Call Centre Disconnection Policies
James Welsh made this Official Information request to Ministry of Social Development
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From: James Welsh
Dear Ministry of Social Development,
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act 1982 regarding call centre policies and procedures.
Specifically, I request the following information:
The written policies, guidelines, or operational procedures that outline the circumstances under which a call centre staff member may disconnect a call with a client.
Clarification as to whether a call may be disconnected where a conversation is considered “difficult” but the caller remains civil and does not engage in abusive, threatening, or inappropriate behaviour.
Whether call centre staff have discretion to terminate a call in the absence of uncivil or abusive conduct, and if so, the scope and limits of that discretion.
The required procedural steps (e.g., warnings, escalation to a supervisor, documentation requirements) that staff must follow before disconnecting a call.
Details of any training provided to call centre staff relating to:
a) De-escalation techniques, and
b) Call termination protocols.
The official Saturday operating hours for call centre support.
Any policies or guidance relating to:
a) Placing callers on hold near closing time,
b) Managing calls that extend beyond official business hours, and
c) Whether staff are permitted to disconnect calls at closing time if the call commenced prior to closing.
Whether there are policies governing the use of hold and mute functions in situations where a call is approaching the end of business hours.
What policies govern call disconnection when the call centre is experiencing high call volumes?
What can a Client expect if they were to raise a investigation about a call being unfairly disconnected prior to closing time? What steps does MSD take to investigate these situations?
Could you please provide a list of relevant training modules that the Agents have had to take in regards to call de-escalation?
Could you please provide the contents of the relevant training modules such as questions / answers take in regards to call de-escalation?
If possible, I request copies of the relevant policy documents rather than summaries.
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development
IN-CONFIDENCE
Tçnâ koe James Welsh
Thank you for your email received 14 February 2026, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond.
The information you have requested may contain the names and contact details of our staff. Please let us know by 18 February 2026 whether you require these names and contact details. We will need to consult our staff before deciding whether we can release this information, and this will take a bit more time. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not require staff names and contact details.
Ngâ manaakitanga,
Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mâtou he whakamana tangata kia tû haumaru, kia tû kaha, kia tû motuhake
-----Original Message-----
From: James Welsh <[FOI #33722 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 14 February 2026 1:55 pm
To: OIA_Requests (MSD) <[MSD request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Call Centre Disconnection Policies
[You don't often get email from [FOI #33722 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
Dear Ministry of Social Development,
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act 1982 regarding call centre policies and procedures.
Specifically, I request the following information:
The written policies, guidelines, or operational procedures that outline the circumstances under which a call centre staff member may disconnect a call with a client.
Clarification as to whether a call may be disconnected where a conversation is considered “difficult” but the caller remains civil and does not engage in abusive, threatening, or inappropriate behaviour.
Whether call centre staff have discretion to terminate a call in the absence of uncivil or abusive conduct, and if so, the scope and limits of that discretion.
The required procedural steps (e.g., warnings, escalation to a supervisor, documentation requirements) that staff must follow before disconnecting a call.
Details of any training provided to call centre staff relating to:
a) De-escalation techniques, and
b) Call termination protocols.
The official Saturday operating hours for call centre support.
Any policies or guidance relating to:
a) Placing callers on hold near closing time,
b) Managing calls that extend beyond official business hours, and
c) Whether staff are permitted to disconnect calls at closing time if the call commenced prior to closing.
Whether there are policies governing the use of hold and mute functions in situations where a call is approaching the end of business hours.
What policies govern call disconnection when the call centre is experiencing high call volumes?
What can a Client expect if they were to raise a investigation about a call being unfairly disconnected prior to closing time? What steps does MSD take to investigate these situations?
Could you please provide a list of relevant training modules that the Agents have had to take in regards to call de-escalation?
Could you please provide the contents of the relevant training modules such as questions / answers take in regards to call de-escalation?
If possible, I request copies of the relevant policy documents rather than summaries.
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From: James Welsh
Dear OIA_Requests (MSD),
I am not seeking any employee names
Yours sincerely,
James Welsh
From: James Welsh
Dear OIA_Requests (MSD),
Please do not copy and paste generic macros into this FYI request, your response is an exact replica of your other responses on other requests.
I never asked for any names so whomever is responding to these are just copy and pasting macro replies.
Yours sincerely,
James Welsh
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