The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has signed Arvato CRM Solutions to deliver its ‘digital first’ Customer Experience Centre.
Under the five-year contract - valued in the award notice at £37.6 million - the company will provide the agency with services across voice, webchat, email and social media.
The centre is scheduled to open in September with a team of over 180 agents and will also support the Department for Education’s Covid-19 helpline.
The deal, which has the option for a two-year extension, also involves apprentices accounting for 10% of the centre’s workforce.
Stuart Balnaves, deputy director customer service at ESFA, said: “The new Customer Engagement Centre will play a central part in our ongoing strategy to develop a digital experience model designed to make it as simple as possible for learners, employers and education providers to access our services.”
Debra Maxwell, CEO of Arvato, commented: “Out partnership will support the ESFA in realising its ambitious transformation plans, moving beyond a traditional contact centre structure to deliver a digital first customer engagement centre that will meet the changing needs of its users.”
Image from iStock, Aboudz
