too slow to access, they fix it, full stop. And do it quickly.

I am constantly in awe of how they enhance our reputation as part of the NSW public service, by delivering great customer service. That is the reason why they come to work every day.

We are incredibly fortunate to have them in our ranks.
Tim

Page published: 22 Apr 2020, 04:21 PM