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Hampshire Now

Introducing Hantsdirect

How you contact the County Council by telephone will begin to change next year.

woman speaking on headset

Did you know that Hampshire County Council receives over two million phone calls every year? Every one of them needs personal attention, and we want to make contacting us as easy as possible. As a 4 star excellently performing authority we are constantly seeking ways to improve the services we provide. It’s for this reason that we have been looking into new methods to improve not only how you contact us, but the service you receive when you do.

After a thorough investigation, including consultation with residents, we’ve decided to introduce a customer contact centre to improve your experience of contacting the County Council and to control costs. We’re calling it Hantsdirect, and it will provide a clear and easy way for you to contact the County Council by telephone, giving you an immediate response to questions and requests wherever possible. Hantsdirect will provide a personal service focused on your needs, which together with Hantsweb, and our face-to-face reception points across the county will provide access at a time and method which is convenient to you.

What’s in it for me?

  • Hantsdirect will have extended opening hours. So you can call us at a time that suits you.

  • Every call will be answered by a specially trained member of staff who’ll be able to respond to your question or query quickly and professionally.

  • Currently we publish over 200 different telephone numbers, but you’ve told us that this can be confusing. With Hantsdirect we’ll be able to reduce that to a dozen or so numbers.

  • Hantsdirect will provide a more efficient way of handling enquiries and service requests, helping the County Council to make cost savings.

What it is, and what it isn’t!

We know many people have had bad experiences of ‘call centres’ involving long queues, complicated menu options and recorded instructions. We’re aware of these concerns, and will ensure that Hantsdirect delivers an excellent service to our customers.  We’re aiming for the majority of all calls received to be answered in full straight away.

Hantsdirect will be 100% managed and run by the County Council and based within the county.

What’s next?
Hantsdirect will be launched next year, and services will start to become accessible through the contact centre from June 2007. We’ll be keeping you informed at all stages of the project through updates in Hampshire Now.