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| Do you think it is an employer's duty to help employees quit smoking? |
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Putting customers first
The dedicated Accor Services Helpdesk takes an average of 150,000 calls a year, assisting employers, their employees and service providers with their enquiries.
We take an in-depth look at the Customer Services Department to find out what goes on
behind the scenes.
A large, open plan office in the heart of Pimlico is home to the Accor Services and its dedicated Customer Services Department. It's where a team of 26 people, led by Manager Alwyn Lisk, are ready and waiting to respond to the phone and e-mail enquiries that flood into Accor Services every day.
Forgotten your password? Want to confirm a voucher release date? Got a query on your account? Whatever the voucher product or enquiry, the Helpdesk is ready and waiting to deal with it.
The department has recently been restructured to reflect the changing nature of client needs and to support the rapid growth of the business. An increasing number of clients are now asking for customised products and services. However, the volume of calls has remained static as the company continually works to develop technological solutions to help accommodate growth.
The department is split into two distinct strands. There's a team of highly trained telephone operators who are on the front-line, taking calls from clients, voucher recipients and service providers. They are backed up by an administration team, who respond to email enquiries and support the front-line team.
All operators are trained to deal with any enquiry on any product - but calls are routed depending on which customer group they are coming from. This allows operators to focus on a particular area and provide a more efficient service.
The helpline is open from 8am-6pm and takes an average of 700 calls a day. Peak time is between 10am-2.30pm - and last year the team answered 85 per cent of calls within 30 seconds of the phone ringing. This year's aim is to answer 94 per cent of calls within 30 seconds.
"We really don't want to keep people hanging on the phone which can be more than frustrating for the caller," says manager Alwyn Lisk.
The team also aim to answer 80 per cent of their email enquiries within 24 hours. "Last year we exceeded our objective by answering 81 per cent of emails within 24 hours. Anything that arrives before 3pm we respond to on the day. If it arrives after 3pm, we may be able to answer it the same day, but if not we will aim to reply within 24 hours. We also aim to upload all client orders received by the administration team within 24 hours," says Alwyn.
Most of the admin team have graduated from the Helpdesk, which means they can jump onto the phone lines if necessary at particularly busy times.
Huge emphasis is placed on training, and as part of the restructuring, the team now has a dedicated training and projects executive.
All new operators undergo an in-depth, two and a half week training programme, designed to make them fully conversant with all Accor's products and services and to familiarise themselves with the workings of the internal desk-top system.
Budding operators also receive training in telephone techniques, listening in to calls and practising their new skills before finally testing their wings on the live lines with the help of a mentor.
All calls are randomly monitored on an on-going basis for both quality and training purposes. "It's always useful for people to listen back and hear how they come across on the telephone," says Alwyn. "It helps us to identify what was good about the call, what might have been handled better, and if there is any additional training we may need to provide.
"We need to make sure we have the right skill sets in place so that we are geared up to provide the level of service our clients expect and need to run successful schemes."
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Registered office: Accor Services, 50 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2RS The following trade under Accor Services & are registered in England
Childcare Vouchers: 2420196 Luncheon Vouchers: 540144 Cleanway: 1336372 VAT number: 649503520
©2007 Accor Services. The entire content of this newsletter publication is protected by copyright. Full details are available from Accor Services. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without the prior permission, in writing, of the copyright owner. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot accept any liability for inaccuracies.
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