Serco : set to bring public sector customers next generation capability in digital and social media customer service

Serco is set to bring its customers across the public sector the next generation of multi-channel contact centre capability through a ground-breaking new partnership with Content Guru to implement their award-winning storm® platform.

The new platform for the first time integrates contact from the public by any choice of channel - whether via web, SMS, instant message, email, voice, social media or other channels - into a single central system, allowing Serco to provide complete consistency of customer service regardless of how individual citizens choose to get in contact.

By providing an integrated view of customer contact regardless of channel, the new platform supports the growing shift towards a varied mix of digital and social media channels in customer services, offering greater flexibility to members of the public to choose the means of communication that is most convenient for them at any given time.

The introduction of the new platform underpins Serco's ambitions to significantly grow its contact centre service, for public sector customers, over the coming years. Serco currently provides contact centre services and complex case management to a range of high-profile local and central government customers across the UK & Europe, including the Department for Work & Pensions and European Union.

Faye Shaw, Serco's Managing Director of Citizens Services said:

'Every year we're seeing a significant increase in the use of smartphones, with citizens wanting to contact us by their preferred channel - be that social media, web chat, email, SMS - at a time that suits them. Citizens rightly expect a rapid response and for all these channels to be handled in a consistent high-quality way.

'By combining our contact centre services experience and expertise with the flexibility of this new technology, we will be able to improve citizens' experience across all channels and offer longer opening hours. The analytics the platform provides will support the shift towards more effective channels, driving both improvements in service and cost benefits. We know this is important to our public sector customers and will support them to deliver better frontline services and reduce the overall cost of delivery.'

Sean Taylor, CEO of Content Guru said:

'Serco's clients are high-profile and expect the best quality of communication services to be delivered in a very cost-effective manner. storm® has a proven track record in many industries of delivering complex services at a large scale, and this partnership represents an excellent opportunity to further transform the way Serco and its clients engage with end-customers.'

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