Technical Peer Support (TPS) in Compensation Recovery 111-22072908

It is important staff identify the most appropriate channel when seeking technical support.

TPS staff will provide help to resolve an enquiry received by guiding the individual to the relevant resource. Where TPS staff cannot assist, they will escalate the enquiry to a Service Support Officer (SSO) within the Compensation Helpdesk. See Resources page for the link.

Staff must consider the following:

• Self-support has been attempted to resolve the issue utilising one or more of the following resources where appropriate:
• Operational Blueprint
• Compensation Recovery Program SharePoint
• National Network News (NNU)
• mySupport

Is the enquiry specific to Compensation Recovery? (For example, assistance to update periodic compensation payments after attempting to do so using Operational Blueprint.)

If the enquiry relates to a Compensation Recovery work item/activity assigned, can the work item/activity be managed according to the business rules? (For example, compensation charge activity is out of scope for Service Officers who do not work in the Compensation Recovery Team (CRT)). See Work Optimiser for staff.

The Compensation TPS line is intended for compensation officers to seek support on compensation matters. If the request is general in nature refer to the regular Compensation Management line.

See the Resources page for technical support channels.

To prevent incorrect arrears, the request must be referred to the Centrelink Payments Support Team (CPST). A Stop Customer Payment webform via mySupport must be lodged before close of business when:

• an activity is finalised by a Service Officer and incorrect arrears are generated, or
• incorrect arrears are identified by another Service Officer

This should be very rare and is why Service Officers must check the Activity Results (AR) screen thoroughly before finalising an activity.

Record a 'Stop Payment' DOC with the following details:

• payment type/component
• amount to be removed/stopped
• period of the payment to be removed/stopped
• reason the stop payment is needed. Note: 'customer not entitled' is not acceptable. The DOC must specify exactly why the customer is not entitled
• relevant Operational Blueprint file which supports the decision not to pay any unpaid arrears payment (if applicable)

The following circumstances should be referred to TPS if the answer is not available in the relevant reference material:

• The payment status or rate of payment does not reflect the information on the record
• The system will not allow updates to be finalised (including updates recorded in the Compensation Management System (CMS))
• Coding results in an error
• Certain customers reporting technical issues with their Centrelink online account or Express Plus app

For more information and links to webforms, see the Resources page.

Service Officers should listen actively to the customer and use questions to identify the issue or problem, this is important to prevent having to return to the customer to ask similar questions which may result in negative feedback.

Research the customer's record thoroughly, utilising a range of online tools and reference material, for example:

• Document Tools
• Notes/DOCs recorded
• Operational Blueprint (files/messages/updates)
• Network News Update (NNU)
• Office Locator
• SharePoint pages

TPS staff will ask for the references used whenever Service Officers seek TPS help.

Service Officers must not contact TPS to confirm information found in reference material or to confirm that an activity is correct before completing.

Staff seeking level 1 support can contact Compensation Recovery.

The Compensation TPS line is intended for level 1 support enquiries regarding compensation matters. If your request is general in nature it should be referred to the regular business line or program responsible.

If the enquiry is likely to take more than 5-10 minutes, speak with your team leader.

The TPS will ask the Service Officer for the following:

• Name
• Logon ID
• Location (Team/ROC code)
• What help is needed
• Reference material checked
• CRN

After the TPS staff member completes the request, the Service Officer will return to the customer and complete the enquiry, along with any coding needed.

Details of the TPS contact are recorded in the Technical Support Centre (TSC) and the Service Officer who made the enquiry will receive an email after all required information has been entered in the relevant form in TSC.

All parties must observe the APS Code of Conduct when communicating on technical enquiries.

If staff feel that another staff member has not adhered to these values, they should tell their Team Leader or SSO.

Staff must not contact TPS staff after making an enquiry, if follow up is required they should tell their Team Leader.

See the Resources page for links to Ethics - Think about it, Workplace Respect.

Staff outside of Compensation Recovery should email Compensation Recovery Operations for urgent Compensation system (CMS) QOL request.

See Urgent QOL and QOL Disputes.

Service Officers should first attempt to satisfy the customer's enquiry.

If the customer insists they want to speak to a supervisor, find out:

• why the customer is unhappy with the customer service they have received. Transfer the call to a team leader’s phone so the Service Officer can continue taking calls or actioning work items. The team leader will create a DOC on the customer's record that accurately reflects the nature of the referral
• if the reason is technical and needs a more in depth explanation than the Service Officer can give. Tell the customer the call can be transferred to a technical expert. Warm transfer the customer to the appropriate TPS line. Give the TPS Officer full details of the customer's situation so they can take over the customer's call

Note: If the customer refuses the call transfer and insists on talking to a supervisor, explain that a supervisor will not have the required level of technical knowledge to adequately answer their enquiry.

If a customer is not willing to give information as to why they want to speak to a supervisor, tell them that this is needed to provide a timely resolution.

• If the customer is still not willing, place the customer on hold
• Tell your team leader that the customer will not give enough information to determine if they need a supervisor or a technical expert
• Conference call with the team leader. The team leader will determine the most appropriate course of action based on the customer’s circumstances. If:
• the customer is unhappy with the customer service they have received, the team leader will take over the call. The team leader will create a DOC on the customer's record that accurately reflects the nature of the referral
• it is determined the enquiry is technical, the team leader will take over the call and seek assistance to resolve the customer’s enquiry. For example, from an SSO, CAO or FIS

Situations involving customer aggression, see Answering calls in Centrelink.

If the customer wants to lodge a complaint, see Managing complaints and feedback.

When making an unfavourable decision, explain the reason for the decision to the customer. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision.

If the customer needs a further explanation, see Request for an explanation or application for a formal review.

TPS staff provide help to resolve the Service Officer's enquiry by guiding them to the relevant resource, or escalating the enquiry to an SSO (if they are unable to assist).

This may include helping staff by:

• undertaking coding and providing technical advice where it is appropriate to do so, or
• answering Access Support Centre or TPS enquires from Zone or service centre or Smart Centre staff

TPS does not exist to:

• take over escalated calls if the customer is unsatisfied with the quality of the Service Officer
• take ownership over the processing of complex work items or appeals, unless deemed out of scope for the individual, including different business lines
• re-categorise/reassign or escalate work items the Service Officer considers ‘out of scope’
• process over delegation debt waivers
• authorise a Q999 advice, see Assessing suitability to issue a Q999 letter
• escalate a matter to the Compensation Helpdesk on the Service Officer's behalf where the enquiry meets a direct referral prior to seeking assistance

TPS staff will help to resolve the Service Officer's enquiry by guiding them to the relevant resource, or escalating the enquiry to a SSO (if they are unable to assist).

TPS staff will open the Technical Support Centre (TSC) database and select the appropriate form.

TPS staff must ask the Service Officer for the following details to complete all fields in the form:

• name
• log on
• Service Zone (for ASC TSO only)
• what they need help with
• CRN
• any reference material referred to

When completing the TSC form, be accurate, clear and succinct. Choose the correct drop down options.

If the Service Officer has not checked any reference material, TPS still need to resolve the enquiry. Choose Nothing Checked in the Service Officer Checked section of the TSC.

Include the correct resources for future reference by the Service Officer. If an Operational Blueprint file has been referenced, include the number in Reference/s field in the TSC.

Include an accurate summary of the contact in the Comments field in the TSC.

Try to complete requests promptly. Be mindful that the Service Officer may have a customer on hold.

5-10 minutes is the recommended guideline. As a general rule, if the TPS enquiry exceeds this time, TPS should take over the customer enquiry. This frees the Service Officer to help the next customer. Use this as a guide only. New Claim enquiries may extend this time if complex and received from another program line.

If the TPS officer takes over, it is expected they will complete the enquiry and notify the Service Officer of the resolution using the TSC. This is unless there are system limitations or the enquiry is outside the scope of the TPS. This would be identified early and referred to an SSO via the Compensation Helpdesk to resolve. The SSO provides an update of any resolution once achieved.

The TSC database must be completed for every TPS contact, every time from every contact source.

Note: TPS must make sure that no personal or customer details are recorded in the TSC database. This includes:

• Names
• DOBs and any other customer details
• CRN
• Children and ex-partner details in the free text fields

When completing the TSC database, be accurate, clear and succinct. Choose the correct drop down options.

After completing the TSC database, choose the Finalise and notify SO option. This will send an email to the Service Officer with a summary of the TPS contact.

When a TPS staff member decides to refer a record to an SSO because they are unable to resolve it:

• have the Service Officer handle the customer call where relevant
• for system issues supported by a Network News Update (NNU), TPS and Service Officers can escalate the issue directly to ICT using mySupport, unless the issue relates to a Compensation Helpdesk referral. TPS must include the incident number in the escalation and the escalation DOC. This will let the SSO know the activity has been forwarded to ICT
• if a TPS staff member receives a customer call that needs to be escalated, they can escalate directly to a SSO

TPS must complete a DOC on the customer's record detailing the system issue and action already taken. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Generic > Escalation > Escalated to Service Support Officer

When deciding to refer to an SSO, consider the time it will take to research/answer the query and the complexity. TPS should not escalate an enquiry just based on time to resolve.