BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS Allevato & Quail Law Corporation ... › Documents › Proceedings › 2014 › ... · c3-5-1. 1 british columbia utilities commission insurance corporation

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

mailto:[email protected]

markhuds

ICBC RR 2014 stamp

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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.


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.


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?


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.)


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.


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).

8

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.


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.


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.

10

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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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.


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.

15

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.

16


- 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.


- 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.


6(b) What is the correlation between occupancy and talk time?


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.


6(c) What is the correlation between occupancy and after-call work?


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.