You'll know if the council has called
New phone system to put minds at rest
IF you've ever missed a phone call and dialled 1471 only to be told that the caller withheld their number, you'll be pleased to that North Lanarkshire Council have announced plans to let you know that they tried to contact you.
If you dial 1471 and the last call was from the council, you will hear a recorded message saying that they tried to contact you, will try again if they need to, and includes a number to call back on (0845 111 4234) which will be charged at the lowest local rate.
The move has been welcomed by a local group for the elderly who say it will be reassuring for older people to know who has tried to get in touch with them.
The issue was raised with NLC by Councillor Barry McCulloch, convener of the audit and governance panel.
He said: "Some of my elderly constituents had recently approached me with concerns about the council's telephone system. Up until now if you received a call from the council while you were out or you missed the call because you were doing something else, when you dialled 1471 you would be advised that 'the caller withheld their number', in other words an anonymous call.
"Unfortunately this has become common as most of the big national tele-sales companies are using a similar system. The use of anonymous numbers is annoying to most of us and can be distressing to some people, especially the elderly living alone.
"I raised these concerns and I am pleased to say that North Lanarkshire Council has now introduced a new system. From now on if you miss a call from the council a specific number will be given when you dial 1471. You then have the option to return the call. If you choose to do this, you will hear a message saying: 'You had a call earlier from North Lanarkshire Council. If we need to be in touch with you again, we will call you back.' This new system will be much more reassuring for people."
John O'Hagan, director of administration, said: "If you return home and dial 1471 on your phone, you will receive a message telling you when you were last called and by what number. The message previously left by the council's phone system, like many other large organisations with a switchboard, would not give an actual phone number but simply say that the caller withheld their number.
"Members of the public, particularly older people, may be concerned that they did not know who had called them and that it may be a nuisance call. Therefore, we have introduced a new system that gives a specific telephone number. If the person then selects the option to return the call to this number, they will receive a general message stating that they had been called by the council and if we require to phone you back we will do so.
"We believe this message system provides an improved service as it lets people know who has called them when they are out of the house, and reassures them that if we still need to speak to them we will call them again."
Annie Miller, project manager at CACE (Cumbernauld Action for Care of the Elderly), said: "I am sure older people will find this useful as they may be anxiously waiting on a call regarding necessary services and will be reassured that some action is being taken."
By EMMA NEWLANDS
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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