Published on:
11
March 2004
Andy Kerr MSP, will perform a dual role in Clackmannanshire this Monday (March 15.)
The Minister for Finance and Public Services will officially open the Council's Contact Centre before going on to open Kilncraigs Business Centre, both in Alloa.
You are invited to send a photographer to the Contact Centre at Limetree House between 2pm and 2.30pm. The Minister is expected at Kilncraigs at 2.45pm, where again there will be photographic opportunities.
At the Contact Centre he will meet staff, discuss the services delivered now and those planned for the future and be given a demonstration of the systems being used.
At Kilncraigs, the Minister will be asked to unveil a specially commissioned sculpture.
Council Leader Margaret Paterson will welcome the Minister, followed by Charlene O'Connor, the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley, who will talk about the Kilncraigs project. After a few words from the Minister, Keir Bloomer, the Council's Chief Executive, will close the event. ends
For more information about the visit please contact Mags Cochrane, Communications Unit, tel. 01259 727306 or email mcochrane@clacks.gov.uk.
Note to editor:Background information on the Contact Centre and Kilncraigs is attached.
Clackmannanshire Contact Centre - tel. 01259 450000
Why establish a Contact Centre?
As part of our wider strategy to improve access to all Council services, it caters for those customers who prefer to communicate with the Council by telephone or e-mail. A clearly marketed telephone number (01259) 450000 will remove the need for citizens and businesses to understand Council organisational structures - one call is all it will take!
We carried out a market research exercise to identify what people wanted from us. The answer was a well-informed response, by well-informed staff, at the first time of asking. For its first year, we have set a target of 80% for all enquiries resolved at the first point of contact.
What services will it deliver on Day 1?
· All general enquiries previously received via the Council's main switchboard.· First-line reception and processing of specific service requests in the following areas:o Environmental - including waste management, animal welfare, pest control and environmental health.o Roads and street lighting fault reporting, and public transport information.o Council Tax administration e.g. discount and exemption requests, payment methodso Housing application form requests and appointments· Answers to all the Frequently Asked Questions about the Council, its functions and services.
More services will be added in future, making it easier for people to get their enquiries resolved at the first time of asking.
Resourcing & Performance
The Contact Centre was funded from a combination of Modernising Government funds and Council resources.
At present the Centre has six operators, who were all recruited from existing Services within the Council. All staff underwent an intensive four-week training course prior to its 'soft launch' on 15th October 2003. Since its introduction, the Centre has handled over 44,000 calls.
Call handling performance has increased dramatically from 60% of calls answered previously, to an average of 96% via the Contact Centre - an early winner for the Contact Centre. A robust performance measurement framework is now being developed to help identify areas for further improvement.
Kilncraigs Business Centre
Clackmannanshire may be known as the "Wee County", but it has big ideas. Scotland's smallest mainland local authority, covering an area of just 60 square miles and with a population of a little over 49,000, believes it has the environment and the will to deliver for its people, its businesses and its growing numbers of visitors. The area's flagship business location is the Kilncraigs complex in Alloa, a multi-million pound project that has converted the former Paton and Baldwin textile headquarters into a state-of-the-art business centre for social economy businesses and the creative and media industries.
The futuristic building was given the facelift as part of an ambitious £4.2 million project to regenerate Alloa. European cash, together with funds from Clackmannanshire Council and Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley helped make the project a reality.The "always on" Broadband Internet access is ideal for companies that need video, text and speech to stream to the desktop. What is known as the 21st century "wired building" is also equipped to provide next generation developments in broadband technology. It has been "floodwired" to ensure the infrastructure can cope with growing demand by businesses for communications solutions that are scaleable and flexible. Digital telephone services add to a package which provides big business facilities to even the smallest organisation.It is already home to Lawscript, a new company providing electronic courtroom transcription services to the legal sector.Kincraigs offers a total of 14644sq ft of unique office space, and a further 16,822sq ft of developable office space over two floors. An adjacent building can provide an opportunity for the provision of 65,000 sq ft of office space.The conversion has tastefully combined the best of the past with the technology of the future to create a building, dating from 1904, which boasts stunning looks and a perfect, modern working environment, enjoying the largest mixed model ventilation system in the world. The traditional grade A listed structure is complemented by a unique glass curtain wall construction which encloses a full height atrium. Its success is highlighted by its success in three awards. In 2003 it was shortlisted for "The Best Building in Scotland Award 2003" by the Royal Institute of Architects of Scotland, won an award in the "Dynamic Place" ceremonies and a bronze award in the Green Apple National Civic Pride Awards. With a Central Scotland location, getting to Clackmannanshire is becoming faster and smoother. The thriving new city of Stirling nudges Clackmannanshire's borders, linked in minutes by the new and improved A907 to Alloa. Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow are less than an hour away, and major developments in road and rail infrastructure hold out the promise of further dramatic transport enhancement.