News

Bin queries double call centre workload

By Jon Nurse
June 25, 2012

A call centre dealing with requests for the borough council is taking more than 500 calls per day about the contentious recycling scheme.

Wokingham Direct, the council’s customer service centre, is taking nearly twice as many calls as this time last year as frustrated residents continue to ring in with bin bag questions – and it’s causing queues for callers.

John Fisher, 73, has been trying to report an overgrown hedge in Durand Road, Earley. “I’ve been trying to get through for six weeks,” he said. “I keep getting told I’m 15th in the queue or worse. I can’t wait for 20 minutes to be put through.”

The call centre took more than 95,000 calls between March 1 and June 15, with around half relating to waste issues.

£60 green waste fee may be reduced

In February and March, the centre received more than 47,000 calls and 9,000 emails from residents.

Sarah Barrow, Wokingham’s head of customer services and administration, said: “It is still busy but reducing slightly. We are getting around 6,000 calls per week in comparison with about 3,700 over the same period last year.

“We aim to answer 80 per cent of calls within 20 seconds. It’s a self- imposed target to monitor our efficiency.

“During recent weeks, average wait times have increased to around three minutes at peak times, but we offer a free callback service so that customers do not have to wait in a queue and can leave their details.

“Our telephony system calls them back when their call would have got to the front of the queue.

“QBuster not only saves the customer money it also allows us to spread the calls throughout the day so that we make the best use of our limited resources.”

But Mr Fisher is not satisfied. He said: “I’ve spoken to other people and they say they’re finding they keep being put in a long queue too.

“It was much better when we used to have all the individual numbers but now there’s just another cog in the machine between you speaking to the person you need.”

No blue bin bags, no rubbish collection

Wokingham Direct has 14 customer service advisers and two team leaders and is recruiting another three call-handling staff.

The service also includes 14 staff who help out on emails, social media and other team needs.

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Most recent user comments 10 of 10

Thanks PB - you need to keep up the publicity so everyone knows what you are up to.

You have 100% domination in Winnersh - just 20+ other seats required and the world is your oyster.

ps Did anyone ever see the previous tory concillor in Winnersh after he was elected?

Champs
26/06/2012 at 19:24

For Champs

The legality is a bit complicated. It looks as though the Council can restrict how much rubbish you have and insist you use a certain type of container and supply that container. I am still not completely convinced they can force you to BUY plastic sacks from them: see this link for more info: the minutes of the meeting start with answers to questions - in particular look at the answer to Lib Dem councillor Sam Rahmouni's question http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/minutes-agendas/minutes/?entryid164=204559&q=4231135%7eExecutive%7e4231141%7eMarch%7e4231142%7e2012%7e

Prue Bray, Winnersh
26/06/2012 at 15:50

@Jogon - It doesn't matter if I report it directly on the council website, use Fix My Street or another similar tool, they all end up as an email which is taking a lot longer than 3 days to even acknowledge.

Fed up, Lower Earley
25/06/2012 at 18:48

@Feb Up

This is useful for reporting problems to WBC:-

http://www.fixmystreet.com/around?pc=wokingham

Jogon, Wokingham
25/06/2012 at 16:59

Prue, Many people are saying its unlawful to charge for sacks to collect rubbish and we should be able to put our rubbish in any black or blue or any other colour sack. What is the correct answer please?

Champs
25/06/2012 at 16:46

Bins aside, WBC should be investing more resources in providing online services thereby removing some of the need to call them. For example, can you set up a Direct Debit for your Council Tax payments online? No, you can't. You still need a printer and a stamp.

Bag Lady
25/06/2012 at 14:58

Tell me why we are doing this again - to save costs, ahh yes. Times are hard and we all have to tighten our belts and as a result Tories at Wokingham have closed Fosters, they have stopped travel tokens for the elderly, they cut back on dog bins (to save £65k), they are looking to privatise libraries (to save appox. £100k), they stopped grants to support unemployed youth in Wokingham who are looking for jobs, they refused to build toilets in Woodley…….

But somehow they have found money to redevelop Wokingham Town centre for £87 million. Debt I don’t want and which I will have to pay off for Wokingham for a number of years to come – thanks for asking me.

That £87m is money I would suggest could be better spent to provide a better service to the unemployed, for rubbish collection (as other local authorities around us do), the elderly to name but a few. So are we really that short of cash especially as our rates will go up sharply next year. I wonder if there is a black hole the Tories are filling in somewhere in the council offices with our cash !!!

Cllr. Tahir Maher, Earley
25/06/2012 at 14:53

Someone at the council really needs to get a grip on this and sort it out. We are now 2 months into this new scheme and it is still affecting a lot of other day to day functions.

I've reported a number of problems via email with overgrown hedges blocking road signs, non-working traffic and school lights, etc and I'm lucky to get a reply in under 2 weeks at the moment.

I would report them via phone if it was quicker, but even if I could get through (which sounds doubtful) then the last time I tried to do this it took me 30 minutes to report the problem as they noted down the most minute and irrelevant detail.

Fed up, Lower Earley
25/06/2012 at 14:22

Hi Champs Just to correct you - the Lib Dem opposition to the scheme has most definitely NOT disappeared post election. We have secured a review of the new system, and have identified our three top priorities for change, based on the responses to the survey forms we did earlier this year. So we are still on the case.... Prue Bray Leader of the Lib Dem group on Wokingham Borough Council

Prue Bray, Winnersh
25/06/2012 at 14:08

This whole recycling nonsense has been a bit of job creation scheme then!

33 staff including 2 Team leaders (why not one team leader!) dealing with self created work as a result of a crazy crazy system. Probably none live locally so are polluting atmosphere driving to work.

Even the Lib Dems opposition has disappeared now elections are over!!