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What should Centrelink do to better its current services?

Answered 5 years ago

Because they are sadly LACKING!


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ANSWER
5 years ago
Have "services".


ANSWER
5 years ago
The problem is that they are trying to deter people from accessing welfare and entitlements. So they make it deliberately difficult so people just give up.

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5 years ago
Yes, this 100000x.. And in this particular case, labor weren't much better. Well, they were much better, but still poor overall

Theres no competition with centrelink, you cant take your business elsewhere so they can make it as shit as they choose.

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5 years ago
Thank-you, you are so right. My husband has been suffering from depression. They wouldn't give him sickness benefits, despite suicide attempts and letters from doctors. Just kept throwing multiple pages of forms at him, time and time again. They even rang him when he was in a secure mental ward asking if he could use a computer there! I understand how people go in to their offices and lose their shit. He's recently had a job, then lost it due to the same problem and won't bother trying to get benefits again. Meanwhile, I'm earning less than we need to spend and worried sick about bills. We've both worked and paid taxes for 30-odd years and it isn't good enough.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Centrelink has alot of flaws but I think people forget that they too are human and have to put up with an awful lot of shit from customers too. And no I don't work for them 😊

ANSWER
5 years ago
Answer the phone!!!

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5 years ago
Hahaha. Love it

ANSWER
5 years ago
They really need to simplify the whole system, because even the people who work there do not understand it. I’ve been given the run around because of one thing one person there told me only to find out it was wrong. Something simple like a name change after I was married. I was also flagged to fill out a form, a from that does not exist. So much time wasted waiting in line in their office or sitting on a phone queue because the system is grossly incompetent. Waited hours to talk to someone, for them to put me through to another department only to cut me off to start the entire process all over again. Imagine how bad it will be if their call service goes off shore.

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REPLY
5 years ago
Linking systems is a time consuming job that requires an organisation to be able to pull some good staff off line, and do a process improvement project that maps out all the required links, works through the technical and social issues, then sees the changes through to complete implementation.
It is a strategic job that requires input from highly experienced knowledgeable staff, a skilled facilitator for the process, managers who will listen to staff, and time to sort through and develop a sound workable fix. That is impossible in organisations that are not even given enough money to staff front line positions adequately.
Most external consultants from the big companies are incompetent at this, as they are all number crunchers, and have NO concept of process improvement.

ANSWER
5 years ago
After updating on their website that I moved house they sent a new rent assistance form to my old address. Thankfully the new people passed on my mail but this sort of mistake is a bit of a security/identity theft risk.

More phone call operators. I was on hold for over an hr last time I needed to call.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Anyone who voted liberal got what they voted for. The whole end game is to privatise centrelink so they will deliberately run it into the ground

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REPLY
5 years ago
OMG I just saw your article and looks like I was right. LMAO that a private company will do better than the public service. Cant think of many options that's actually happened.

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5 years ago
This is correct. It is Liberal policy to deliberately "defund" public organisations, to make it impossible for the managers to run the organisation and to cause gross overwork for staff.
Then they can "prove" that the public service is incompetent and that it should all be put out to contract.
And probably to Serco, and similar organisations, who run prisons into the ground all round the world.

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5 years ago
Yes the libs have already done it with other departments.

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5 years ago
Logically the private company has to make a profit but the public service doesn't it just has to fund itself. So its pretty hard to imagine how its going to cost less overall. Something has to give. But with clever accounting they can say anything :(

ANSWER
5 years ago
The web site entries are so poorly written that it is impossible to understand, and so poorly designed that it is clunky to find your way around. I have resorted to looking at the NZ equivalent, WINZ, because theirs is easy to understand, to see what Centrelink might be trying to communicate, if they only knew how to write properly.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Not give out money for having unprotected sex

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REPLY
5 years ago
🙄🙄🙄

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5 years ago
How do they know if it’s unprotected? Are Centrelink watching us? How much do I get each time I have unprotected sex? Asking for a friend

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5 years ago
Yes, I would like to know too. I have been having unprotected sex for the last 10 years, I could be rich!

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5 years ago
Haha OP of this comment! Totally agree!!!!

ANSWER
5 years ago
Calling them is a serious problem. It took me 6 weeks to just get through to them when I received a debt that I wanted to object to. I could only ring while I was on my lunch break and it was usually engaged, if it did go through I would sit on hold and would have to hang up when it was time to go back to work. I lived 3 hours away from the nearest office so I couldn't just drop in there, they usually turn you away and tell you to ring anyway. I wasted so much credit at that time and it was so stressful. I have always wondered what is stopping them from putting more people on in their call centre? Just seems so stupid. Also the wait time for new payments are ridiculous. They wanted me to wait 8 weeks for Newstart because I had received holiday pay from my last employer, even though I waited 8 weeks to apply. So they expected me to go 8 weeks living on $500 a fortnight with 2 kids. I was disgusted. I ended up throwing my house in before the inevitable eviction happened (lease was up anyway) and moved in with my boyfriend, which I wanted to wait a while before making that step but wasn't given much choice. Didn't even bother with Newstart after that.

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5 years ago
That honestly sucks. Don’t know too much about Centrelink payments but honestly what an awful time for you. Sorry to hear that. Hope it all worked out with the boyfriend and it all worked ok x

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5 years ago
Thankyou, it has worked out better than I thought, I always think of the worst possible outcomes 😂. I should have done it sooner

ANSWER
5 years ago
Communication between the workers. Iv jad one issue where 5 people said i had done everything correct but my claim still wasnt being preocessed finally after 4 months i was told i had to do something else

ANSWER
5 years ago
previous answer were fantastic ideas:
also
*No income "estimate" - with so many people on casual/casual on- call these days, it would be far simpler to work a fortnight & give Centrelink your actual pay details - this change should be relatively simple as you already wait a fortnight then get paid, you are not paid Centrelink in advance - this would eliminate the inevitable mistakes' in "estimating" your income.
*When someone is "mildly distressed" due to personal, mental health, loss of payment issues, they may know themselves or have been advised to call & ask to speak to a Social Worker, how about putting them through to a Social Worker, instead of passing them down the line (up to 10 people), so they are required to tell their sometimes very personal story to those that do not have the skills to help. This wastes everyone's time ($) & has a very HIGH likelihood of changing "mildly distressed" in to having an "emotional breakdown/overload".
A person may have a mild disability ( someone with a severe disability would possibly have an advocate/carer ring on their behalf), such as ADD where the comprehension organisation skills may be limited, this needs to be taken into account when explaining issues & possibly instructions sent via sms e-mail.
*I love the idea of training unemployed people & hiring them to take calls ( of course there would be a vetting system, as there is in any job), they know what it is like to be on the other end of the line.

*How about the Centrelink staff at the front desk/office being trained in 1st aid & "customer SERVICE", most business have a caring attitude towards there customers.
On a personal note: My daughter needed to see someone at a city Centrelink office, she waited in line for 20 minutes, fainted, was helped by a young man (who originally came from the same small town as she had), who lost his place in the line to assist her to find a seat & get her a drink of water. When she was OK they both returned to the END of the line ( no one let them back in their original place), at no time during this ordeal did anyone from the office of over 30 staff, offer assistance to my daughter, nor did they even acknowledge the event when it was her turn at the counter. So sad.
* Maybe they could adopt a "your attitude determines mine" approach, Every customer is a NEW customer, where those people that are being polite are not subjected to left over emotions from the previous customer who may have been unreasonable.

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REPLY
5 years ago
^centrelink staff are among the most abused and attacked workers in Australia. Ive personally witnessed people throw punches at them when I used to live in a 'westie' suburb. Heaps of people take drugs in the toilets there. They have high rates of depression due to overwork and working in a stressful environment
Im not surprised they have minimal customer service. I don't think most people would last half a day there.

ANSWER
5 years ago
It would be good to email instead of calling.

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REPLY
5 years ago
You can email

REPLY
5 years ago
^no, you cant. They refuse to give an email address out

ANSWER
5 years ago
What I don't understand is why aren't the department's linked? You can tell one one thing but then have to ring another to tell them as well, and the wait is terrible. They need to employ more people, not lessen it, more people are going to need the services and no one will be there for them- and they think that if you get the run around you'll give up-Not a way to look after voters!

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5 years ago
CSA and centrelink need to work from the same system. It is stupid having to update one and then the other. When I first became single someone from Centrelink told me that I don't need to update records with CSA because I had already done it. Wrong, wrong, wrong centrelink person.

ANSWER
5 years ago
More stable and better telephone system and to be able to email requests for information. They will not do that because they do not want things in writing that could show them up badly in a dispute later

ANSWER
5 years ago
There’s a few things:
*better training. You can speak to three different people about the same issue and get 10 different answers to what you are meant to do. If the staff don’t know what’s going on how do they expect anyone else to?
*more staff in call centres. Waiting anymore than 30 minutes to get through is unacceptable, not even being able to get through because it’s engaged is not on either.
*more services in the “branch” (? Is that what it’s called?). Sometimes face to face is so much easier than over the phone or online.
*simpler forms with everyday wording, even a reference section that can help with phrases people may not know.
*clearer website. If they had it easy to understand not as many people would need to call or go in the the branch.

ANSWER
5 years ago
I've only had to call them a couple of times but both times was on the phone, on hold for more than FIVE HOURS and BOTH times was accidentally disconnected and had to repeat this process. I don't understand this wait time at all, if they need more operators why don't they hire more?

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REPLY
5 years ago
Exactly, they need to hire more people. There are plenty of people who are recieving Centrelink who would be more than happy to take a job in one of their call centres. Win win, a few people get a job and more people will get through quicker.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Answer their phone within a reasonable time. Parents can sit on the phone for 30 minutes+ just to speak to someone and ask them one question. Their website is so confusing so you can't even get your answer on there.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Wait time is definitely an issue I had to call them as my ccs cut off without warning I was at work and it took 40 minutes on hold. Communication in general is terrible I had no letter or email before the subsidy was cut off !