Medi-call provides personal alarm systems to the elderly and infirm. Customers a
ID: 2701545 • Letter: M
Question
Medi-call provides personal alarm systems to the elderly and infirm. Customers are principally those people who live alone, preferring to stay in their own homes rather than be looked after in some form of institutional care or with family. The customer has a small transmitter/receiver, which can be worn as a pendant or on the wrist like a watch. If the customer has a problem they press the button on the pendant, which activates a base station located at the customer%u2019s telephone. The base station calls Medi-Call%u2019s contact centre, which provides 24/7 cover to ensure maximum reassurance for its customers. Medi-Call%u2019s agent will attempt to establish contact with the customer. Because the transmitter is so sensitive, it is possible to carry out a conversation up to 50 metres away from the base station. Medi-Call%u2019s staff are trained to provide immediate reassurance to the caller, who is likely to be confused and frightened. Each customer provides immediate reassurance to the caller, who is likely to be confused and frightened. Each customer provides a number of contact numbers, including neighbours and immediate family. If there is a problem, as for example an elderly person having fallen and not being able to get up, the normal procedure is for Medi-Call to alert the closest neighbours, asking them to visit and call back. If required, Medi-Call will alert emergency services and also contact family members if appropriate. The call centre deals with a wide range of demands:1. Emergency calls : These result in Medi-Call agents being on the phone for an average of 30 minutes. This time may be spread over a number of calls to the customer, neighbors, family and so on. Each emergency call requires an average of 8 minutes%u2019 administration time to ensure records are kept up to date-this is normally completed immediately after the call is completed and definitely before the agent completes their shift.2. Technical enquiries: These calls normally come from new customers, unsure about the function of the equipment. The average duration these calls is 5 minutes, with 1 minutes associated administration time.3. Reassurance calls: Medi-calls encourages customers to ring the call centre about once a month to check that the equipment is working properly. Many elderly customer spend long periods by themselves at home and see this an opportunity to have a rather longer conversation than is strictly necessary. Medi-call considers this as part of the service it provides. The average reassurance call lasts about 6 nutes, with 1 minute associated administration time.Medi-call estimates that its employees are effective for about 80 per cent of the time that they are on shift and this forms the basis of its staff scheduling system. This figure allow for short comfort breaks and also recognizes that not all staff are fully competent. Medi-call provides thorough induction training and continuing staff development, but annual turnover of staff is in the order of 20 per cent and it takes upwards of 6 months for staff to be fully trained.The majority of calls are handling by the member of staff who is the first point of contact. In under 10 per cent of calls, the agent handling the call may ask for assistance from a more experienced colleague or the supervisor.
When does Medi-Call%u2019s call centre enter the coping zone? What is the likely impact of this overload on customers and staff?
What strategies do you recommend that Medi-Call adopts in busy periods? What actions would you need to take to implement them effectively?
Do you agree with Medi-Call%u2019s philosophy on reassurance calls? What do you recommend?
Supplement:Case Exercise III %u2013 Medi-Call Personal Alarm Systems Ltd.2 pages
Explanation / Answer
When does Medi-Call%u2019s call centre enter the coping zone? What is the likely impact of this overload on customers and staff?
first of all we will know that what is coping zone so coping zone Dealing is the term for the actual ideas in addition to activities we all make use of to manage stress. With huge portion, emotion harassed or perhaps not necessarily depends on regardless of whether we all imagine we have now the actual dealing assets to manage the actual challenges experiencing people. Almost all dealing techniques fall into one of two wide classes:
Problem-focused dealing techniques utilized to take on the situation immediately.
Emotion-focused dealing techniques utilized to handle emotions associated with distress, rather than the actual problem.
On the whole, investigation has shown of which problem-focused dealing techniques are generally the most effective way intended for coping with stress. Medi-call introducing automated telephone calls for technical and reassurance calls and services which will reduce overall call times keeping staff out of the coping zone and reducing stress to the staff; this will in turn improve the overall service of Medi-Call so it is clear from this that the Medi-Call%u2019s call centre enter the coping zone when they were working with manual telephone calls for technical and reassurance calls and services. Due to which a lot of burden on them and it is not easy to handle so a lot of stress enters them into the coping zone
What is the likely impact of this overload on customers and staff?
The impact of coping zone is that when the burden and stress on the staff increases due to calls and services this will move the staff in the copping zone and when stress decrease this will move the staff out of the coping zone
What strategies do you recommend that Medi-Call adopts in busy periods? What actions would you need to take to implement them effectively?
Well its not an easy job but through professionalism and via strong content it is possible to make actions valid. There are possible numbers of strategies. One is that the receiver could be placed on near by shops or petrol pupms or gas stations as a distance between them shold be 50 meters where our customers can call us easily and giving few charges to these shops owner they can also work as our agents and the last and important one is that medi-call introduce an automated telephone calls for technical and reassurance calls and services which will reduce overall call times keeping staff out of the coping zone and reducing stress to the staff this will in turn improve the overall service of Medi-Call.
What actions would you need to take to implement them effectively?
A Medi-call worker needs to react quickly in addition to effectively for your cell phone calls in addition to interact personally with one another for his or her company. Medi-calls promote shoppers in order to diamond ring the call hub regarding every month to evaluate which the products is usually functioning appropriately. The standard confidence call up is maintained regarding 6 nutes, together with 1 minute affiliated government period. Medi-call quotes which it's staff members are impressive for approximately 80 percent of times that they're in move and this sorts the basis involving it's workers arrangement program. This amount makes for limited ease and comfort fails and in addition acknowledges which only a few workers is usually completely competent. Medi-Call will attentive urgent situation services and in addition call family in the event proper. Medi-call supplies detailed induction education in addition to ongoing workers development, yet yearly turnover involving workers is in the actual purchase involving 20 percent and it also will take well over 6 months pertaining to workers to be completely educated.
Do you agree with Medi-Call%u2019s philosophy on reassurance calls? What do you recommend?
Basically it is an outsatnding idea to make contact of described people with their loved ones and it also has no time taking process. It is very easy to handle it one can put it on rist. I totally agree with reassurance call facility there are few suggestion going in my mind one of which is that to make the service efficient the calll operater time m,ust be minimum and also there must be enough agents to make customer wait for minimum time.