Unit 14a: Direct service providers Listening 1Direct Line was the

first direct provider of insurancein the UK when it started 13 years

ago.How many call centres does the company now operate?We have 6

refional centres which employ between 300 and 700 people each.In total

we have about 3,000 staff in our centres.Why did the company decide to

ofter is products directly by phone and internetrather than the usual

way through insurance brokers or high street shops?Well,the major

reason was probably cost.You see with a call centre you don't have to

pay high rents for good high street locations or pay commission to

brokers and agents.You can then pass on these cost savings to your

customers through competitive pricing of your products. Right.And how

does a call centre affect the quality of service a customer gets?When

a customer calls,they get an instant response.The computer database

shows all the customer's details,which saves a lot of time.This means

we can offer our customers good products,quick service and lower

premiums.And what products does Direct Line offer?Our insurance

policies include motor-we're the UK's biggest direct motor insurer-

house,travel and life.We also offer financial services such as

mortgages,personal loans,savings and pensions.We've also recently

started to offer a vehicle breakdown service.Gosh,so many.Are your

operatives able to deal with all these different products?Some

operatives only deal with one product,whilst multi-skilled staff can

deal with 2 or 3 products.But the system is programmed to guide

operatives in dealing with 80-90% of enquiries and claims,so they

don't have to make any decisions themselves.Unusual or large risks are

assesed by supervisors.The important thing is to get as much

information at your operatives's fingertips as possible.The more

information they have in front of them,the less training they need.How

do you see the future for call centres?They're definitely here to

stay.But as more and more new call centres are set up,it'll probably

become harder to find good staff,so companies'll have to offer better

conditions.In the future,staff might even work from home on closed

computer networks.Unit 14a: Direct service providers Listening

2George,we sometimes read negative stories about working conditions in

call centres.Is it ture,for example,that you know exactly where

workers are for every minute of their shift?Yes,the computer system

does monitor whether operatives are at their desks,but we make sure

that they get an hour for lunch and plenty of other breaks.Does the

monitoring affect their pay?Yes,but in positive way.Operatives receive

bonuses based on the number of calls they take,the products they sell

and the mistakes they make.This way we reward good work.So what kind

of hours do the operatives work?They work flexible shifts of 35 hours

a week.Plus overtime if they want it.What do you mean by flexible

shifts?Well,the computer system works out a shift plan based on the

call it expectsand plans exactly the right number of operatives for

each time of day.So shift times are flexible.So,do the operatives also

work evening?We're open from 8 till 8 Monday to Friday and from 9 till

5 on Saturdays.A lot of our operatives are young mothers or

students,so they're happy to work evening shifts.And what about job

satisfaction?Some people believe that working in a call centre isn't

the most exciting job in the wold-so it's very important to remember

that your operatives are human.So we organise them into teams.The team

that sells the most policies,for example,wins a proze.We also organise

fum competitions during big sporting events like the World Cup or the

Olympics.