Capita announces today that it has rapidly deployed its largest ever virtual workforce – to support the UK Government’s Covid-19 relief effort.
The company is leveraging its significant technology and customer management expertise to provide the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with a virtual customer support centre. This is helping the Department deal with the huge surge in demand it has seen for its Universal Credit helpline, which supports vulnerable people, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reflecting Capita’s cross-divisional strengths, the company has implemented a new digital solution which enabled the remote training and deployment of an initial cohort of 200 call handlers and managers in just four weeks. The solution was co-designed and tested with teams from the DWP. Over the coming weeks, an additional 1,000 call handlers will be deployed to support the helpline.
All staff involved have been provided with the necessary technology to work from home as long as the situation demands, such as laptops and headsets. They have also been provided with training using government-developed materials and additional Capita resilience training to prepare them for working remotely. Capita has also been able to use this new stream of work to redeploy furloughed staff.
The company has extensive experience delivering similar services for other public bodies and supporting vulnerable people. Capita’s approach centres on using Amazon Connect which enables call handlers to sign in from any internet browser.
Jon Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Capita, said: “We are proud to be working with the UK Government in a number of different ways to help combat the effects of Covid-19 on society and the economy – and we are committed to continuing to deliver essential public services at a time when it matters more than ever.
