In November 1998, the Minister for Information Technology endorsed the Government's Call Centre Strategy. The key goals of the Strategy are to encourage infrastructure sharing, improve the maturity of call centre operations and trial new service methodologies.

The NSW Government has more than 40 call centres with over 1100 agent positions in an industry that is growing at 25 per cent per year. Aside from specialist call centres, there are also around 150 telephone information/enquiry services available that use 13' and 1800' numbers, etc.

Opportunities exist to consolidate call centre facilities and infrastructure, thereby enhancing services delivered to the community, business and government. To support this, the next phase of the Call Centre Strategy has commenced with a review of options to share call centre facilities and infrastructure. The review is being undertaken by the Office of Information Technology and will identify opportunities for sharing of premises and/or infrastructure.

To facilitate this review, all agencies are requested to discuss any new or proposed call centre developments and/or major centre upgrades with Mr Phil Tout, Manager Teleservices, Office of Information Technology, Level 3, 1 Prince Albert Road, Queens Square, Sydney NSW 2000 (telephone: 9236 7750).

An on going assessment of planned developments or upgrades to telephone-based service delivery infrastructure is designed, where appropriate, to facilitate access by all agencies to the latest electronic service delivery processes, methodologies and infrastructure.

C. Gellatly
Director-General