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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFIN-10-025 - Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre - Corporate Contact CentreREPORT ORT TO: REPCouncillor Berry Vrbanovic, Chair, and Members of the Finance & Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: March 8, 2010 SUBMITTED BY: Wally Malcolm, Director of Utilities PREPARED BY: Wally Malcolm, Director of Utilities Jeannie Murphy, Manager, Corporate Customer Service Project WARDS INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: March 3, 2010 REPORT NO.: FIN-10-025 SUBJECT: KITCHENER UTILITIES OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTRE / CORPORATE CONTACT CENTRE RECOMMENDATION: THAT staff be directed to proceed with the establishment of a Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre separate from the Corporate Contact Centre as outlined in staff report FIN-10- 025 within the limits of the existing approved budget for the Corporate Contact Centre BACKGROUND: In June, 2007 Council approved the implementation of a Corporate Contact Centre (CCC) by expanding Kitchener Utility’s dispatch model. In October, 2007 the Corporate Contact Centre Strategy was presented to Council and approved, and in June 2008 the CCC went live. The benefits to the City of expanding Kitchener Utilities’ dispatch centre was based in part on the efficiencies the corporation would gain from expanding a model that had much of the infrastructure and procedures in place to improve our service levels. The benefits of the proposed CCC to citizens were to effectively manage increased demands from citizens by implementing a single point of contact. The primary benefit of a CCC is being able to provide better customer service to our citizens. While the intention of using an existing model had its benefits for both citizens and the corporation, and the CCC has been working well and exceeded our expectations with respect to call statistics, a thorough review in 2009 clearly showed that there are elements of this model that need to be addressed: Skill set of a dispatcher vs. a customer service representative Regulatory and public safety issues with respect to utility functions Training (increased need) Unbalanced staff compliment of full time vs. part time ïð ó ï Performance factors – below national standards The intention of Phase 1 was to have it operate for a year or so and then make adjustments to the model based on what went well and what needed to be improved upon. As stated above, the objective of implementing a CCC in any municipal environment is to improve service levels for citizens. Based on the combined model of a dispatch centre and a CCC, it is clear that this model is not serving the needs of the utilities operations staff and that more expertise is required to fulfill regulatory requirements as municipal owners of a natural gas distribution centre. Therefore, now would be the appropriate time to look at restructuring the model before moving to Phase 2 of the Corporate Contact Centre Strategy. The purpose of this report is to propose the separation of CCC functions from Utilities Operations Control Centre functions while preserving desired service levels within the Council- approved budget. REPORT: As a municipal owner of a natural gas distribution system, the City of Kitchener has the responsibility to ensure there is a dedicated emergency response function related to handling gas leaks, gas line hits, etc. There must be a dedicated technical dispatch centre operating 24/7 to ensure immediate response to emergencies related to the distribution system. Now that the KU dispatch centre has expanded to include non-emergency gas calls as well as general calls, operations and by-law calls, the focus has shifted. The CCC is also monitoring all city alarms and dispatching after-hours for the City of Waterloo. The challenges of this model were confirmed in conjunction with the findings from an internal audit commissioned by Kitchener Utilities management and has resulted in an increased risk profile for the utility. As stated, a dispatch centre is an operational function and therefore requires its dispatchers to have a very technical skill set, as opposed to the more general but broader knowledge base of an employee in a CCC. The goal is to have high performance for both areas, but given the different skill sets required it is clear that these roles are not congruent. The recommendation to continue on with the CCC separate from the dispatch function is vital to meet regulatory requirements under the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) to ensure the safety of citizens and the success of Phase 2 of the CCC. The expectation is that customer service levels will rise as wait times decrease. Therefore, separation of these functions is highly recommended at this time. The Corporate Contact Centre Customer service has been identified by Council as one of the City of Kitchener’s top priorities. As part of the development of the Corporate Contact Centre Strategy, Staff were previously directed to review and make recommendations with respect to the following areas: Single point of contact; Decentralized provision of services; Personalized customer service (guaranteed staff contact); and Implementing a Contact Centre In May, 2003 a report to Council introduced a vision for “enhanced customer service”. A Contact Centre feasibility study was then completed to investigate the value of implementing a ïð ó î centralized single point of contact citizen service centre. In June, 2007 Council approved the implementation of a CCC by expanding the Kitchener Utility’s dispatch model. In October, 2007 the Corporate Contact Centre Strategy was presented to Council and approved, and in June 2008 the CCC went live. The intention of Phase 1 was to have it operate for a year or so and then make adjustments to the model based on what went well and what needed to be improved upon. Having now had time to evaluate the combined model of a dispatch centre and a Corporate Contact Centre, it is clear that this model is not serving the needs of the utilities operations staff and that more expertise is required to fulfill regulatory requirements as municipal owners of a natural gas distributor. The approval of the move to a CCC was based on the following: the customer’s desire for easier, more convenient and seamless access to government services; the City’s capability to provide a single accurate response; and a goal to provide the most cost effective means for providing a response The model proposed in this report will maintain (and potentially exceed) the service levels achieved through the initial implementation of a CCC, within the original approved budget. The Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre Being prepared for emergencies is important for all businesses, but for Kitchener Utilities, emergency preparedness is critical to providing safe and reliable natural gas to customers. By preparing for emergencies, Kitchener Utilities is able to respond quickly and effectively when customers need service safely restored. After a major emergency or disaster, Kitchener Utilities needs to act quickly to assess any damages to the pipeline system and take appropriate action on any issues that could affect public or employee safety. The evolution of the current dispatch function to a Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre is proposed as it will support appropriate emergency response, serving as a central coordination point for recovery strategies, customer communications and coordination with public officials. The operations control centre will employ leading technology and be staffed by qualified staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week who receive specialized training in natural gas, water distribution and emergency response. The Centre will monitor and ensure safe operation of the distribution system servicing Utilities customers to maintain service and, if needed, restore service as quickly as possible. In the event of an emergency, staff of the centre work with public officials, law enforcement, fire departments and others as needed to assess impacts, contain the crisis, and protect public and employee safety. The operations control centre will play a key role in damage assessments, dispatching and planning of the necessary repairs required to the distribution system. Control centre operations are diverse, complex and challenging. Control centre operators monitor and control complex systems with the ultimate responsibility to ensure the safe and timely delivery of natural gas and water. Operators need the ability and skill to quickly react to changing variables such as possible leaks and emergency situations. Control centre operators use a highly computerized Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) to control and monitor system variables. Operators also diagnose potential problems and respond to alarm conditions as they arise including initiating front line emergency response measures. ïð ó í Continual communication with field operations personnel ensures safe and efficient operations. Given the complexity of the work involved, a dedicated team responsible for the effective operations of the utility needs to be put in place and separated from the customer service response function. Proposed Model It is proposed that the CCC be staffed separately from the Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre. Based on call patterns back to 2005 (appendix A) it is clear that the City can meet the needs of citizens by operating a CCC using extended working hours as opposed to operating around the clock, while still having the advantage of using the operations control centre to take calls after hours as they currently do for the City of Waterloo, and weekend hours for Bylaw Enforcement. This change will not impact service levels to citizens – the transition will be seamless from a citizen perspective. As is visible from the call patterns, the peak times for the CCC are from approximately 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Call volumes for Saturday represent 8% of total weekly volumes and for Sunday make up approximately 4% of the overall call volume per week. The majority of calls for Saturday and Sunday are with respect to service calls for Kitchener Utilities, and parking enforcement calls. In light of these factors, it is proposed that the CCC be staffed from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday to Friday and from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday. After hour calls can be managed by the Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre and the intention is to implement an interactive voice response (IVR) system in the future to increase the efficiency of the telephone system. In addition, CCC staffing levels would be adjusted as needed to reflect factors such as emergency situations or weather conditions, for example snow events where increased staffing levels would be required to address anticipated call volumes. Financial analysis has demonstrated that the proposed model can be implemented within the existing approved budget for the Corporate Contact Centre. In effect, customer service levels can be maintained while improving operational control and emergency response capabilities at Kitchener Utilities. Next Steps Implementation of the Corporate Contact Centre – Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre Model Improvements to Phase 1 of the Corporate Contact Centre Strategy, including formal separation of CCC and operations control functions, improved use of technology (particularly ACR), increased training, and call quality monitoring are required. Business processes for operations control functions must be detailed and clearly outlined for a smooth transition for staff as well as citizens. Once improvements to Phase 1 are complete, work towards Phase 2 will be initiated. Corporate Contact Centre Strategy – Phase 2 Phase 2 of the City’s Corporate Contact Centre Strategy will include expansion of the CCC by incorporating other front line areas with a goal of being able to consistently answer 80% of calls on first contact. The goal is also to have one City phone number for all non-emergency municipal services, and to thereby eliminate most existing direct-dial-in (DID) numbers. Progress to Phase 2 had been delayed for several reasons ïð ó ì operational refinements are required prior to additional services being transitioned, particularly the effective use of ACR; resolution of the dispatch vs. contact centre function (as outlined in this report); budget restrictions; and other competing resource requirements for corporate projects (e.g., CMF) While the implementation of Phase 2 in its entirety has been delayed, appropriate refinements are underway including the exploration and possible expansion of ACR in other areas of the organization. Corporate Contact Centre Strategy – Phase 3 This phase will include a review of all existing satellite locations (arenas, community centres, pools) to examine the feasibility of expanding payment and inquiry services to provide citizens with more options for face-to-face inquiries with the City. Until such time as Phases 1 and 2 are fully operational, work on Phase 3 will not be initiated. CONCLUSION: The split between the CCC and Kitchener Utilities Operations Control Centre functions will allow the city to fulfill regulatory requirements as municipal owners of a natural gas distribution system, while maintaining the level of service provided through the CCC within the existing approved budget. Defined duties and skill sets for staff, supported by a review of business processes, will ensure that service levels improve and the transition to reduced CCC hours is seamless to citizens. Sharing a physical space allocated at the CMF will allow for work flow to continue between the two functions FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The CCC has a budget of approximately $1.2 million in 2010. Financial analysis has demonstrated that the transition outlined in this report can be funded within the existing approved budget through the redeployment of existing resources. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, General Manager of Financial Services ïð ó ë Appendix A 6 ïð ó ê