Safe harbour

KEEPING INFORMED

As we learnt during our visit; to tour the whole port requires a vehicle, so a priority for the cleaning team is staying on top of client requests. To enhance response times, Churchill introduced its digital platform Mo:dus which enables the cleaning team to monitor contract performance and gives the Port team full visibility via the client portal. Mo:dus incorporates a helpdesk function that allows for the logging and categorising of service calls and the instant allocation of jobs – all co-ordinated by a dedicated on-site administrator who works in real time with the system.

A further innovation with Mo:dus was the introduction of a QR code system, positioned around the site, for instance, outside the toilet facilities which collects direct feedback from Port customers.

Explains Temby: “What we’ve found from the feedback is that complaints are not necessarily about the cleanliness, it might be locks broken on the doors for instance. On the back of that kind of information, we’ve been able to relay that to the Port and their response times of fixing locks and doors has increased, so by being able to give that feedback has led to hopefully a better experience for the customer.”

Another innovation is the introduction of a Dover Harbour Board app called Evotix. The Churchill team assists the DHB by reporting issues via the app in real time, which means that members of staff are empowered to communicate instantly if they see any breakages, spillages or other issues that need immediate attention.

SUSTAINABILITY & STAFF

A key aspect of the contract has been to support the Port’s sustainable agenda, so a range of green initiatives have been introduced, including the use of Purex, a chemical-free cleaning solution, a switch to using Metsä paper consumables which are derived from sustainable forestry and replacing the bedding plants around the site with perennials which endure year around. Added to this an important societal proviso is that all Churchill colleagues based at the Port are paid the Living Wage.

This is one of the reasons why, given the constraints on many organisations in finding cleaning staff, recruitment and retainment rates among the Churchill team at the Port are high.

Explains Contract Manager Tracy Bear: “We tend to work with the local Job Centre which hosts Churchill with a room for the day, allowing us to complete interviews of all suitable candidates in one day. While drivers are a little bit more difficult to find we always fill all our vacancies and it is a positive way of supporting our social values as well, because we will work closely with the Job Centre to hire people who may have been long term out of work.

“We also adapt jobs as well, because sometimes we find that we’ve got people who have got slight difficulties with one area, or they need to go part time because of caring responsibilities, so we will change their schedules, and we also create jobs for people who thrive in certain areas.”

Safety and security are of course of huge importance for the operation of the port. All the staff must undergo the Port’s GSSAT security and safety training, as well as Action Counters Terrorism training. There is a strict vetting process in place for everyone working at the Port, with all Churchill team members required to have a basic DBS check with additional Port checks before they can be issued a pass.

The teams are issued with mobile phones, those on night shifts have panic alarms and cleaning teams employed along the sea front during the evenings work in pairs to ensure their personal safety.

FUTURE PLANS

The next big challenge for the Port will be the introduction of the new “Entry/Exit System,” (EES) by the European Union, an automated IT system which will be designed to digitally record the entry and exit details of non-EU nationals. Because biometric data like fingerprints and facial images will be deployed, rather than the traditional passport stamping process, travellers going through the Port will need to scan their passports at a kiosk and provide their biometric data for registration in the system.

This raises some practical implications for the Port, as West-Moore explains: “We’ve got some huge infrastructure changes to make in adopting the EES. Currently, passengers coming to the border do not need to exit their vehicles, they go straight through. After the implementation of EES, everyone is going to have to get out go to a kiosk, which will require new buildings and all the tech.

“This also brings massive changes for Churchill as well, as the new buildings, including additional toilet facilities are going to need to remain clean and presentable for the public.

“But we’re all prepared for the new raft of changes and the fact that Churchill have been with us for so long actually says something about how good they have been, and how successful the partnership will be going forward.”