Challenging Calls within a TEC Service​

Call handling is about more than picking up a phone and pressing buttons, it’s about handling caller queries, concerns and situations in an empathic, pragmatic and safe way. ​ The range of calls that Call Handlers and Responders in a Technology Enabled Care Service manage and attend, can be extremely diverse and challenging. While our organisations have processes and services in place to support staff after the event, we need to provide the support, tools and strategies to empower our staff to manage these challenging situations effectively at the time.​ By proactively giving your people the tools to manage a difficult situation when it happens, and to prepare them for a variety of scenarios such as being with a service user at their end of life, you are able to arm them to better cope. Combined with active manager input and access to your existing support options your people are much less likely to experience adverse psychological effects. ​

This interactive half-day session will focus on targeted and facilitated conversations and discussions, to build the confidence of Call Handlers and Responders and arm them with the tools and strategies to manage these challenging situations, along with their own mental health and wellbeing. ​

We will begin by facilitating a group discussion to understand, and encourage the group to share their experiences of challenging situations and calls. These may include, but are not limited to repetitive callers, crisis calls, mental health calls, or where citizens are struggling with anxiety or loneliness. We will identify what makes these call challenging, and investigate the best ways to communicate with our service users during these calls. Understand how these calls and situations are currently managed, how they made them feel, and what their thought process was as they were dealing with these calls or in these situations?​

We will then look at roles and responsibilities and identifying the emotions associated with these calls. How do your emotions affect the way that these calls and situations are managed? Then give the Call Handlers and Responders the tools to identify and manage these emotions and look at ways to encourage shared learning, and support each other during these calls.