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Customer services for the canal


The second instalment of waterscape’s staff interview series takes a look at the role of Jo Hatch in the customer service team and finds out how she helps keep canal users happy

Customer service departments can be one of the most unpredictable places to work in any company and at British Waterways it’s no exception. Jo Hatch is one of British Waterways’ five customer service advisers based in Watford, who spend their working day answering calls and emails with endless questions about all aspects of our canals and rivers.

Having been with British Waterways for almost six years, Jo is now adept at dealing with all manner of questions and says: “I don’t really have an ‘average’ day here. The tasks that I carry out are all so different. As part of the national team I’ll deal with anything from people who want to licence their boat to people phoning in to tell us that there’s a cow in the canal. Some days we’ll deal with emergency calls and then people looking for a mooring. We’ve even had a man who wanted to know how to construct a wind turbine and make electricity from the canal.”

Cows in the canal

In an average month Jo will answer around 1,000 calls and with 32,000 licensed boats on the system, the majority of these are from boaters. Jo has to be ready to deal with any enquiry and explains: “We have to have a huge knowledge base. I definitely know much more about canals than when I first started here although I wouldn’t say that I’m an expert as there’s so much to learn. My British geography all stems from the canals now though!”

In addition to the usual boat licensing and stranded animal enquiries, the customer service team also takes its fair share of weird and wonderful requests. “We have plenty of callers who think we’re the water board. When we explain who we are they then ask who their water board is. We also get plenty of requests to book holidays for people, one man who wanted to swim in the canal for charity and a lady who wanted to know if she could keep her chickens on the towpath (we said yes as long as she didn’t let them roam free or cause an obstruction).”

So much to learn

As well as manning the phones, the customer service team also takes about 100-150 emails each week, which must all be responded to. “We reply to every single request and again like the phone calls these can vary from questions like how many water voles do we have to how many bridges and locks are on a certain canal,” says Jo. “It’s our job to know who the best people in the business are to direct the enquiries to. Because there’s so much to learn it really gives you a buzz when you know something straight off and can help people instantly. It’s not just the public we help. Our colleagues also come to us for advice about who to speak to for certain things.”

Although the team is busy all year round, there are peak times when the phones don’t let up for a minute. “Our busiest season is from March to September,” explains Jo. The phones are always ringing then. Over the rest of the year our busiest time is the 20th on to the end of the month. People usually leave it until the last minute to renew their boat licence. We do tend to get more walkers and holiday makers calling us in the summer as well, which keeps the phones ringing.”

So the next time you spot a cow in the canal or need to know how many gallons of water the average lock holds, get in touch with customer services on 01923 201120 or email enquiries.hq@britishwaterways.co.uk and test their knowledge.

Last updated: 09/12/2010

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