Service New South Wales: Helping Australians During Times of Crisis

Service New South Wales (NSW) is a public service agency with 1,000 customer service agents working 24/7. It makes it easier for citizens and businesses across New South Wales, Australia, to access government services. In late 2019, the Service NSW contact centre was put to the test as the Australian bushfires engulfed much of the region. Tens of thousands of calls, texts and emails poured in through the Genesys Cloud™ platform. A special taskforce was created specifically to handle the brushfire-related calls.

The team handled everything from medical queries and temporary housing options to financial assistance for those who lost their homes or jobs due to the fires. Because of the delicate nature of the calls that the Service NSW team handles, empathy and understanding are key components in each interaction.

There are few organisations that deliver on customer empathy better than Service NSW. The company believes in equipping its customer service agents with the right technology to deliver amazing results and Super Human Service for its customers. In fact, technology is essential in delivering those experiences.

“Technology is important in the contact centre environment, particularly platform stability. It’s really important when dealing with emergency situations that we don’t have any telephony issues,” said Amy Davis, Implementation Analyst for Service NSW.

Using Genesys Cloud enables Service NSW agents to focus on the customer, rather than the software. Agents can quickly connect with customers and address their concerns across a variety of channels, including phone calls, emails and texts. And, if someone texts with a question and the response requires more details than what’s suitable for text, the agent can seamlessly switch channels to deliver information in the best possible way. All of this is done through a single interface that enables agents to respond quickly to customers — instead of wasting time toggling through multiple screens and applications that might not interoperate.

Paul Taylor has been with Service NSW for about nine years. He began working with the special disaster support team at the beginning of 2020 to help those impacted by the Australian bushfires. One day, Paul took a call about an automobile registration and spoke with the customer about another topic — the customer’s wellbeing. After several minutes, Paul learned the caller had lost her husband in the bushfires and hadn’t received much help.

Paul was able to give the caller his full attention. The technology didn’t inhibit him; it actually enhanced Paul’s experience and ability to connect with empathy.

“I just treat people like they’re my best friend,” said Paul. “If you talk to them like a friend and ask the right questions, they’ll open up to you.”

Watch this video to learn more about Service NSW. And see how you can help the victims of the Australian bushfires.