Emergency Planners highlight the need for improvements to voice services

London, England. February 2010

BT SmartNumbers today announced the results of a survey amongst emergency planners who attended the recent Civil Contingencies 2010 Conference. The results highlight the disruption to public services caused by the recent severe weather. It also signals the need for improvements to how voice services are delivered to ensure continuity when workers are unable to reach their normal place of work.

The survey reveals how high level contingency planners, from local authorities, emergency services, government departments and agencies, have been impacted by the recurring instances of extreme weather in the UK over the last two years. 77% stated that severe weather had an impact on their organisation’s operational effectiveness. This contrasted with rising tide events such as pandemics at 37% and terrorist attacks at 22%. 68% stated that they had been impacted by infrastructure failures such as transportation and power outages, highlighting a causal link between such failures and severe weather.

Voice services provided to the public and other public sector departments were considered one of the key services that needed be maintained in the event of a disruption. With 72% stating that losing all telecommunications would have a very significant impact upon their organisation. However, 68% of respondents reported that their staff cannot continue to be contacted on their usual office number if they were unable to reach their place of work.

"The problems caused by the recent severe weather highlights the critical importance of voice communications in the public sector. This is especially acute for groups such as the elderly who are dependent upon the telephone as their primary means of communication," commented Andrew Bale, Chief Operating Officer at BT SmartNumbers. "This research throws light on just how dependent many of our public sector workers are on being able to reach one physical location to receive calls," added Bale, "It signals the need for improvements to the management of inbound voice services so teams and individuals can continue to handle calls wherever they can be most effective."

The survey was conducted by BT SmartNumbers at Civil Contingencies Conference 2010 on 26 January 2010. A total of 71 respondents with responsibility for emergency planning participated in the survey. They represent public sector organisations ranging from local councils, primary care trusts, government departments, agencies and the emergency services.