Responding to enquiries: service delivery through National Enquiry Point

Introduction

The aim of this inspection was to assess how the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) responds to enquiries received by National Enquiry Point, its customer contact centre. Enquiry Point deals with call and email enquiries from victims, witnesses, next of kin and accused, as well as professionals working in the justice system. We assessed how efficiently and effectively enquiries are addressed, whether they are resolved by Enquiry Point at the first point of contact or transferred to other teams within COPFS for action.

As the first point of contact for many who are seeking information or advice from or providing information to COPFS, Enquiry Point plays a key role in delivering COPFS’s obligations towards victims and witnesses.

We found that the quality of enquiry handling by Enquiry Point operators was generally good. Operators were polite, respectful and empathetic. They recognised that members of the public using the service may be doing so at some of the most difficult moments in their lives and that a compassionate response is needed. We observed operators reassuring those who were anxious, and remaining professional with those who became angry or abusive. Operators and their managers were committed to delivering the best service possible, and their work was well understood and highly valued by senior leaders within COPFS. However, this understanding of the role of Enquiry Point was not shared across COPFS. Many staff had low awareness of the volume and range of enquiries resolved by Enquiry Point.

The quality of enquiry handling could be improved even further with better guidance, training, systems and processes for operators. Critically, enquiry handling could also be improved if more staff across COPFS:

• recognised their own role in responding to enquiries
• had a greater focus on customer service
• had the skills, confidence and capacity to assist Enquiry Point where operators have been unable to resolve enquiries at first point of contact.

When seeking assistance from colleagues, operators can make many unsuccessful attempts to transfer callers. This prolongs the call for the person making the enquiry and extends the waiting time for all other callers in the Enquiry Point queue. When calls are successfully transferred or email enquiries are forwarded to other teams for action, we found that the quality of enquiry handling by those teams is not as good as when enquiries are managed entirely by operators.

While enquiries are generally handled well once they reach an operator, a key concern is the unmet demand for the Enquiry Point service. In the year to September 2024, 19% of callers were turned away because call queues were full. A further 50% of callers abandoned their call before it was answered. When we invited views on how well COPFS responds to enquiries, some of those who responded said they had abandoned calls to Enquiry Point because they were frustrated they were not answered in a reasonable time. Respondents also highlighted delays in email enquiries being dealt with.

COPFS should look afresh at Enquiry Point’s demand and consider what levels of service it aims to provide to those who call and email. It should ensure that Enquiry Point is appropriately staffed and supported by the wider organisation, and that all staff have the tools to do their jobs well.

This inspection has reinforced the need for COPFS to urgently address a previous recommendation that it identifies and reduces failure demand. We estimate that almost a quarter of enquiries received each year are a result of COPFS failing to do something correctly or at all. The failure to get it right first time tends to happen outwith Enquiry Point, but it is Enquiry Point that is often the recipient of the resulting failure demand. Failing to get it right first time not only causes additional and unnecessary work for COPFS, but damages confidence in the service. If COPFS were to achieve a right first time approach, significant savings could be made that could be reinvested elsewhere or in further improving the quality of its service.

During our inspection, we spoke with another public sector contact centre. We were impressed by the quality of service being delivered in terms of the timeliness of response, the high levels of customer satisfaction and the focus on using technology to support further service improvements. This is the level of service to which COPFS should be aspiring, particularly given that many of those making enquiries are victims and witnesses who deserve the best service the public sector has to offer.

We have made 18 recommendations designed to support improvement in how COPFS responds to enquiries. This report also features a range of other suggestions for how the service delivered to the public and partner organisations can be developed and improved.

We did not consider these suggestions reached the threshold of a recommendation, but we nonetheless expect them to be taken into account by COPFS in its response.

Laura Paton
HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution in Scotland

January 2025