econtact

Version 1.0 Approved by PSCIOC-PSSDC Coordinating Committee

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eContact

Walk-though And Discussion

with PSCIOC-PSSDCMay 19, 2004

Joint PSCIOC-PSSDC Meeting


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Background

eContact responds to citizens needs by directing them to the appropriate contact/information, regardless of jurisdiction or location.

Efficiencies in redirection costs across the call center network can be achieved at the same time as the citizen is better served.


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Background

eContact will look at multi-channel access beginning with the telephone where an agent provides the link between the citizen and the required information or services, and will evolve to a citizen direct web access.

eContact is exploring the use of a Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine to interpret the citizen’s query and then locate a similar question from a database of questions and contact data provided by jurisdictions across Canada.


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Background

Vision endorsed by PSSDC, Sept 2002 Presented to PSSDC/PSCIOC Feb 2003

– Unanimous endorsement by provinces to proceed to pilot– Prioritized project pilot as 1 of 3 projects in 2003-04.– Project governed by inter-jurisdictional SCOM, PSSDC-PSCIOC

Project Launched April 2003– Search Engine Analysis Gate, passed Sept 2003– Federal/Provincial/Municipal Funding secured, Oct 2003 (PPA to Mar

2005)– Development of a prototype for pilot implementation June 2004


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The Challenge

Key aspects include: The critical mass that is necessary to make the solution effective and

viable within a geographical area, within and/or across a jurisdiction; The degree to which questions from citizens are common across

Canada and to leverage from reuse, regardless of jurisdiction; The level of complex queries that eContact can resolve to provide

accurate contact information; The degree to which the NLP can help to close the gap between

government terminology and citizens; and Understanding effective business models to manage and maintain

the questions and contact information.


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Critical Path

1. First Pilot - Manitoba (MB) – Release 12. Second Pilot – Release 1A3. Third Pilot – Release 2

• Data Gate• Begin EPA / COTS RFP Development• Evolve Bus. Case and Sustainability Model

4. Fourth Pilot – Citizen Interface – Release 35. Governance6. Effective Project Approval7. COTS RFP May ’05 Contract Award

Aprl Jun Aug Oct

1 2 3 54 6

Dec Feb

September ’05 Operational System

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Evolving Intermediation (EI)

Apr Jun Aug Oct

1 2 3 4 5 6

Dec Feb

1. Cogilex Contribution to EI - Release 1A RFP - 3 Intermediation Engine Proof of Concept (POC)

2. Evaluation of POCs using pilot data capture experience 3. EI - Release 24. Intermediation engine RFP – with Citizen Web Access Specs5. Evaluation using Pilot data capture experience

Gate - No Go: Define different approach6. Go: EI Release 3

Include Specifications in COTS RFP


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Pilot project

Winnipeg Pilot Scope– City of Winnipeg– C/MBSC

Yukon Pilot Scope– City of Whitehorse– Service Yukon– HRSDC

Ontario and New Brunswick Pilots Exploring Federal pilot


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Other Key Activities

Communications– Stakeholders – Organization Structure to Manage Assets– Document Control and Management– Communication Tools

Engagement Strategy– Call Center Targets– Call Center Profiles– Candidates Guide


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Other Key Activities Information Management

– Policy review and strategy as they apply across levels of government.

– Preliminary Privacy Impact Assessment– Collect existing FAQs, Contact, and Meta models

Leveraging From FAQs – Create questions with common language and colloquialism– Subject Matter Expert– Increases data sets– Potential to facilitate data gathering – Comparative Analysis

Engine response Cost evaluation


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Steering Committee Key Decision Points

Data Collection and Maintenance Gate - Sept 2004– Review of costs and benefits – basis for a business case

Project Go-No Go Gate - Mar 2005– Pilot Assessment results, sustainability and final go-no go

decision made.

Effective Project Approval Gate - Mar 2005– Treasury Board Submission is developed and approved


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Data Collection and Maintenance Gate

• Development of a cost assessment model that will be populated as a result of pilot activities

• Defining testing models to validate results

• Call Center spectrum of environment assessment


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Evolving the Business Case

Approach: Documentation Review

Develop Evaluation Framework & Plan

Data Collection, Consolidation & Analysis

Improve and repeat with eye on Gate 5


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Business Case EPA

Manitoba

PPA

Yukon

N.B.

Ont.

WinnipegCMBSC

SCOPING

WhitehorseService YKHRSDC

FederalProvinceCity

Service NB

eContact Steering Committee

Prototype

InterfaceUsability

CitizenCentricService

Bus.Process

Inter-Jurisdictional

KnowledgeCapture

Tech-nology

ServiceLevels

Cost

CitizenSatisfaction

PrototypeFunction

SustainableModel

Ops/Bus Plan

COTSSolution From the Perspective

of each Stakeholder


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CSF – Active Participation

From Pilot Participants

1. Principle Objectives for each Performance Indicators

2. What To Measure/Evaluate

3. How To Measure/Evaluate• Pilot/Extrapolation/Estimation• Other (e.g.. Research, Others’

experience)• Quantitative/Anecdotal/

Qualitative• Sometimes even Notional

(e.g. Citizen Experience)

A

C

T

I

V

I

T

I

E

S

Outcomes: - Efficiency, - Effectiveness, - New Outcomes

InterfaceUsability

CitizenCentricService

Bus.Process

Inter-Jurisdictional

KnowledgeCapture

Tech-nology

ServiceLevels

Cost

CitizenSatisfaction

PrototypeFunction

From the Perspective of each Stakeholder


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Performance Indicators Sample

Client Satisfaction

Call Escalation Logs

Client Complaints Logs

Quality Monitoring of Calls

First Call Resolution

1

1

Client means the Enquirer

How to Measure

Outcomes

What to Measure

Accuracy of contact info

Accessibility

Client satisfaction

Improved experience

Client Satisfaction

Call Escalation Logs

Client Complaints Logs

Quality Monitoring of Calls

First Call Resolution

1

1

Accuracy of contact info

Client satisfaction

Improved experience


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Service Levels

What to Measure

How toMeasure

OutcomesCall Monitoring Scorecard

Tracked through internal systems

First Call ResolutionAccuracyAgent utilization rateAverage after call work timeNumber of Calls Handled / AnsweredCall Duration / Speed of Answer

Training TimeSpan of ControlAbandon Rate

Cost per callCustomer Call BacksSurveysStandards and targetsComparison with national/call centreChanges over up to 4 iterations of pilot

Agent Cost


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Business Processes

What to Measure

How toMeasure

Outcomes

Changes in Effort

Changes in Client Satisfaction

StandardsInspection PointsError RatesCycle Times

Other

Up to 4 iterations (Measure, improve, repeat)Comparison of old & newStructured InterviewsNew / changed Process MapsBaseline data or current process maps

Changes in ResponsivenessChanges in Accuracy

Lessons LearnedStreamlined ProcessesImpact on Direct CostsImpact on QualityNew Outcomes

ArbitrationAuthoritative SourceQuery HandlingData Gathering

Data Maintenance Intranet basedPaper based

Citizen QuestionsFAQ

Processes Impacted

Internet based


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Knowledge Capture

How to Measure

OutcomesImprove Service Delivery

Improve Citizen Satisfaction

Overlap and Redundancy of Services

Service Improvement Suggestions

Surveys

Interviews

What to Measure


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Evolving the Business Case Timeline

1. Start Draft Evaluation Framework & Plan2. Finalize with Manitoba Pilot Participants3. Update Framework & Plan for Release 1A

• Implement for Release 1A Pilot• Data Collection• Data Consolidation & Analysis

4. Report, review Refine Assessment• With focus on Gate 5 (Sept)• Repeat for Release 2 and 3 with Pilots

5. Business and operational plan6. Effective Project Approval

Aprl Jun Aug Oct

1 2 3 44 5

Dec Feb

64 4 4 4


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Project Go/No Go Gate – Mar 2005

Sound Business CaseSustainable Business and Operational PlanGovernance

– Crossing Boundaries National Council– Organizational options (e.g. Not-for-profit

organization)


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END

econtact

Documents

athird pilot release

pilot implementation

ei release

pilotprioritized project

intermediation engine

contact data

citizen direct web access

citizens query