SWEP would like to provide an update on how we are working during the COVID 19 restrictions.
As some of you would be aware SWEP shifted to having staff working from home, where possible, in late March. This had an impact on our phone systems and how we manage our calls. Since late March callers have had to leave messages and wait for a return call from our staff, with many people experiencing delays in speaking directly with a staff member. We wanted to say thank you for your patience during these difficult times and acknowledge there has been frustration for some people in making contact with our service.
SWEP has always prided itself on timely communications with our vulnerable consumer cohort. We are very pleased to advise that we have now found an alternative system that has allowed us to re-establish our phone queues.
Effective from Wednesday 15 July, upon calling our 1300 747 937 number you will once again hear our queue options. This will enable you to choose the program you wish to speak to, where a staff member will directly deal with your call. We confirm that our staff are still working from home, and there may be a slight delay for some phone operators answering your call. If the line does go quiet for a few seconds, please be patient whilst the call connects through to the home environment.
We are very proud of our team who have rose to the challenges of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our team has continued to be productive in application management and responding to a higher volume of email queries in the absence of our usual phone systems. Our email drop boxes are now reasonably up-to-date and accordingly there should be less delay in responding to your email queries moving forward.
Thank you again for your patience, during these extremely challenging times. If you wish to provide feedback please email: swep@bhs.org.au
Regards
SWEP Management Team
