MP committee critical of Customer Management System fiasco

Jobcentre Plus (JC+) service levels suffered a catastrophic failure because of problems with its Customer Management System (CMS), says an influential committee of MPs.

The system was introduced to streamline the benefits service, consolidate processing centres and manage claims through regional contact centres.

But technical glitches, insufficient training and staff shortages led to serious problems.

Last August Computing revealed that some benefits claimants were waiting two months for their payments to start because of issues with CMS.

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee says JC+ undertook too much simultaneous organisational change.

‘Too much has been done too quickly, the planning and IT processes were not up to the job, and service levels have suffered,’ says a report published by the committee last week.

‘We concluded that the service delivered by many JC+ contact centres to their customers suffered a catastrophic failure in the summer of 2005, which led to additional hardship among the most vulnerable in society.’

CMS is designed to enable streamlined procedures that are part of the Department for Work and Pensions plans requiring 40,000 staff cuts by 2008.

‘One of the tests of the Efficiency Programme is that service quality should not deteriorate as a result,’ says the committee.

‘As far as JC+ is concerned, particularly in the summer of 2005, it failed that test, and failed its customers and staff.’

The report acknowledges that the last upgrade, to CMS3 in October, appears to have been a success. But remedial measures, including a reversion to clerical processing, are still in force in seven contact centres.

‘The current system, with some contact centres operating adjusted processes, is not sustainable or robust and adds significantly to staff costs until the problems are solved,’ says the committee. Staff reductions should be put on hold until all contact centres are running CMS successfully, it says.