018 users split on Filipino call centre

The move to shift call takers answering the 018 directory service from New Zealand to a "global centre of excellence" in the Philippines has received mixed feedback, the company in charge of the transition says.

Yellow CEO Bruce Cotterill said yesterday that TeleTech, the company in charge of the centre, was on track with a gradual transition that began on June 2 and ends next month.

The 018 calls, and calls to international directory 0172, are being answered in Manila after 144 workers at a Palmerston North call centre were made redundant.

"Some people have reported service below the level they were used to, while others have been complimentary about how operators have gone the extra mile," Mr Cotterill said.

"The important thing is that the feedback is used to ensure overall service levels remain consistently high.

"The 018 and 0172 service prides itself on having a historical error rate of below 0.5 per cent. However, it is not unusual for error rates to increase slightly when new staff start to take calls, regardless of whether they are based here or overseas.

"We invite anyone who receives an incorrect number to call us back and we will make sure they get the number they require and have the cost of their call refunded. We'll continue with our usual performance monitoring and user research, and we have full confidence in TeleTech to provide the service to the usual high standards."

Disgruntled customers spoken to by the Weekend Herald said those answering phones appeared to have language difficulties. One man said that on two occasions he had been asked to repeat street names before his calls were transferred to a second person.