Contact Management. Standard Operating Procedure

Transcription

1 Contact Management Standard Operating Procedure Notice: This document has been made available through the Police Service of Scotland Freedom of Information Publication Scheme. It should not be utilised as guidance or instruction by any police officer or employee as it may have been redacted due to legal exemptions. Owning Department Version Number Contact, Command and Control 4.00 (Publication Scheme) Date Published 10/07/2017 (Publication Scheme)

2 Compliance Record Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA): Date Completed / Reviewed: Information Management Compliant: Health and Safety Compliant: Publication Scheme Compliant: 05/10/2016 Yes Yes Yes Version Control Table Version History of Amendments Approval Date 1.00 Initial Approved Version 21/03/ Deletion of Section /03/ Update of Corporate Template. No Change to Content 23/10/ Full Review of SOP 05/10/ Under the direction of DCC Johnny Gywnne the amendments noted in this SOP are in relation to grammatical changes only from the wording 'police office' to 'police station'. 10/07/ (Publication Scheme)

3 Contents 1. Purpose 2. Methods of Contact 3. Interpreting Services 4. Media Releases 5. Customer Service Levels 6. Resource Available for Advice 7. Corporate Response to Emergency Contacts 8. Redirecting Calls and Messages for Operational Officers 9. Incident Recording and Grading 10. Demand Peaks and Special Events 11. Complaints About the Police Appendices Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D List of Associated Legislation Glossary of Terms Call Routing Diagrams Future Developments SMS Text Services 3 (Publication Scheme)

4 1. Purpose 1.1 This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) supports the Police Service of Scotland, hereafter referred to as Police Scotland, existing Policies for; Contact, Command and Control Equality and Diversity 1.2 The purpose of this SOP is to outline the various methods for customer contact and the level of service the public can expect when making contact with Police Scotland. 1.3 The SOP aims to provide guidance to individuals involved in the process of managing public contacts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ensuring that the best course of action is taken to provide advice and guidance as well as reporting crimes or incidents. 1.4 It is important that anyone contacting Police Scotland receives consistent high levels of service delivery and satisfaction from a highly efficient organisation. Contact management is a key component to public confidence and reassurance. 1.5 This SOP will be adopted by all staff and officers whose responsibilities include contact management. 2. Methods of Contact 2.1 There are various methods of contact available for the public to contact Police Scotland; 999/112 Emergency Service 101 Non-Emergency Telephone Services Direct Dial In (DDI) for Partner Organisations Face to Face Internet Services o Contact Us general o Online Reporting International Telephone Line for callers phoning from out with the UK Police Call Points Telephones with direct links to the Police Scotland located on police buildings By letter Third Party Reporting Centres These are listed on the Internet site 4

5 2.2 In addition information can be provided to the public via; Facebook Press Releases /112 Emergency Service This service is intended to be used by the public in emergency situations for example There is a risk of personal injury or loss of life A crime is in progress Someone suspected of a crime is nearby Police attendance is required immediately in order to prevent a disturbance, Someone acting suspiciously or someone who is about to commit a crime Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired callers can contact Police Scotland using a Textphone (minicom) and should dial in an emergency. Alternatively individuals can send an SMS message to 999 and this will be relayed to the appropriate emergency service by the BT Operator. Further information regarding future developments is included in Appendix D of this document On occasion members of the public may dial 999 for a non-emergency call, because they perceive that their situation requires an emergency response. Unless this is a clear misuse of the service e.g. requests for a transfer to an officer or a department, members of the public should have their enquiry dealt with and politely advised that 101 should be used in future for similar types of enquiries Non-Emergency Service This service was introduced in February 2013 to give members of the public an easy to remember number to contact the police in non-emergency situations and for advice. A benefit of the introduction of this number has been the reduction in use of the 999 Emergency Service which allows Police Scotland to prioritise calls from the public in a more effective manner. This also supports the aims of the Incident Prioritisation and Response SOP. 5

6 2.4.2 Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired callers can contact Police Scotland using a Textphone (minicom) and should dial A popular alternative is the TypeTalk facility run by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and funded by British Telecom (BT).It is the national telephone relay service which enables people who are hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired to communicate with hearing people using an operator relay service. Further information regarding future developments is included in Appendix D of this document The 101 service is not intended for internal use and must not be used as a switchboard facility for staff. Internal contact numbers are available on the Intranet Site Contact Directory Staff and officers must not use 101 as a contact telephone number as part of their signature or letterhead when contacting colleagues internally or in partner organisations such as the Scottish Courts Service or Local Authority. Staff and officers should only use 101 as a contact when ing or lettering members of the public. If this is the case sufficient detail, such as an extension number, should be included in the message to allow the PSSC to easily transfer the call. 2.5 Direct Dial In (DDI) Departments and staff who have regular contact with partner organisations should supply them with Direct Dial In telephone numbers and ensure they keep their contacts updated with any changes. 2.6 Face to Face Members of the public can visit Police Stations or 3 rd Party Reporting Centres. Details of 3rd Party Reporting Centres and Police station opening hours are advertised on the Police Scotland Website. Further information about 3 rd Party Reporting is available within the Third Party Reporting SOP Officers and staff must ensure that the Police Scotland Website and Service Centre (SC) are advised if there are any changes to opening times Local Divisional Officers/Staff must carry out weekly checks of any Police Scotland provided telephones/help points outside Police stations. The check should consist of a visual inspections and a weekly test call to ensure the functionality of the line. Any line faults should be reported via the ICT National Service Desk See also section 3 Interpreting Services 2.7 Internet Services There are two main methods of electronic contact available to members of the public, Contact Us and Internet Reporting. 6

7 2.7.2 Contact Us - allows members of the public to make general enquiries by . The s generated are managed by the Police Scotland Service Centre (PSSC). The PSSC will take the following actions to deal with these enquiries; Reply directly to the enquiry using the Contact Us Guidance document and A Z Forward the to the relevant officer or department Create an incident and refer to the Area Control Room (ACR) Internet Reporting allows members of the public direct access to report the following to Police Scotland; Lost Property Hate Crime Domestic Abuse Child Abuse Wildlife Crime The Internet site also allows members of the public to make application for some services and also provides information on a range of issues. Full information is available on the on the Police Scotland Contact Us website page. 2.8 Calling 101 from Areas Outwith Scotland The 101 service gives callers the option to connect with other Police Service areas throughout the UK. Police Scotland also provides a number for the public to use when they are outwith the Scotland 101 area and abroad. Details of useful contact number are on the Police Scotland website The postal address for Police Scotland is; Police Scotland Headquarters Tulliallan Castle Kincardine FK10 4BE 3. Interpreting Services 3.1 Police Scotland use the services of interpreters for members of the public whose first language is not English. This includes members of the public who use British Sign Language. Full details of Interpreting Services used can be found in the Interpreting and Translating SOP. 7

8 4. Media Releases 4.1 Police Scotland communicates with local communities via the media to provide them with information. As well as keeping the public informed, this channel of communication also assists with the prevention and detection of crime. 4.2 When making any media or social media release that requests a response from the public, the organiser should ensure that they make contact with the PSSC Supervisors/Manager. This allows for calls/information received from members of the public to be easily redirected to the appropriate department, Major Investigation Team (MIT) or Senior Investigating Officer (SIO). 4.3 Officers or members of Police staff who make media releases should ensure opening hours, addresses and lead investigator details are provided to the PSSC in order that they can direct callers or pass information appropriately and without delay. 4.4 PSSC supervisors should record details of MITs on the Aspire CRM External Directory field for staff reference. It is best practice to review these contact numbers on a regular basis and SC supervisors should revisit these on a monthly basis to establish if they are still relevant. 5. Customer Contact Service Level 5.1 The values of Police Scotland are Integrity, Fairness and Respect therefore it is essential that staff interact with the public in this manner. 5.2 With the introduction of Police Scotland it is important callers receive a consistent response which reflects the values of our organisation. It is particularly important that the response is professional, knowledgeable and provides a high standard of service tailored around the needs of the individual. 5.3 Police Scotland staff are required to use the following corporate greetings to members of the public; 999 calls Police what is the address of your emergency? 101 calls Police Scotland, (Service Advisors first name) speaking, how can I help you? 5.4 In all contact with the public, staff and officers will attempt to resolve their enquiry at their first point of contact by providing advice, signposting to a partner organisation or creating an incident if necessary on the Command and Control System. If contact is made by telephone or via Contact Us incidents will be created by the PSSC. 8

9 5.5 Where contact is made face to face in Police Stations incidents will be created where required via Webstorm and if this is unavailable the ACR should be contacted. Local staff must not contact Operational Resources directly to attend incidents or use Webstorm to task officers to incidents, this role is reserved to the Controllers within the ACRs. 5.6 The PSSC makes use of Interactive Voice Recordings (IVRs) in order to prioritise and direct calls. These are messages that callers to the 101 service hear before they are connected with a Service Advisor (SA). Details of the call routing are available on Appendix C of this document. 5.7 All staff and officers whose role puts them in direct contact with the public either by face to face, telephone or electronic contacts will endeavour to deliver a quality of service which maximises public confidence. 5.8 It is vital that measures are in place to monitor, and where necessary improve, service standards that ensure the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction when dealing with calls and incident requests from the public. The ACRs and PSSC therefore monitor the quality of calls and incidents as well as the response times in relation to: 999 calls; Non-emergency telephone calls; and Dispatch time to incidents. 5.9 Information regarding our performance is available on the Police Scotland Website About Us Our Performance. 6. Emergency Contacts 6.1 Emergency contacts, whether received via 999 or otherwise, are our priority. The speed of response to such calls must not be hindered by technology or local procedures. 6.2 An early focus will be upon obtaining an accurate address/ location for the incident and caller. Once the SA has established the locus and if possible the nature of the emergency call, it should be processed in a timely and professional manner. 6.3 SAs should ensure that the incident is transferred to the ACR at the earliest opportunity with details of the incident type, caller details and locus. Thereafter the SA should dynamically update the incident with other essential details. Should the ACR Controller, Supervisor or Service Overview (SOV) want to speak with the caller, the following should be included in the STORM (ICAD in Inverness) incident by inserting a line detailing who to transfer the call to, e.g. TRANSFER CALLER TO ACR SGT ON XXXXX. 9

10 7. Resources Available for Advice 7.1 There are several resources available to staff to help them answer questions put to them by members of the public; 7.2 Contact Directory The Contact Directory is linked directly to employees SCOPE records and therefore it is essential that all Police Scotland staff and officers make regular checks of their SCOPE details to ensure accuracy. Any amendments that are required to SCOPE records should be passed to Divisional Business Units. 7.3 The Intranet C3 Call Management A Z is managed by C3 Division and is the main tool must be used by SAs when giving advice to members of the public. It is essential that this information is accurate and up to date. Specialist Departments outwith C3 Division should monitor the information contained in the pages relevant to their area of business and/or notify C3 Division of changes that could affect the advice given to the public. Notifications should be made via C3 Divisional Co-ordination Unit or Training Lead. 7.4 Ask the Scottish Police is a Website run by the Police National Legal Database and details can be amended via a link on that website. 8. Redirecting Calls and Messages for Operational Officers 8.1 Keeping the public updated about incidents is an important part of our service and similarly it is important that they keep us informed about incidents involving them. There are various methods to contact operational officers available and it is important that the most appropriate method is chosen s can be sent to individuals or departments as necessitated by the customer s requirements. It is best practice to send an to a group as well as an individual in the event that the recipient is absent or unavailable. 8.3 Service Advisors should only request urgent messages to be relayed to officers via their Airwave handsets. These contacts should be made via the ACR controller. Non-urgent messages can be passed by Calling cards left by officers should always have sufficient detail for the officer to be traced. This should include name and shoulder number details as well as telephone extension details where they can be contacted. Officers must never note that their contact number is 101 with no other detail. 8.5 In all situations those staff relaying messages to officers should ensure that the member of public has a realistic expectation of what might happen next. Timelines for a response should be indicated so that the person is aware when they should call back if no response has been received. This will keep repeat calls to a minimum. At no time should staff guarantee a time an operational officer will respond. 10

11 9. Incident Recording and Grading 9.1 Incidents reported to the police are prioritised and managed according to the circumstances of each individual call. The grading of response must always be based on assessment of risk and vulnerability and not on resource availability. 9.2 For further details on the above please refer to the Incident Prioritisation and Response SOP. 9.3 Where appropriate, incidents reported by members of the public via the PSSC will be created by a SA. The SA should take the caller s basic details and establish their requirements. They should make every effort, based on professional knowledge, training and use of the C3 Division Call Handling A- Z or Ask the Police website, to resolve calls at first contact, without the requirement for a Police resource to attend. 9.4 Alternatively they should offer advice and guidance or sign post customers to departments or partner agencies best placed to assist. 10. Business Continuity 10.1 Police Scotland has a duty to ensure the continued provision of PSSC functions across Scotland in the event of planned or unexpected downtime and accordingly C3 Division has a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan As soon as it becomes apparent that a PSSC has gone off-line for any reason, the senior on-duty member of staff / officer must implement their local Business Continuity Plan Failure to follow local Business Continuity plans at the earliest opportunity is likely to lead to unnecessary service disruption. This would have a serious impact on service delivery and damage the reputation of Police Scotland Any changes that may impact on the Business Continuity Plan for Contact Command and Control Division should be sent to the Divisional Co-ordination Unit. 11 Demand Peaks and Special Events 11.1 In addition to the C3 Business Continuity Plan other tools are available to manage peaks in demand and special events The 101 telephony system allows for local and national messages to be recorded. These messages should advise callers of issues that might prompt a spike in calls. In most cases these messages will redirect members of the public to other agencies such as Traffic Scotland or the Met Office. The message can be recorded by a Duty Supervisor from designated phones within the PSSC. Messages must be concise and managed to ensure that 11

12 they are only applied for the required period. When this tool is used to manage call flow Duty Supervisors/Managers must record details of the message and the timing of the messages on the daily End of Shift Report Police Scotland provides specific numbers for partner agencies such as Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Alarm Companies. Should another organisation feel it is necessary to have a direct priority line they should make application to the C3 National Head of PSSC in writing who will give approval if considered necessary. 12. Complaints about the Police 12.1 Often if a member of the public contacts Police Scotland to make a complaint about the quality of service received or the conduct of an officer/staff member this can be resolved by Front Line Resolution, as described in para 6.4 of the Complaints about the Police SOP. This method can be used for; Non criminal Non serious Non contentious Non complex and Can be resolved by way of a short enquiry If the member of the public does not agree to this means of resolution or if the circumstances of the complaint do not satisfy the above criteria, staff should complete the Internal Force form on their behalf using the following link Complaints Received - New Item. If the member of the public would prefer to complete this themselves they should be directed to the Internet site where the can complete the Police Complaints Form Staff and officers should advise members of the public that Professional Standards Dept aim to respond to an online form on the next working day Full details of the complaints process are available in the Complaints about the Police SOP and the PSD Complaints about the Police Process chart C3 Division staff dealing with a person making a complaint should ensure a record of the call is made on the Customer Relationship Management System Aspire. 12

13 Appendix A List of Associated Reference Documents Interpreting and Translating SOP Incident Prioritisation and Response SOP Complaints About the Police SOP 3 rd Party Reporting 13

14 Appendix B Glossary of Terms ACR SC PSSC SA - C3 101 STORM CRM IVR SOV Area Control Room is a Control Room responsible for the Command and Control of incidents within its own geographical Control Area. Service Centre A common term for a Public Service Centre / Contact Centre Police Scotland Service Centre Service Advisor A common term used to describe a Customer Service Representative / Call Taker Controller A common term to describe a Dispatcher or Controller of incidents. Contact, Command & Control Division responsible to Command, Control, Coordination and the provision of Information. 101 Service Intended national single non-emergency number for the public to use to contact Police Scotland. System for Tasking and Operational Resource Management National Command and Control System Customer Relationship Management system System used at first contact in some Control Areas and to be rolled out nationally in due course. Interactive Voice Response Tecnology to allow a person to use a touch tone facility to interact with the telephony database, e.g. option to redirect call to a specific department Service Overview - SOV Overview major incidents, control armed assets and provide senior management liaison out of hours. 14

15 Appendix C Call Routing CALLER DIALS 101 CALLER ASKED WHICH FORCE OR DIRECTED TO POLICE SCOTLAND IF FORCE OR PLACE IS NOT RECOGNISED VODAFONE WILL ASSIST OPTION LOST PROPERTY 1. MESSAGE GIVING ADVICE RE ON-LINE FORM 2. QUEUE FOR SERVICE ADVISOR OPTION CUSTODY TRANSFERRED TO LOCAL CUSTODY DIVISION REP OPTION KNOWN EXT NO OR NAMED INDIVIDUAL 1. CALL PLACED IN QUEUE (PRIORITY LEVEL REDUCED) NO OPTIONS CHOSEN 1. CALL PASSED TO SERVICE ADVISOR (SA) IF A LOCAL ADVICE MESSAGE IS APPLICABLE THIS IS PLAYED BEFORE TRANSFER TO SERVICE ADVISOR 4

16 Appendix D Developments in SMS Texting Facilities for 101 Callers Within C3 Division our Fife area has trialled a SMS Text facility to complement our 101 service for those who have communication problems, such as speech and/or hearing impairments. This trial is now being considered for further roll out across Scotland for all members of the public who require assistance due to speech and hearing impairments to make contact with us and access our services. The facility to register for the service will be provided to individuals following application to the Force. Applications will be facilitated via partner organisations across Scotland. The facility to communicate by SMS Text facility will provide an extension to the various means of non-verbal contact that currently exist such as the various on-line reporting tools and Contact Us all accessed via the Police Scotland Internet site. The service is not intended to be used for emergency calls or as a replacement to the 999 service. The SMS texting facility will mainly be managed for Police Scotland from the Bilston Glen Service Centre via Page One SMS System. Those who register for the service will be provided the relevant contact details. The facility will be provided by registration only in order that C3 Division can record users contact and address details in advance.