National Highways reveals it handles 28,000 calls from customers each month as it prepares to mark Customer Service Week 2022
Customer Services Director for National Highways says ‘keeping people moving and supporting businesses is at the heart of the organisation’
When it comes to dealing with incidents, dedicated teams at National Highways are well-versed in responding to reports of dangerous debris in the carriageway.
As National Highways gears up to mark National Customer Services Week 2022, Customer Services Director Andrew Butterfield says the dedication of teams working behind-the-scenes to keep customers moving and safe is at the heart of the organisation.
One unusual case he recalls involved a distressed motorist and a stricken violin, which struck a real chord in the control room.
Andrew said: “Our dedicated customer contact centre team works around the clock, fielding all sorts of calls from people and there is one incident that I remember clearly.
“One evening we took a call from a distressed gentleman who said he’d lost his violin while on the way to perform in a concert. The instrument had fallen onto the road from the back of his motorcycle and he’d pulled over to raise the alarm.
“Once we’d taken the details of the location, we quickly notified the relevant regional control centre and we dispatched our traffic officers to the area to help. When our teams arrived, they were able to recover the violin and return it to the gentleman. Thankfully the instrument was still intact, and he even made it to the show on time.
“That’s just one anecdotal example which shows why it’s vital that we have teams on standby ready to react to calls from customers because safety is always our top priority.” Andrew added: “Although people may not necessarily see themselves as our ‘customers’, a strong customer service focus is central to how we design, build and run the country’s motorways and major A-roads.
“It’s just one of the ways we’re making sure that the feelings and experiences of those affected by our work shape the things we do.
“We’re committed to making a real difference for our customers. Getting people home safely, or making sure your goods arrive on time, is all in a day’s work for our frontline teams. If you need our help, our frontline teams are available 24/7, 365 days a year.”
New figures revealed by the organisation - responsible for some 4,300 miles of motorways and major A-roads in England - shows it handles some 28,000 phone calls and nearly 6,000 emails from customers every month.
And while some of the calls can be somewhat unusual – someone called in about transporting fish and wanted to know the road conditions, so the fish didn’t get out of the bowl – the frontline teams at National Highways are always on hand to help. Customer advisor Elias Elbakkali works for National Highways and is one of 57 people working in its customer contact centre which operates 24/7, all year round from the National Traffic Operations Centre in Quinton.
He said: “We deal with thousands of calls and emails each day from across the country. “I could be asked about a variety of issues ranging from road users calling in to report debris, advise us of an incident or simply asking us a question about something they have come across on our network – such as why a road is closed or to inform us of animals on the network. “I love my job because no two days are the same. I could be dealing with a call in one part of the country, put down the phone and the next time the phone rings, could be helping somebody in another part of England.
“Teamwork and sharing information at the contact centre are key. This makes sure the team have got the information to help customers on the spot.” The challenging job of keeping people moving following an incident frequently falls to National Highways traffic officers who are often first on scene in a motorway incident.
As well as clearing obstructions and spillages, traffic officers help remove broken-down vehicles, and support the Police and other emergency services by managing road closures when there’s a serious incident.
Teams in eight operations centres across the country work hand-in-hand with on-road traffic officers, responding to emergency calls and setting signs and signals when required. One of the people responsible for dispatching traffic officers to incidents in the East Midlands region is National Highways Operations Manager Mark Munnoch.
He said: “Four million vehicles use our roads every day and it’s important to us that they reach their destination safely.
“Great teamwork is central to our ability to effectively operate England’s strategic road network. “We have a very dedicated and passionate team looking after people when they’re using the roads.
“Drivers will be familiar with the National Highways liveried vehicles that travel up and down the strategic road network, but there are many hidden heroes who work together with them behind the scenes making sure the countries motorways and major A-roads run smoothly.
“From answering calls, to setting signs and signals as well as attending or clearing incidents and making sure our infrastructure is in proper working order – the combined effort of all our people ultimately helps people make safer journeys and keeps people moving.”
If you want to learn more about National Highways’ frontline services this National Customer Service Week, the organisation’s West Midlands Regional and National Traffic Operations Centres will be open to the public on Saturday, 8 October.
There will be fun activities for all of the family as well as the chance to speak to traffic officers and operational staff about their roles.
Visitors will also be able to get an insight into the work of the adjacent National Traffic Operations Centre during the event.
Comments