The first thing a Swansea adviser noticed about Brightmere's new call-summary tool was the space after the customer stopped speaking. Instead of beginning every note from a blank box, the employee had a draft to read and correct. 'It still needs me to check it, but there is something there to start with,' the adviser said.
Brightmere introduced automated call summaries at its Swansea contact centre on 2 February. The change covers English-language calls. Welsh-language calls are not included because the transcription is not yet accurate enough, the company said. Advisers handling those conversations continue to record the account in the existing way.
The Swansea introduction is limited to summaries. Automated quality scoring, empathy scoring and the vulnerability model used at Bristol have not been introduced at the centre. A Brightmere spokesperson said the company was learning from the use of notes and supporting colleagues as they became familiar with the tool.
The adviser, who asked not to be named, said writing notes while listening had always involved choosing where to put attention. They welcomed the possibility of looking back at a draft rather than relying entirely on memory after a detailed conversation. Their caution concerned whether the software had captured the customer's actual request.
'If somebody changes their mind halfway through the call, the ending matters,' the employee said. 'I want to see that the note says what we finally agreed, not just what they first asked.' They said checking could be quick on a simple account question and take more thought when a conversation moved between several issues.
A second Swansea colleague was pleased that the rollout had not brought the automated scoring that had caused concern among Bristol staff. ECSU lodged a grievance over scoring at Filton in November. 'People here have heard about that,' the employee said. 'You need to be clear about what has actually arrived on our screen.'
That colleague also worked with Welsh-speaking customers and said the language limit needed to remain visible when discussing any saving in administration. 'I can have a draft for one call and write the next note myself. It would be odd to describe the whole day as if it worked the same way.'
Brightmere said accuracy and the need for adviser review were part of the introduction. Asked when Welsh-language summaries would be available, the company did not give a date. It said the Welsh service remained an important part of the Swansea operation and customers could continue to choose it for account conversations.
It is too early for the employees interviewed to describe a settled routine. One said the most useful support so far had been comparing a draft with the conversation just completed. 'I will know more when I have used it on an awkward day,' they said. 'This week I am learning when to trust it and when to slow down.'