LIVE CHAT SERVING ONTARIANS BETTER THROUGH INNOVATION. Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Transcription

1 Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities LIVE CHAT SERVING ONTARIANS BETTER THROUGH INNOVATION Institute of Public Administration of Canada June 2015

2 Employment Ontario Live Chat 2 EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO LIVE CHAT SERVING ONTARIANS BETTER THROUGH INNOVATION At its core, innovation is about delivering services to Ontarians more effectively and efficiently. It s about having a positive impact on Ontarians. It s about building government services that the times demand and Ontarians deserve. Launched January 23, 2015, Employment Ontario (EO) Live Chat is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), Employment and Training Division s (ETD) innovative approach to better serving Ontarians. It offers an alternative method of accessing government information and services. This implementation of Live Chat is a first for the Ontario Public Service (OPS). To remain relevant and accessible to Ontarians, new communications and service tools like Live Chat are critical. They enable government services to reach more diverse groups, especially those who use communications technologies in their daily lives. Receiving timely information adds significantly to a positive service experience, as clients prepare for and find employment. MEETING CHALLENGES. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS The Live Chat function was a truly outside the box idea and was developed within a traditionally risk-averse environment. Some of the challenges were: Opening web servers to public traffic with the inherent possibility of security, malware and virus risks. Reconfiguring and linking servers between ministries to accommodate the new public facing access ports within internal servers, and the associated increased data traffic. Increasing service offerings and citizen interactions within a fiscally challenging environment. Complying with legislative requirements regarding archiving of interactions. Protecting citizen privacy and meeting OPS privacy legislative requirements. Preserving a positive image of government, addressing fears of negative interactions, and finding solutions to meet OPS approval requirements for public messaging.

3 Employment Ontario Live Chat 3 The expected benefits of Live Chat persuaded senior management in MTCU, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), Government Services Integration Cluster (GSIC) and the Community Services I&IT Cluster (CSC) to pilot the project. Live Chat emerged despite being unprecedented in the OPS, technically challenging to implement, and not on any formalized IT business plans. The pilot addressed technical concerns and potential barriers to success raised by various partners. Concerns ranged from the ability of the Employment Ontario Contact Centre (EOCC) to manage and deliver EO Live Chat, to assuring everyone that a chat feature would not put existing technical platforms at risk. The EOCC worked with many partners with diverse needs, including: CSC I&IT Cluster, GSIC and Infrastructure Technology Services (ITS), MTCU Communications, Cabinet Office, I&IT Accessibility Centre of Excellence (Ministry of Community and Social Services), Cyber Security, MGCS Information Privacy and Archives, MTCU legal counsel, the MGCS Architecture Review Board, MGCS Enterprise Classification Unit, Human Resources, OPS Employee Union and EOCC staff. Live Chat was developed with no additional staffing. When existing EOCC agents were trained to deliver EO Live Chat, managers adjusted schedules to ensure that all operational requirements continued to be met. Technologies like video and web conferencing were relied upon considerably for regular information and Q and A sessions to ensure the team and EOCC agents were up-to-date on project progress. Other challenges to implementation included: ensuring compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA); identifying financial resources to develop and maintain Live Chat; navigating numerous OPS guidelines, policies and procedures; and working with diverse groups with different needs.

4 Employment Ontario Live Chat 4 PROVIDING CLIENT-CENTRED SERVICE DELIVERY Live Chat improves client-centred service delivery, which means: Better connections with youth: Chat appeals to youth aged 15 to 29, who may be unlikely to seek support by phone or , and make up 40 per cent of EO clients. Faster service: Employment information and referrals are provided to clients in minutes rather than days. Increased options for service and information: Ontarians have more choice in communicating with ministry staff (EOCC agents). Individuals can connect with an agent while browsing websites and ask questions simultaneously. Real-time feedback: Clients can ask a series of questions and receive a response within seconds (much quicker than or fax). Accessible service: Chat is a cost-effective, bilingual method of communication, especially for out-of-province or out-of-country clients, and an alternative communications option for individuals with speech or hearing disabilities. Because interactions with the public have common themes and questions, the most frequently requested information was prepared in advance and preapproved. In addition to ensuring message consistency, high quality and speed of service, EO Live Chat is: Supporting better information flow to ensure higher citizen satisfaction. Improving staff efficiency by enabling them to serve three to five clients simultaneously. Providing a less costly method of communication for long distance clients. Complying with privacy and AODA. There have been no service issues since implementation from either the business or technical perspectives. Monitoring of all components, including the Contact Centre as well as OPS infrastructure components, indicates troublefree operation.

5 Employment Ontario Live Chat 5 POSITIVE RESULTS Since its launch: EO Live Chat has exceeded initial expectations of 50 to75 chats per day answering up to 100 daily Four EOCC agents are currently dedicated to answering chats in English and French; we plan to train all EOCC agents on Live Chat in the future Service is available Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Three key performance benchmarks were identified to measure success: Average Speed of Answer: 95 per cent of chats answered in 180 seconds Average Speed of Response: 95 per cent of chat questions responded to in 30 seconds Quality Assurance: 80 per cent of chat answers are preapproved, general information responses. While receiving 100 chats per day, we are meeting all targets and have exceeded the speed of answer benchmark: the average wait time is just 49 seconds! Preliminary client survey results are also positive. More than 75 per cent of EO Live Chat clients are satisfied/extremely satisfied with their EO Live Chat experience. In addition, more than 70 per cent indicated that they received the information they were looking for. More than 95 per cent of EO Live Chat clients are accessing the service via their personal computer, although the service is also mobile friendly.

6 Employment Ontario Live Chat 6 FUTURE OUTLOOK Live Chat has the potential to be adapted for service delivery models across the OPS. Not only will EO Live Chat enhance client-centered service delivery; it will increase overall efficiency by making agents more productive. In the future, Live Chat will support the implementation of Employment and Training Services Integration an OPS-wide initiative to modernize employment and training programs delivered by other ministries and integrate them into Employment Ontario. EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO FACTS EO serves approximately one million Ontarians each year. ETD is modernizing service delivery through its channel approach, which is focused on ensuring clients receive the same quality of service regardless of how they access EO. Live Chat delivers on that as an internet-enabled solution to improve client experience. EO s web pages receive about 130,000 visits monthly. The EOCC provides information about (and referrals to) EO programs, services and job postings via telephone, and fax, and now Live Chat. Annually, the EOCC answers 130,000 calls and posts 280,000 job ads for roughly 50,000 employer-clients.