Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22 - Issue 4

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April 2016 // Canadian Government Executive / 9
Strategy
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Forty per cent of our clients are between the ages of 15 and 29.
Not many of these people like to talk on the phone.
A “single point of technical contact” was established to avoid
roadblocks to the flow of information.
Technologies like video and web conferencing were used to
keep team members informed and Q and A sessions to ensure the
team and EOCC agents were up-to-date on project progress.
Despite the challenges before them, the team was compelled
to go on because the benefits that EO Live Chat could deliver to
citizens and the government departments involved:
• Enhanced connection with clients, especially the youth
• Real-time feedback and faster service and referrals for clients
• Cost effective, bilingual way of communicating that is ideal for
the speech and hearing impaired or those living far away
• Consistency of messaging and quality of information as answers
to frequently asked question can be prepared in advance
• Enhanced efficiency as staff can attend to three to five clients
simultaneously
Delivering Results
The hard work paid off. EO Live Chat underwent a “smooth
implementation” and client response to EO Live Chat exceeded
expectations, according to Teresa Damaso, director of program
delivery support branch for the MCTU.
“Our initial expectation was 45, 50, 60 chats a day,” she said.
“We’re averaging 100 to 120 chats a day.” Since the launch, the
team maintained three performance benchmarks:
• Average speed of answers - 95 per cent of chats should be an-
swered in 180 seconds
• Average speed of response – 95 per cent of chat questions should
be responded to in 30 seconds
• Quality assurance – 80 per cent of chat answers should be pre-
approved, general information responses
Assessment of the service showed that Live Chat client service
officers were meeting all their targets and exceeding the “speed of
answer” benchmark – the average wait time was just 49 seconds.
Preliminary client survey was also positive with 75 per cent of
clients saying they were “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with
their EO Live Chat experience. About 70 per cent indicated they
received the information they were looking for.
More than 95 per cent said they were accessing the service
through their personal computer, although the service is also
mobile-friendly.
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 is “sat-
isfied/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 com-
puter, although the service is also mobile friendly.
“They (clients) like the fact that they don’t need to wait in phone
queues,” said Matt Hayren, a client service officer. “…We get a lot
of youth coming in that typically would not be calling by phone.”
EO Live Chat was also able to “cut back frustration for people
who are already frustrated because they are out of work,” accord-
ing to Luanne Hutchison, another client service officer.
Looking into the future
During the initial stage of the implementation, four EOCC agents
were dedicated to answering English and French chats. Now
there are plans to train all EOCC agents on Live Chat.
MTCU was the first ministry in Ontario to implement a chat
service and in Canada to provide online employment services, ac-
cording to Fulford.
EO Live Chat now has the potential to be adapted as a service
delivery model across the Ontario Public Service. EO Live Chat
was the silver winner in the Institute of Public Administration of
Canada’s (IPAC) 2015 Innovative Management Awards (IMA).
Nestor Arellano is the Managing Editor of Canadian
Government Executive