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Welfare inquiries line receiving up to 1,500 calls daily

call centre

Operators at the 1450 line receive up to 1,500 phone calls regarding welfare benefits inquiries per day, an official said on Tuesday.

Following the launch of the hotline on March 30, some 1,200 to 1,500 people are contacting 1450 every day requesting information related to social welfare benefits, Deputy Ministry for Social Welfare official Christos Diomedous told the Cyprus News Agency.

Until end of May, the centre will operate on a pilot basis which allows the deputy ministry of research and innovation to monitor performance indicators, he said, adding that some problems have already been resolved.

These include initial issues that left people waiting on the line for an operator with Diomedous noting how the aim is to keep the waiting time under one minute.

So far, the centre employs 20 operators but these will be reinforced with additional staff if necessary since the agreement with the private contractor company provides for 2,200 calls per day.

The service operates on three levels. First, general information is provided through recorded messages on issues concerning the two services offered by 1450, while at the second level personalised service is provided although ensuring that no information is given to third parties.

At the third level, when there are more complex requests, they are referred to officials of the relevant services through a ticketing system and answered within 48 hours by telephone.

In many cases, Diomedous said, people’s inquiries are addressed by the information in the centre’s recorded messages.

Local residents can contact 1450 free of charge while people from abroad may call on +357 22 008020 which includes a charge. The line operates from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm.

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