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Message
From: Kendra Dickinson H
on behalf of — Kendra Dickinson } GRO !
Sent: 19/11/2015 20:
To: Steve Allchorn {
cc: Angela Van-Den- iMark Underwood1
g'
H GRO atrick Bourkef
Subject: RE: Chairmans Report - Requested Helpline Documentation
Attachments: Copy of Dynamics - POL Case Categories.xlsx; NBSC call analysis Q1.pptx
GRO. }
Hi Steve
I have been limited in how much detail I can provide to the questions below due to no real audit trail of the operation
being kept over the years — possibly not something that anyone would have thought necessary or required for
future. Therefore I can only provide you with what I know from the years I have been involved in this area. If any of
this requires clarification then more than happy to talk through.
Please find my responses below:
1) Could we provide a document which describes in laymen’s terms the NBSC architecture pre-2010 around calls
made into it i.e. the tier structure.
There is no specific document that details this information and this is just a synopsis of what I know:
NBSC was initially set up in December 1999 to support the roll out of Horizon. The structure was setup as a two
Tier structure - first line ( Tier 1) support within Royal Mail and the second line ( Tier 2) support within Post
Office. It was a much bigger operation as it supported a larger branch network ( circa 17k Branches) prior to
network reinvention.
In 2007 the Tier 2 element of the operation was moved into Royal Mail to reduce operating costs. Royal Mail
had a contact centre structure approach to the call handling that was not existent within Post office and this
enabled efficiencies to be made, reducing the Tier 2 operation by half.
In 2008 , prioritisation of certain call types was introduced which provided a live operator service to branches
who had a customer waiting or were conducting their Branch Trading statement and required immediate
support. All other non-urgent calls were routed to a voice mail box where the branch would receive a call back
within 24 hours. Following the introduction of Horizon Next generation in 2010, the voicemail box was removed
and we reverted back to all calls going to a live agent.
There has been a continued 2 tier structure throughout, however, as advisors have increased their knowledge,
the gap between the two levels has decreased. There is now a small team of 8 Tier 2 advisors and 50 Tier 1.
2) Could we also provide the call categorisation list (if it existed, or needed to exist) e.g. SPM issue with Horizon
balancing, Horizon outage etc.
I can only provide the list of the call categorisations that we have today and link to approx. 5k knowledgebase
articles. This list is attached above and consists of a 4 tier hierarchy.
3) A list of the top 20-50? issues raised through the NBSC in relation to operating Horizon.
I have attached a slide that shows you the top call types in Q1 of this year.
4) The NBSC scripts for those issues highlighted in 3).
There are over 5k knowledgebase articles within the system and many link direct to Horizon Help pages so are
not scripts as such. To even provide the scripts for the top 5 call types would be quite numerous and this will
take some time to pull together . Question 3 states issues raised in relation to operating Horizon — the majority
of the calls we receive are in relation to how a Branch transacts/navigate Horizon. — are you looking for those
scripts that relate to discrepancies only ?
5) Could we also provide information where those scripts have been changed/updated since HoL went live in 2010.
We do not have the audit trails that will show this over the years as we have only just introduced this as a
process since the work came into POL. I would not be able to provide details on any changes to process maps
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etc. prior to this work moving, plus, since HNGX in 2010, many of the scripts are links to HOL Help pages which
are changed centrally by Comms ( via Product Teams)..
6) A list of any colleagues who were responsible for the management of the NBSC pre-2010 and who are still
working in the business. The QC may wish to meet with them.
Kendra Dickinson ( Royal Mail until 2009 — managing the service within RM on behalf of POL as the Client)
John Cawthorn, Alison J Clark ( team leader), Ibrahim Kizildag ( team leader) Andrew Kenny (Team Leader)- all
worked for POL then moved to Royal Mail in 2007 and now back in POL since February 2014 ( Tuped across
under Separation ).
The Service Delivery element of Post office that had responsibility for managing the service Royal Mail provided
for NBSC have all left the Business
‘4 Kendra Dickinson
Senior Contact Centre Relationship Manager
Support Services
From: Steve Allchorn
Sent: 18 November 2015 09:40
To: Kendra Dickinson
Cc: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd; Mark Underwood1; Patrick Bourke
Subject: FW: Chairmans Report - Requested Helpline Documentation
Importance: High
Morning Kendra
With full appreciation that the task list provided below is a far from easy one to take forward, could you advise as to
what progress has been made on it to date?
It would also be extremely helpful if you could provide some idea of a timescale by which you may have all (or at least as
much as can be derived) the information packaged up and available to ourselves. The QC and Junior Barrister will no
doubt conduct a chaser over the next couple of days and it would be pertinent for us be ready with a suitable response.
Thanks
Steve
From: Patrick Bourke
Sent: 11 November 2015 11:53
To: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd; Steve Allchorn; Kendra Dickinson
Cc: Mark Underwood1
Subject: RE: Chairmans Report - Requested Helpline Documentation
Angela, Kendra
I completely appreciate the inherent difficulty and effort in the task(s) — as you know, we are trying, through the
medium of Tim’s review, to put Sparrow behind us as a business-wide project and return to BAU as soon as possible. In
that context, I hope you'll see this as part of a final push to close down this episode in all of our interests.
Thanks for your continuing help on all fronts.
Kind regards
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Patrick
From: Angela Van-Den-Bogerd
Sent: 11 November 2015 11:45
To: Steve Allchorn; Kendra Dickinson
Cc: Mark Underwood1; Patrick Bourke
Subject: RE: Chairmans Report - Requested Helpline Documentation
Steve,
Thanks for setting out the requirements below. Kendra will action this piece of work but to be clear this is
not an easy or swift task. Kendra will consider the task and let me know what is doable in terms of turning
this around.
Thanks,
Angela
Angela Van Den Bogerd
Director of Support Services
1% Floor, Ty Brwydran,
Atlantic Close, Llansamlet
Swansea SA7_9F]J.
Mi
L:
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From: Steve Allchorn
Sent: 11 November 2015 10:11
To: Kendra Dickinson; Angela Van-Den-Bogerd
Cc: Mark Underwood1; Patrick Bourke
Subject: Chairmans Report - Requested Helpline Documentation
Importance: High
Morning Kendra/Angela
Patrick, Mark, Rod Williams, Jane MacLeod and myself met with Jonathan Swift (QC) and Christopher Knight (Junior
Barrister) to understand from them how we can further support them in their delivery of the Chairman’s review report
on Scheme complaints. We have
One of the key areas for them, and where they currently have limited information, is NBSC operations, particularly
within the 2000-2010 period (pre-HOL). From meeting discussions and our own review of them following it, we believe
the specific asks are;
1) Could we provide a document which describes in laymen’s terms the NBSC architecture pre-2010 around calls
made into it i.e. the tier structure.
2) Could we also provide the call categorisation list (if it existed, or needed to exist) e.g. SPM issue with Horizon
balancing, Horizon outage etc.
3) Alist of the top 20-50? issues raised through the NBSC in relation to operating Horizon.
4) The NBSC scripts for those issues highlighted in 3).
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5) Could we also provide information where those scripts have been changed/updated since HoL went live in 2010.
6) A list of any colleagues who were responsible for the management of the NBSC pre-2010 and who are still
working in the business. The QC may wish to meet with them.
All a bit difficult I know and only exacerbated in that there is an urgency to get anything we have (in reasonable order)
off to Jonathan and Christopher.
Angela — when we met briefly yesterday you suggested popping down to the Sparrow workspace sometime today. You
may want to do so for a little more clarity. I am not in the office today but Mark and Patrick are around if you need a
discussion.
Thanks
Steve
Steve Allchorn I Complaint & Mediation Scheme PMO Manager
Ground Floor, Finsbury Dials, 20 Finsbury Street, LONDON, EC2Y 9AQ
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