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405-510 West Hastings St. Vancouver BC V6B 1L8 tel (604)424-8631 fax (604) 424-8632 on unceded land of the Coast Salish people, whom we thank for their forbearance
QUAIL WORTH ALLEVATO
B A R R I S T E R S A N D S O L I C I T O R S Allevato & Quail Law Corporation
Leigha L. Worth Law Corporation
our file 14-015
October 24, 2014
via email - [email protected] B.C. Utilities Commission Box 250, 900 Howe Street Sixth Floor Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2N3 attention: Erica Hamilton, Commission Secretary Dear Mesdames/Sirs: Re: Insurance Corporation of British Columbia - 2014 Revenue Requirements Application It has come to our attention that one item in the Information Request filed on behalf of COPE 378 is erroneous. Rather than essentially duplicate question 2.2.1, question 2.2.2 should have read as follows:
2.2.2 Analysis used in the budget planning process showing the projected service level performance based on the FTE allocated to the call centre for budget years 2012, 2013 and 2014.
We have attached a corrected version of the Information Request with this error remedied. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Yours truly, Quail Worth & Allevato
Jim Quail cc: parties of record, via email
C3-5-1
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BRITISH COLUMBIA UTILITIES COMMISSION
INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
2014 REVENUE REQUIREMENTS APPLICATION
CORRECTED INFORMATION REQUEST NO. 1 OF THE CANADIAN OFFICE AND
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 378 (Oct. 24 2014)
TOPIC 1: ADJUSTER CASELOADS IN CLAIM CENTRES
1.1 Please provide a chart showing the total number of open files of adjusters in claim centres
across the province (excluding the Claims Contact Centre) on the first day of every month from
October 2012 through September 2014.
TOPIC 2: CLAIMS HIERARCHY AND CLAIMS CONTACT CENTRE PROJECTS –
PLANNING AND OUTCOMES
2.1 With respect to (a) the Claims Hierarchy and (b) the ClaimCenter Initiatives (for all areas
including the Claims Contact Centre) please provide the following:
2.1.1 Existing workload, staffing and performance (service & quality) measures over the 12-
month period immediately before the commencement of project implementation.
2.1.2 ICBC’s pre-implementation project planning assumptions showing the realigned
workload, staffing and projected performance measures for implementation (by rollout phase, if
applicable).
2.1.3 ICBC’s post-implementation review showing actual workload, staffing and performance
measures (by rollout phase if applicable, including ClaimCenter performance to date).
2.2 For Claims Contact Centre annual budget planning, please provide the following:
2.2.1 Analysis used in the budget planning process showing the projected service level
performance based on the afternoon and weekend shift premiums and overtime allowance to staff
statutory holidays allocated to the call centre for budget years 2012, 2013 and 2014.
2.2.2 2.2.2 Analysis used in the budget planning process showing the projected service level
performance based on the FTE allocated to the call centre for budget years 2012, 2013 and 2014.
TOPIC 3: CLAIMS CONTACT CENTRE SYSTEM TRAINING
3.1 Provide a detailed outline of the training process staff underwent for the ClaimCentre software. Be
specific in terms of the types of materials, modules, and methods utilized as well as the number of hours of
training that each staff member completed.
2 3.2 How much time were staff given to practice on the system in a controlled environment before
needing to utilize it to handle live claims?
3.3 What additional training was provided to the supervisors and super-users who were responsible for
providing support for regular phone staff?
3.4 Why were the Claim Centre trainer positions eliminated in January of 2013?
3.4.1 Who is now performing their functions?
TOPIC 4: CLAIMS CONTACT CENTRE – PROCEDURAL CHANGES
COMMENT: COPE is informed that ICBC management has instituted a series of procedural
changes in the Claims Contact Centre following the full-implementation date of April 26, 2014,
including instructions to discontinue a number of tasks they formerly performed.
4.1 Please file a copy of all email messages sent by management to staff implementing changes
in procedure for the handling of calls.
4.2 Please file a copy of all email messages sent by management to staff changing the suite of
issues that they are expected to canvass with customers.
4.3 Why were these changes made?
4.4 How does ICBC now obtain the information which is no longer addressed by staff at the
Claims Contact Centre when handing calls from customers?
TOPIC 5: CLAIMS TRANSFORMATION IMPLEMENTATION
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-7 slide 71 and slide 77: This slide from the September 26, 2014
Review Working Session indicates that ICBC expects a “Stabilization” time-frame of 12 – 18
months from the completion of the “Implementation” phase until the “Steady State” phase in the new
Claims System. At the session, ICBC representatives advised that this forecast was provided in a
report from a third-party consultant based on a review of other companies.
5.1 Please confirm ICBC’s advice at the Review Working Session that the Implementation phase
commenced in November 2013 and was completed with full implementation on April 28, 2014.
5.2 If this is not confirmed then when was the Implementation phase commenced and when was
it completed?
5.3 Please confirm ICBC’s advice at the Review Working Session that this means that the time-
frame shown in slide 71 for “Stabilization” phase commenced on or about April 28, 2014 and is
projected to be completed between April 28 2015 and October 28, 2015.
5.4 When and how was the information gathered to formulate ICBC’s forecast timeline for stabilization?
3 5.5 When was the forecast generated?
5.6 Is ICBC aware of the factors involved in the stabilization experiences of those other entities they
examined when you formulated this timeline for stabilization? If so, please list those factors and discuss how
ICBC expects them to relate to ICBC’s experience.
5.7 Is ICBC aware of the factors that were considered by your third party consultant to prepare the report
that was used by ICBC to formulate its forecast of its stabilization period? If so, please list them and how
ICBC expects those factors will affect the corporation’s actual experience.
5.8 Were there factors not present in other entities’ stabilization experiences or the consultant’s reports
that ICBC identified would be relevant to the Corporation’s stabilization? If so, please identify what those
factors were and how the Corporation expected those factors would affect its stabilization timeline.
5.9 Please file a copy of the third-party report upon which the forecast was based.
COMMENT: COPE is informed that during the week of October 13 2014, ICBC management gave
directions to ramp down the implementation of the Claims Transformation Project.
5.10 Please describe all aspects of the Transformation Project whose implementation time-lines
are being adjusted.
5.11 Please provide the adjusted time-lines resulting from the ramping-down decision.
5.12 Please explain thoroughly the reasons for this change.
5.13 Please describe in detail the impact of these decisions upon the time-line in Exhibit B-7 slide
71.
5.14 Please provide an up-to-date estimation of the completion date for the Transformation Project
with supporting analysis.
5.15 What will the implications of the ramping-down of implementation of the Transformation
Project have upon:
operating costs;
staffing requirements; and
service quality and measures.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-7 slide 77
5.17 Please expand the table shown in slide 77 to extend from January 2013 through October 2014
and for each month indicate the total number of claims made arising motor vehicle crashes.
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REFERENCE: Exhibit B-7 slide 81 At the Review Working Session, ICBC representatives
referred to ICBC’s “Corporate Approach” to the rising representation rate.
5.18 Please file ICBC’s most complete documentary description of the current Corporate
Approach.
TOPIC 6: SERVICE LEVEL GOALS
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.1 – Service Level Goals p. 1:
1(a) How was the 80%/100 second goal ICBC uses established?
When this issue was discussed in the proceeding on ICBC’s 2006 Revenue
Requirements Application, ICBC indicated that the service level of 80 percent of
calls answered within 100 seconds was a business decision made based on a
review of a number of service level options and comparisons with other call
centres, balanced with the complexity of the business and taking into
consideration the cost of service delivery.
6.1 What service level data from other call centers was used to determine the 80/100 service
benchmark?
6.2 What staffing assumptions were used to evaluate the cost of service delivery, including basic
wage/benefit costs and estimates for overtime costs?
6.3 Please provide all assumptions used for FTE calculations, including workload (calls x AHT),
staffing calculation models, shrinkage assumptions, and any scheduling rules causing scheduling
inflexibility. Include any other assumptions in FTE calculations.
6.4 Please provide actual calculations used to arrive at FTE numbers for 2013, 2014, and
upcoming 2015 to meet the 80/100 service goal.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.1 – Service Level Goals p. 1:
1(b) How does the delay this measurement benchmarks compare to those used by other
insurance contact or call centres in North America and what are the inputs used by
those other insurance contact or call centres?
As indicated in Chapter 10, the New Claims Initiation performance measure is
the percentage of calls answered within a specified period; i.e., “X% of calls
answered within Y seconds”. While ICBC does monitor its performance relative
to other call centres, direct comparisons cannot readily be made because of
differences in the types of calls and the way those calls are handled. In ICBC’s
case, particular types of claims are handled by phone rather than having the call
centre operator simply record calls then assign an adjuster to the file. This
results in a longer average call length for ICBC. Also, the changes discussed in
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2013 Revenue Requirements Application to improve the BI first notice of loss
processes and processes for accessing accident benefits were expected to increase
call length but improve call resolution and customer satisfaction.
6.5 Which North American call centers were used as benchmarks for setting service goals?
6.6 Provide the benchmarking data that influenced the 80/100 service goal decision.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.1 – Service Level Goals p. 2:
1(c) Specifically, how does ICBC measure their performance as against this specific
service level number?
Performance against service levels is measures in 30 minute intervals.
COMMENT: This is an unsatisfactory, incomplete answer. Almost all call center metrics are
provided in 30-minute intervals. This is not a complete answer to the question. There are many ways
to measure service level and it is critical to understand how the reported numbers are calculated.
6.7 Provide a detailed description of how abandoned calls are factored into the service level
calculation. Include a description of which, if any, abandons are ignored in the calculation.
6.8 Describe the process of averaging numbers that are found in the Application. (For example,
are half-hourly numbers averaged together for daily numbers that are then averaged together for
weekly, then monthly, then annually?) Please provide the specific numbers used in the calculation
for the numbers provided in the Application.
6.9 Define the measurement period. What period of time is used? Are there any periods not
included in the calculation?
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.1 – Service Level Goals p. 2-3:
1(e) Roughly half of new claims calls fall outside the time-period you are measuring and
reporting on, so service to half your claimants is not accounted for in this metric. Of the
half who take longer than 100 seconds to answer, how many take two minutes? How
many take 5 minutes? How many take longer than that?
As noted in the above responses and in the responses to 2014 RR COPE.MOI.3,
there are other internal measures which ICBC uses to measure new calls; this
includes First Call Resolution, average speed of answer, wrap time,
abandonment percentage and engage talk time.
The average speed of answer is a useful metric to ensure that customers
experience reasonable wait times; however, as noted in Chapter 6, ICBC needs
to balance increasing staffing to address increased call answer times and the
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costs of doing so, taking into consideration transitional impacts as well as the
impacts on customer satisfaction.
This information requested is not currently tracked in this manner and involve a
separate data extract. ICBC is making all attempts to have this information
available as soon as possible.
COMMENT: It is fine to have other measures of service that provide a balanced view of service to
callers. However, this question pertains to the specific wait time issue. With a service level of 53%
in 100 seconds as reported in the Application, this means that while half the callers are answered in
100 second or less, it means the other half wait longer than that. Average speed of answer (ASA) –
the average delay for all calls, or average delay of delayed calls will provide a clearer picture of the
overall wait time for all callers.
6.10 Provide ASA (average speed of answer) numbers for the defined time period.
6.11 Provide ADDC (average delay of delayed calls) for the defined time period.
6.12 Provide breakdown of calls that waited more than 200 seconds (twice the planned wait
threshold) for the defined time period.
6.13 Provide breakdown of calls that waited more than 400 seconds (four times the planned wait
threshold) for the defined time period.
6.14 What is ICBC’s understanding of the impact of ASA on the willingness of customers who are
calling on mobile telephones to wait on the line?
6.15 What is the impact of increasing reliance on mobile telephones upon the significance of ASA
as a customer service metric?
6.16 What steps have ICBC taken to address the impact of mobile telephone use upon customer
tolerance for extended waiting on hold?
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.1 – Service Level Goals p. 3:
1(f) Reference: Page 10-8 paragraph 27. Do you mean customer satisfaction will be
impacted positively or negatively?
Page 10-8 paragraph 27 does not discuss customer satisfaction; rather, it
discusses the negative impact to average handle time during Phase 1 of the
rollout of the new claims management system in November 2013. It also says,
“The effects on average handle time continue as the largest phase of
implementation was introduced in the Lower Mainland in April 2014.” The
quoted sentence refers to the expected negative impacts to average handle time
during the transition period for the rollout beginning in April 2014. However,
average handle time is not the same as customer satisfaction.
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6.17 Provide table that shows average customer satisfaction scores for each month in the study
period, along with AHT numbers. Provide correlation analysis that shows relationship between AHT
and customer satisfaction scores.
6.18 Provide table that shows average customer satisfaction scores for each month in the study
period, along with service level numbers. Provide correlation analysis that shows relationship
between service level and customer satisfaction scores.
TOPIC 7: SERVICE LEVEL METRICS
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 1:
2(a) What is the process by which ICBC measures the service level number?
ICBC uses internal Business Insights reporting on service levels using data from
the Genesys phone system.
COMMENT: This response does not provide insight into the PROCESS by which service level is
measured. It only provides the source of information.
7.1 Describe the process by which service level numbers provided in the Application are
calculated and reported. (Include time period, averaging approach, abandonment considerations, etc.)
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 1:
2(c) What calculation approach is used (averaging, weighted averaging, interval success
rates, or some other approach)?
Weighted averaging based on call volumes is the calculation approach used as it
provides the most accurate and holistic view for ICBC’s business.
7.2 Provide one sample day of statistics and show precise calculation approach.
7.3 Provide a report showing how many of the 48 intervals each day meet the SL goal for the
defined time period.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 1:
2(d) What other metrics are used to evaluate the speed or quality of service delivered to
ICBC callers?
ICBC also uses average speed of answer; abandonment rates; service level; first
call resolution; customer satisfaction; and average handle time (talk time and
after call time).
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And REFERENCE Exhibit B-7 slide 77:
COMMENT: In the PPT slides presented on September 26, it is unclear how AHT is calculated.
AHT is generally calculated as the sum of talk time plus after call work. The AHT numbers shown
in the Table on Slide 77 are not the sum of these numbers.
7.4 Provide the calculation used to report AHT numbers.
7.5 Provide explanation for why AHT is not equal to talk time plus after-call work.
7.6 Provide the calculation for abandon rates. Specifically, is there a threshold in which
abandoned calls are ignored, such as calls abandoning in first 5 or 10 seconds are not counted as true
abandons?
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 1
2(f) How are abandoned calls taken into account in the calculation of service level?
All abandoned calls are considered in the total volume of calls (calls offered).
COMMENT: There are several ways to account for abandons in the calculation of service level.
With a SL goal is 80% of calls answered in a threshold of 100 seconds, there are three primary ways
to calculate SL:
Method 1:
(Calls Handled in 100 seconds + Calls Abandoned before 100 sec)/Total Calls
Method 2:
Ignore abandons entirely. SL considers just calls handled.
(Calls Handled in 100 seconds/Total Calls Handled)
Method 3
Only count the calls handled in y sec as handled calls, but compare to all
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(Calls Handled in 100 seconds)/ Total Calls Handled + Total Calls Abandoned
This last method is the preferred method for incorporating abandoned calls into the actual
speed of answer calculation.
Example:
Assume the following numbers.
Wait Time in Sec Calls Abandoned Calls Handled
0 0 100
25 10 100
50 20 200
75 30 200
100 50 400
150 50 500
200 60 600
250 70 700
300 80 800
Total 360 3600
Calculations of Service Level:
Method 1: ( 1000 + 110) / 3960 = 28%
Method 2: 1000 / 3600 = 28%
Method 3: (1000 / 3960) = 25%
7.7 Provide the specific calculation of service level showing how abandoned calls are included.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 2:
2(g) What is the average delay driving abandon rate for calls?
As of August 31st year to date average speed of answer for all Customer Service
Assistant queues was 657 seconds. This number has been steadily improving over
the second half of 2014, with the ongoing system and process improvements
being implemented, additional tools and support for staff, and increased staff
familiarity with the new system.
7.8 Provide reports that show what the average tolerance for delay is by showing average delay to
abandon.
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-8 2014 COPE.MOI.2 – Service Level Metrics p. 2:
2(h) Please provide a histogram of your speed of answer times, with the horizontal
representing increments of 5% of volume and the vertical representing the wait time.
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ICBC is in the process of compiling this data and will make best efforts
to produce the information as soon as possible.
7.8 Provide graphs as requested.
TOPIC 8: FIRST CALL RESOLUTION
8.1 What percentage of sampled customer contacts resulted in the referral of the customer to:
(a) A Valet / c.a.r. repair shop under the Express Repair program; and/or
(b) A Glass Express shop?
8.2 Please provide a table showing ICBC’s monthly FCR scores from October 2012 through
September 2014 excluding contacts where the call resolution involved a referral to either of those
services.
8.3 Please confirm that neither of these services is offered by insurers in other jurisdictions that
are not monopoly service providers.
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.3 – First Call Resolution page 1:
3(a) How does ICBC measure First Call Resolution (FCR) rate?
ICBC contracts with Service Quality Measurement Group Inc. (SQM), an
independent call centre benchmarking organization for call centre quality
monitoring and metrics, and best practices information. First call resolution is
determined using SQM methodology. The score is derived from the customer
who made the initial call, and who is surveyed within two business days of their
call. The customer is asked “was your call resolved?” and “how many calls did
you make to resolve your call?”
8.4 Provide more detail about how FCR surveys are done. Specifically, answer the following
questions:
What is the sampling percentage?
What is the survey procedure – call, email, paper, etc.?
What is the response rate?
What is the statistical reliability and validity of the survey results?
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REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.3 – First Call Resolution page 1:
3(b) What is the process for determining FCR success and failure and how is it
reported?
FCR success is determined by a high percentage of customers surveyed who
report first call resolution; a high percentage of calls resolved, and low average
number of calls to resolve the purpose of the initial call. Failure is measured by
SQM Action Alerts, which are measured as an overall percentage of customers
surveyed. ICBC has a process to review and act upon Action Alerts. ICBC has a
process to review and act upon Action Alerts within 48 hours. ICBC’s rate of
Action Alerts is 1% compared to industry average of 3%.The difference
between FCR and call resolution is that call resolution may take more than one
call to achieve resolution, whereas FCR takes only one call to resolve.
8.5 What is the specific goal for FCR rate?
8.6 Describe in more detail the Action Alert process.
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.3 – First Call Resolution page 1:
3(c) How does the number for FCR compare to other North American call centers?
SQM Group measures ICBC’s Call Centre against 450 leading North American
Call Centres. ICBC has consistently been ranking in the first quartile. The Call
Centre industry benchmark is currently 68%. In order to be in the first
quartile, FCR must be 76% or higher. ICBC’s FCR is 82% year to date.
COMMENT: There are many ways to measure FCR and it done differently in contact centers
around the world.
8.7 Provide A copy of SQM Benchmark report. Report should include the methodology of
gathering customer data, definitions of FCR by various centers, and a listing of centers to which
ICBC is being compared.
8.8 Provide details of the data that contributed to the 82% rate reported. How many customers
were surveyed and what percentage of the calls for that period does that represent?
TOPIC 9: NEW SYSTEM INTRODUCTION AND AVERAGE HANDLE TIME
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.4 page 1:
4(a) Please provide a table showing the following information in half hour increments
from 11:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs on the first Monday – Friday of each month starting in
November of 2013 through to the most current month, September of 2014.
Please see the attached report which contains the requested data.
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COMMENT: Some of the numbers in the MOI Response Table do not make sense.
For example, using the first block of data in the table (Monday 11/04/2013):
Interval
Offered
Accepted
% Daily Total
AHT
Staffing Number
Service Level
Aban Calls
Aban Rate
11:30 180 145 4% 999 106 19% 35 19%
12:00 207 171 4% 1118 97.2 12% 36 17%
12:30 193 144 4% 1030 91.2 22% 49 25%
13:00 184 148 4% 945 97.8 14% 37 20%
13:30 189 169 4% 1117 96.0 13% 20 11%
14:00 191 155 4% 1083 99.3 19% 37 19%
14:30 150 133 4% 1043 98.3 12% 17 11%
9.1 How is the “% Daily Total” column calculated? How can 207 calls at 12:00 and 150 calls at
14:30 both be 4% of the daily total amount? Seeing the same “% Daily Total” for each period of the
day suggests that a simple average is used for calculations and not a weighted average as stated
earlier as a means for calculating service level. Please provide calculation for this column in the
Table.
9.2 What does the Staffing Number provided in Table represent? Did this number represent the
actual number of staff that were actually involved in the call-handling process each half-hour or is it
the number of staff planned for the interval? If it is the Planned Staff number, what were the
assumptions used in the calculation? If it represents the Actual Staff number, how does this differ
from the Planned Staff number for the half-hour?
9.3 Please provide expanded version of this Table to include these columns:
Interval
Forecast Calls
Actual Calls Offered
Actual Call Handled (Accepted)
Abandoned Call Rate
Interval % of Daily Total
AHT
Forecast Staff Requirement (for 80/100)
Scheduled Staff
Actual Staff
Occupancy
Service Level
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REFERENCE: Exhibit B-7, slide 79
At the Review Working Session, ICBC representatives stated that measures were implemented in the
middle of August 2014 to improve Average Handle Time and other service metrics.
9.4 Please describe all of these measures and file ICBC’s documentation related to the
implementation of each of the measures.
9.5 Please file all fresh projections of Claims Contact Centre AHT that have been made by
Claims Contact Centre management after September 26, 2014. If they have not developed numerical
projections, please file all fresh assessments describing management’s expectations in terms of the
direction and magnitude of performance trends. If such projections or assessments have been made
at a higher level in the Corporation please file those also.
TOPIC 10: STAFFING PLAN
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.5 – Staffing Plan page 1:
5(a) With call volumes remaining reasonably constant (2012 compared to 2014) and
handle times rising dramatically, what staffing increases are anticipated for remainder
of 2014 and all of 2015 and 2016?
Staffing will be assessed on an on-going basis as the business process and system
enhancements stabilize through the transition period. ICBC expects Claims
Transformation to have short term impacts on staffing, efficiency levels and
customer service. During the initial period of full province wide system
implementation, it was necessary to ascertain the short term effects in these
areas to determine the appropriate level of staffing required. Staffing levels will
be adjusted as appropriate.
COMMENT: It does not appear that ICBC did what was “necessary to ascertain the short-term
effects in these areas to determine the appropriate level of staffing” as stated above. There were not
anywhere near sufficient adjustments made to staffing levels as noted in the resulting dramatic drops
in staffing levels and increases in abandoned calls.
There is no evidence that there are plans in the short-term to increase staffing levels to maintain
reasonable service levels for callers or reasonable workload levels for staff. It seems that ICBC is
content to wait around for AHT to drop over a long period of time with customers and staff suffering
the consequences.
The answer here is vague -- “staffing levels adjusted as appropriate”. What are the specific plans
for 2015 staffing levels and what are the steps being taken now to ensure staffing levels improve for
2015 and into 2016 and 2017 if the long-term effects of the transformation continue as stated?
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10.1 Provide the calculations and results from the analysis performed to show the “short term
effects in these areas to determine the appropriate level of staffing required” as noted in the earlier
response.
10.11 Provide the input data and the resulting FTE Plan compiled for 2014, 2015, and 2016.
10.12 Provide the hiring plan by month for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 FTE Plan.
10.13 With reference to the “short-term impacts” please confirm that Claims Transformation is
expected to be complete in 2017.
10.14 Is ICBC’s staffing level today in the Claims Contact Centre below or above budget, and to
what extent?
10.14.1 If it is over-budget, why has the Corporation staffed above its budget for the
Centre?
COMMENT: COPE is informed that ICBC has very recently posted new regular full-time positions
for the Claims Contact Centre.
10.15 Is ICBC currently recruiting additional staff for the Claims Contact Centre? If the answer is
yes,
10.15.1 How many staff are being added and over what time-frame(s)?
10.15.2 What is the status of the new positions (e.g., permanent, term or temporary? full-
time or part-time? etc.)
10.15.3 Why are the staff being added?
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.5 – Staffing Plan page 1-2:
5(b) What are the documented impacts of understaffing in 2014, including the
following: ICBC is of the view that the staffing levels were appropriate in 2014.
- impact on staff occupancy
o Occupancy time is an output, not a measure, which shows the percentage of
time in an hour that staff is logged onto a call. A higher occupancy level means
less time between calls. Occupancy levels are higher than historical during new
system implementation and stabilization, and this is to be expected. ICBC
continues to make system and process improvements, as well as provide
coaching and tools to adjusters to mitigate the transitional impacts to talk time
and after call work. These measures are improving in August and September,
and as they continue to improve the expected outcome is lower occupancy rates.
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o It is important to note that Call Centre staff has five (5) minutes of stretch
time break during every hour worked, outside of lunch and coffee breaks.
10.15 Please reproduce Collective Agreement Article 22.08 (d) “Stretch Breaks” and confirm the
following:
(a) This Article describes the “stretch time breaks” referred to in the response above.
(b) By virtue of that Article, regular coffee and lunch breaks are considered to be “stretch
breaks.”
10.16 Provide an explanation of how “stretch breaks” are taken. What activity code or phone state is
used to indicate an agent is in this status? Provide reports showing the amount of time going into
this category.
10.17 Provide a report that shows evidence that staff are making use of their allotted 5-minute
stretch breaks.
2014 RR COPE.MOI.5 – Staffing Plan page 1-2:
- impact on schedule adherence
o Schedule adherence has been stable during system implementation and
stabilization. This does not support the assumption that adherence levels will
decrease when occupancy levels are high.
COMMENT: When occupancy levels are high, schedule adherence is almost always negatively
impacted. There are many ways to manipulate schedule adherence numbers. For example, it has
been noted that some staff have been told to log off for breaks even though the after-call work
(ACW) has not yet been wrapped up properly. This helps keep schedule adherence numbers on track,
but does not reflect the time actually needed to complete the call properly. The after-call work may
simply show up as a shrinkage factor of non-phone work time.
10.18 Provide an explanation of how schedule adherence is calculated and reported.
10.19 Confirm the practice or proper process for logging in/out around breaks and other schedule
changes. How are staff instructed to behave if in the midst of a call at their scheduled break time?
10.20 Provide report from Aspect eWFM system showing schedule adherence numbers for the
periods outlined in the MOI Response Table.
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2014 RR COPE.MOI.5 – Staffing Plan page 1-2:
- impact on absenteeism
o Absenteeism has decreased during system implementation and stabilization
over prior year.
10.21 Provide report showing attendance numbers, outlined as the number of unplanned absences
per month in the study period compared to two years previous.
2014 RR COPE.MOI.5 – Staffing Plan page 1-2:
- impact on attrition
o Attrition during system implementation and stabilization has primarily been
through retirement, and new staff have been recruited and hired to replace staff
lost to attrition.
10.22 Provide the number of staff leaving by month for the study period, compared to previous
years. (Provide breakdown of staff retiring compared to those not having reached retirement status).
TOPIC 11: ADDITIONAL IMPACT - STAFF SHRINKAGE
COMMENT: Shrinkage is the amount of time that staff are being paid to work but are unavailable
to handle call workload. It includes (but is not limited to): breaks, meetings, training and coaching,
and all types of off-phone work. This last category in particular can be troublesome especially in
times of understaffing.
It has been reported to COPE that in order to meet schedule adherence goals, staff are encouraged to
log out for breaks on time, even though still actively engaged on after-call work. Therefore, this
work is removed from the call workload, making staffing needs look lower, but it does impact
shrinkage as staff processing the ACW offline are still not available to take calls.
11.1 Please confirm that staff are encouraged to log out for breaks on time, even though still
actively engaged on after-call work. Please file all directions, memoranda or instructions regarding
this question.
11.2 Provide report showing shrinkage categories and amounts of time associated with each one.
11.3 Provide explanation of how shrinkage factors are used in the calculation of staff requirements
and schedule needs.
11.4 Provide explanation of how ACW adjustments have been made with a switch from active call
workload calculation to shrinkage off-phone work
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TOPIC 12: E-CLAIMS AND DEFLECTED CALLS
COMMENT: There is sharing of contact workload from the Claims Contact Centre with at least
two other areas. Some work aimed for the Centre has been deflected to insurance adjustors in the
field. Other work has been deflected away from the telephone representatives by diverting claims
processing over to E-Claims, a semi-self-service process, but one that still requires support and
active involvement from call center representatives.
12.1 Provide an explanation of what types of calls and how much workload has been deflected
from the contact centre to adjusters in the field.
12.2 Describe the process for the re-routing of these claims calls to a different handling group.
12.3 Describe the staffing adjustments made to accomplish the transfer of workload. Were
additional adjusters added to accommodate this workload, and if so, how many?
12.4 Given the increased workload without a corresponding increase in staff, there is a growing
file backlog for the adjusters. Provide the history of this file backlog over the study period. What is
the target resolution time for this file backlog?
12.5 Please provide for the same study period as the telephone calls, the numbers associated with
E-Claims. (Include number of contact arrivals per half-hour, how many complete within each half-
hour, average handle time, number positions staffed, occupancy rate, etc.)
12.6 What is the response time goal on E-Claims?
12.7 Describe the human involvement in the processing of each E-Claim.
12.8 Provide the staffing calculations done to arrive at the number of staff assigned to processing
E-Claims work. Describe the staffing process – dedicated reps, reps doing both telephone and E-
Claims on a contact-by-contact basis (true contact blending), or doing both types of contacts at
scheduled blocks of time.
12.9 Describe the different skills required to perform the work on telephone calls versus E-Claims.
How much time is needed to prepare a telephone rep to switch over to processing E-Claims in a
satisfactory manner?
12.10 How are E-Claims integrated into the case backlog of claims adjusters at the Claims Contact
Centre and at claim centres across the province?
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TOPIC 13: IMPACT OF UNDERSTAFFING
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.6 Impact of Understaffing:
6(a) What is the correlation between delay times and talk time?
ICBC has no statistical evidence to support or refute a positive correlation
between delay times leading to increased talk time needed to deal with customer
complaints.
COMMENT: It is common in call centers to see average handle time (AHT) increase during
understaffed times. When delays are long, two factors can drive up AHT. First, customers may take
extra time on the call to complain about wait times, and second, agents may talk longer or remain
longer in after-call work to avoid taking the next call without a reasonable breather in between.
In this situation, where AHT increases due to procedural and technological changes, the result is a
longer delay due to higher workload. However, there is often a vicious cycle where the long delay
then in turn adds even more handle time to the call as callers feel the need to comment on the added
wait time.
Granted, it is difficult to ascertain from the numbers what additional time is due to complaint time on
calls. This can be done with speech analytics looking for key words early in the call like “delay, wait,
etc.”
13.1 Provide a sample of call data to determine what percentage of delayed callers complain.
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.6 Impact of Understaffing:
6(b) What is the correlation between occupancy and talk time?
ICBC has no statistical evidence to support or refute a positive correlation
between [higher] occupancy rates leading to staff finding ‘breather’ room
through increase talk time. It should be noted that there are differences in
average talk time within the Call Centre industry due to the wide array of
services offered, from sales, to emergency response, to insurance First Notice of
Loss. For example, ICBC Call Centre staff have five (5) minutes of stretch time
break every hour worked, outside of lunch and coffee breaks. This allows for
‘breather’ time but is not factored into occupancy calculations.
COMMENT: It is irrelevant what the average talk times are for other types of call centers. Of
course talk times vary depending on the call and content. The point here is that as occupancy
(calculated by workload hours divided by staff hours) increases, there is less down time between
calls. Recent changes have increased workload (via higher AHT) and yet staff numbers have not
increased in a corresponding fashion. Therefore, occupancy rates have risen substantially.
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The question is whether this rising occupancy has actually caused talk time to increase, either
because of long delay and customer complaints about it, or from staff taking extra time on some
portion of the calls in order to find some breathing space.
13.2 Provide correlation analysis showing relationship between occupancy and talk time.
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.6 Impact of Understaffing:
6(c) What is the correlation between occupancy and after-call work?
ICBC has no statistical evidence to support or refute a positive correlation
between occupancy rates and increased or decreased after call work.
COMMENT: As occupancy rises, there is an inclination on the part of the frontline staff to catch a
break between calls by staying in after-call work for a longer period of time.
Anecdotal evidence and comments from staff suggest that staff are being encouraged to stay on
schedule by delaying or deferring after-call work in order to adhere to work times and break times.
However, this after-call work time simply becomes a shrinkage factor that inflates overall need for
staff even though removed from the workload calculation.
13.3 Provide correlation analysis showing correlation between occupancy and length of after-call
work time.
TOPIC 14: BALANCING STAFFING AND SERVICE
REFERENCE: COPE M.O.I. 7. Balancing Staffing and Service page 1-2:
7(b) Does ICBC allege that providing sufficient staff to meet this BCUC approved
measurement would negatively affect quality of service?
ICBC is not alleging that increasing staffing in order to increase the target in the
BCUC approved performance measure would negatively affect quality of
service. As noted in Chapter 6, paragraph 23, “ICBC needs to balance
increasing staffing to address increased call answer times and the costs of doing
so, taking into consideration transitional impacts as well as the impacts on
customer satisfaction.” Also, as noted in Chapter 8, paragraph 1, “ICBC
continually seeks to minimize the impact of operating expenses on the rate
indication by reducing costs where possible while ensuring that ICBC maintains
the necessary staffing and tools to service customers and to manage claims costs
effectively.” ICBC is continuing to monitor performance and will take
appropriate steps to address any issues that may arise.
COMMENT: ICBC states above that the organization works to minimize operating expenses
“while ensuring that ICBC maintains the necessary staffing and tools to service customers and to
manage claims costs effectively.” There were no steps to increase staffing levels to correspond to
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the planned additional handle time and workload that were forecast to be a part of the transitional
changes.
14.1 Are the “transitional impacts” anticipated to persist until the “Steady State” phase of the
Claims Transformation” process described in Exhibit B-7 slide 71, or until the completion of the
Transformation Project, anticipated for 2017?
14.2 Provide a report showing analysis of transitional changes and calculation of required staff
numbers.
TOPIC 15: TELECOMMUNICATION RESOURCES AND COSTS
COMMENT: There is an important relationship between staffing resources and the corresponding
telephone resources that bring in the customer calls.
Just as staffing resources are determined by a workload calculation (calls x AHT), the number of
telephone trunks is determined by a telephone trunk workload that is calculated by a corresponding
set of numbers: (calls x THT – where trunk hold time is made up of ring time + average delay time +
talk time). As understaffing occurs and the delay times increase, so then does the trunk workload,
requiring more capacity on the trunks to accommodate all the waiting calls.
It is not just the trunk capacity that must increase during times of understaffing. For those calls that
arrive on toll-free services, ICBC is paying the telephone bill for all the time that a trunk is in use
after the call is picked up by the ACD.
At the September 26 Review Working Session, ICBC representatives confirmed that the number of
trunks at the Claims Contact Centre was increased.
15.1 How many trunks were in use for the Claims Centre each month from October 2012 through
October 2014? Provide trunking reports from the Genesys phone system that show trunk capacity
that matches up to the numbers provided in the Response Table.
15.2 Provide a report showing the incidences of “all trunks busy” where callers would have
received a busy signal and have been forced to retry their call to access an available telephone line.
15.3 Provide telephone costs for the Claims Centre for the designated period of time showing costs
associated with the telephone trunks and usage.
15.4 Please file the information upon which ICBC decided to increase the number of trunks in the
course of 2014.
15.5 What were the intended impacts of this increase and what impacts have been achieved?
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TOPIC 16: PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS TO VENDORS
16.1 What is the corporate policy on the time-frame for payment of invoices from vendors
including:
(a) vehicle towing, independent adjusters, legal services, body shops and medical and
para-medical practitioners that do not bill through MSP,
(b) medical and para-medical practitioners who bill directly through MSP,
(c) receipts from customers for medical treatment,
(d) Part 7 Accident Benefit payments for Total Temporary Disability?
16.2 Please file a copy of any applicable written policies or standards which have been in force at
any time over the past three years.
16.3 Please provide a chart showing ICBC’s average time lapsed from receipt of invoices from
vendors until issuance of payment by month from October 2012 through September 2014 for each of
these categories.
16.4 Please describe all situations where vendors have threatened (or proceeded) to withhold
services or withhold the release of a vehicle or other deliverable pending satisfactory payment of an
account.
16.5 Please describe all situations where vendors have issued a demand for payment of an account
by reason of delay in payment.
TOPIC 17: CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.8 - Escalated Customer Complaints p. 1:
(c) How were the complaints referred to in this email recorded?
The Customer Relations department is responsible for tracking and reviewing
escalated customer complaints for ICBC. Generally, escalated customer
complaints are complaints from those customers who are not satisfied after
talking to a supervisor and manager about their issue. Overall, the number of
file openings has increased since 2013 mostly due to Customer Relations’
expansion and tracking of digital interactions with customers on Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube which has improved the customer’s accessibility to
ICBC. Interactions on these social media channels include answering questions
and dealing with comments, non-specific commentary, as well as escalated
customer complaints. The following are some typical sources of escalated
customer complaints:
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• customers directly (after their concern has been reviewed by manager or
supervisor)
• referrals from internal business areas such as Claims, Insurance and Driver
Licensing, and Account Services
• ICBC Fairness Commissioner
• ICBC executives and board of directors
• referrals from government (minister responsible for ICBC, MLA offices and
Ombudsperson)
• referrals from Better Business Bureau
• social media (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube)
17.1 Does ICBC maintain a record of customer complaints which are not “escalated” (i.e., where
the customer persists in the complaint despite having talked to a supervisor and manager about their
issue)? If not, why not?
17.2 Please provide a chart similar to the one provided in Exhibit B-8 in response to 2014 RR
COPE.MOI.8 at page 2, but including in the numbers all complaints whether or not they are
escalated.
17.3 Please provide a chart similar to the one provided in Exhibit B-8 in response to 2014 RR
COPE.MOI.8 at page 2, but excluding complaints whose source is Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
REFERENCE: EXHIBIT B-8 2014 RR COPE.MOI.8 - Escalated Customer Complaints p. 3:
(f) Where are the "escalated customer complaints" referred to in paragraph 6 of this
email disclosed in the Revenue Requirements Application?
As stated in the Application, Chapter 10, page 10-1, ICBC reports on the
performance measures as agreed to in the May 2004 Negotiated Settlement
Agreement and modified per the July 2006 Decision and the Decision on 2013
Revenue Requirements. With respect to customer complaints, Chapter 10, page
10-10 reports on the Complaints Heard by the ICBC Fairness Commissioner
measure which is the number of files where a complaint is received by the
Fairness Commissioner and the files closed for the prior year. Therefore, the
Complaints Heard by the ICBC Fairness Commissioner measure includes a
count of escalated customer complaints referred to in paragraph 6. Complaints
received by the Fairness Commissioner received in 2014 will be reported on in
next year’s revenue requirements application.
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17.4 What options does ICBC provide for customers to voice their service perceptions upon the
conclusion of a call? Describe in detail what surveys exist in the form of mail, email, telephone, or
web surveys where customers are encouraged to voice opinions.
17.5 ICBC has stated that the focus of calls is FCR and not necessarily speed of answer. Describe
in detail how ICBC gauges customers’ satisfaction levels with speed of answer and how important
this element of service is to them.
TOPIC 18: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
REFERENCE: Exhibit B-3, Appendix 11-C Service Plan 2014-16, page 22:
Employee Engagement Index
The employee opinion survey was provided to all ICBC employees (excluding
contractors). Participation in the 2013 survey, at 71%, was up from 65% in 2012 and
just below the average of 76% over the previous 5 years.
The 2013 index score was 34%, slightly above the 2012 score of 33%. ICBC continued
to experience significant change in 2013 as it modernized the company and came
through the downsizing and restructuring of late 2012. Aligning capable people with
business objectives remains a priority. In 2014, we are introducing a new approach to
improve our ability to capture and measure employee opinion.
COMMENT: COPE is informed that ICBC has engaged a different contractor since the 2013
employee engagement survey to conduct a re-designed study, and that the process of surveying
employees by the new contractor is now underway.
18.1 What was the Employee Engagement Index score for 2011?
18.2 Please file the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Employee Engagement surveys and the reports from the
surveyor.
18.3 Please file a copy of the most up-to-date specifications for the new survey (including its
objectives and methodology) and a copy of the survey questionnaire(s) for the new survey.
18.4 Please confirm that the Employee Engagement Index has been a factor in determining
compensation for non-bargaining unit staff.
18.5 Please indicate for which staff the Index has been a factor and the extent of its impact on their
compensation.
18.6 What was the last year for which the Employee Engagement Index has been a compensation
factor?
18.7 Please explain in detail in what ways the previous process for measuring employee
engagement was inadequate.
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18.8 Does ICBC deny that the Index scores for 2012 and 2013 indicate that the actual engagement
of ICBC’s workforce is inadequate? If so, please explain why and to what extent.
18.9 Does ICBC deny that the engagement of its workforce is a very important element in the
corporation’s operations, services, efficiency and effectiveness? If so, please provide a detailed
explanation.
18.10 What was ICBC’s target for the Index in each of 2011, 2012 and 2013?
18.11 What does ICBC consider to be a failing grade for the Corporation’s Index?
18.12 What is the status of the introduction of the “new approach” described in the extract quoted
above?
18.13 Please file the “new approach.” If it is still under development please file its most recent
iteration or draft.
18.14 Please explain in detail how and why the “new approach” is superior to the Employee
Engagement Index.
18.15 What period of time will the “new approach” “capture and measure”?
18.16 What will be its role in determining the compensation of management or executive staff of
ICBC?
18.17 Have any measures or surveys of ICBCC’s workforce been performed yet using the “new
approach” or any prototype? If so, please file the results.
18.18 What if any factor is being used in substitution for the Employee Engagement Index for
determining the compensation of management or executive staff following the discontinuation of the
Employee Engagement Index?
TOPIC 19: MATERIAL DAMAGE CLAIM ESTIMATION
19.1 Please describe and explain the “work units” metric ICBC uses to measure service levels in
the material damage estimation process.
19.2 Please provide a chart showing monthly material damage estimation work units per FTE
estimator from October 2012 through September 2014, broken out between the Central Estimation
Facility and the rest of the operation.
COMMENT: COPE is informed that ICBC has engaged PriceWaterhouseCoopers to examine
service problems at the Central Estimation Facility.
19.3 Does ICBC confirm this engagement?
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19.4 Why did ICBC decide that it was necessary to obtain such an examination?
19.5 What is the anticipated cost of this engagement?
19.6 What is the status of the examination?
19.7 Please file all reports from PriceWaterhouseCoopers concerning this issue.