UK Law Enforcement – Capacity Improvement Analysis (Contact Centre)

A UK Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) Contact Centre (FCC) has long struggled with resource shortages, which have worsened as demand continues to outpace capacity.

The Context:

A UK Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) Contact Centre (FCC) has long struggled with resource shortages, which have worsened as demand continues to outpace capacity. Despite plans to expand, the FCC remains under heavy pressure. With 999 call volumes increasing by 5-10% annually, the operational model—last reviewed in 2021—has become outdated, leading to inefficiencies. A significant issue is that call-takers (CTs) spend too much time on administrative tasks, reducing their ability to focus on core duties, a challenge faced by many contact centres in UK policing and abroad.

The Ask:

The LEA needed to address critical operational gaps by reviewing its FCC operating model and improving efficiency. This included identifying ways to reduce the administrative burden on CTs, enhancing system integration, and potentially establishing an internal administrative team. IGS was tasked with scoping solutions to analyse and enhance business processes within the FCC.

Our Response:

IGS launched phase 1 of the project, conducting a month-long review of the FCC’s operations. This involved a comprehensive Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the existing model, identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for process improvement.

Key actions included:

• Analysing the FCC structure to identify operational issues like single points of failure and inefficiencies in call handling caused by administrative tasks.

• Reviewing CTs’ administrative duties, assessing the feasibility of reallocating these tasks to other departments or improving system integration.

• Exploring ways to improve omni-competence, surge capacity, and the centre's analytical and support functions.

Our impact:

A formal report outlined immediate opportunities to streamline activities, offering detailed analysis of current business processes and clear steps to boost productivity using the LEA’s existing resources. The report also examined the possibility of redistributing work across the organisation and assessed the impact of these changes. IGS is now leading the implementation of these recommendations, enhancing operational capacity to ensure the FCC can better meet public demand for services in the future.