CUSTOMER SERVICES
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CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT 3
Introduction 4
Customer Relationship Management provides services to approximately 684,000
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customers supported by THESL’s Call Center, Escalations Group, and Key Accounts
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Team. The Call Centre handles an average of 47,000 written requests including e-mails,
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and 600,000 customer telephone inquiries per year. The call centre also receives 97,000
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calls annually from customers reporting a power outage or wires down. The Escalations
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Group successfully handles high level customer complaints including those received from
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the OEB, THESL’s Senior Executives and local and provincial political representatives.
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The Key Accounts team ensures all concerns of THESL’s high usage customers are given
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Customer inquiries to the call center cover a broad spectrum and involve most aspects of
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THESL’s business including:
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• ensuring customer records are updated as required to track customer moves and
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other changes in customer information;
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• verifying information and providing explanations relating to account
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management, billing, consumption and collections;
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• responding to inquiries regarding Time-of-Use billing and assisting customers
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with the Time-of-Use web tool;
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• responding to inquiries relating to Conservation and Demand Management
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(“CDM”) Programs including Summer Savings, Peak Saver, Refrigerator Round
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Up, Keep Cool and other programs sponsored by THESL and/or the Ontario
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Power Authority (“OPA”);
• providing first contact for power outage calls. Using the Outage Management
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System, Customer Service Representatives enter the information for follow up by
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the Customer Service Dispatch team. They dispatch a Field Service
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Representative or pass the information to the Control Center for action.
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The Escalations Group resolves customer concerns covering all areas of THESL. The
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two raised most frequently relate to power outages and high consumption. These
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customer concerns are received as follows:
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• approximately 1,000 customer issues annually are escalated through the call
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centre during daily operations;
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• another 150 are received though THESL’s Senior Executives and City
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Councillors;
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• approximately 40 are received directly from the OEB.
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The Key Accounts Team responds to issues raised by large commercial and industrial
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customers and assists with their energy management concerns in a timely manner. Large
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users often have complex needs spanning various areas of THESL. The team’s role is to:
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• meet with customers as required, to resolve billing issues, coordinate planned
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outages and explore possible CDM projects;
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• act as a single point of contact and liaise with internal departments to better meet
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the needs of this customer group; and
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• build and maintain positive relationships with the business community.
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Dedicated, knowledgeable staff, process improvements, and the use of technology have
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allowed THESL to consistently meet or exceed OEB performance level targets in the
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areas of telephone and written response. The Call Centre answered, on average, 82
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percent of calls within 30 seconds from 2004 to 2008. Written inquiries were responded
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to in ten days, on average, 93 percent of the time during the same period.
Along with process improvements and technology, cost escalation has been mitigated by
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utilizing an outsource Call Centre to assist in the handling of the daily call volumes. This
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enables THESL to maintain the required staffing levels to ensure service targets are
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achieved. The Call Centre is able to react to forecast demands of higher or lower call
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volumes within a shorter time frame. It is most efficient and cost effective to add or
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reduce staff at the outsource call centre as call volumes and other work requirements
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dictate. Internal resources can then be utilized for tasks of a complex nature or that
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require in-depth industry knowledge.
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The introduction of Time-of-Use (“TOU”) rates in June 2009 is anticipated to drive
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higher call volumes. As a result, an increase in Call Centre resources is necessary.
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Additional staff training is required for all internal and external Call Centre resources to
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ensure customer inquiries on TOU billing, energy management tools and web
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presentment of customer data are handled efficiently and effectively. By 2010, 90
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percent of all residential and small commercial customers will be on TOU rates. The
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majority of these customers will have received their first bill by mid 2010. It is expected
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that by 2011 call volumes will stabilize to a normal level, as customers grow accustomed
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to TOU rates.
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The planned introduction of a new Customer Information System (“CIS”) in 2010 will
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result in significant impacts in customer relationship processes. Staff will need to be
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trained in both the business process changes and the operating procedures for the new
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CIS. This may impact overall performance during the transition period.
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As the technology age continues to evolve, customers are demanding more self service
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features and tools to proactively manage their accounts. Throughout 2009 and 2010, the
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Customer Relationship Management team will be focusing on customer service
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improvements through a variety of technology and communication methodologies. For
details, refer to Exhibit D1, Tab 8, Schedule 8-5. These improvements will decrease
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routine customer inquiries, allowing THESL to redirect resources to higher valued work.
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They will also provide customers with 24/7 access to account information, and the means
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to proactively manage their electricity cost and usage. THESL will be expanding the
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information and self-service options available on its web site; redesigning our Interactive
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Voice Response (“IVR”) to provide easier access to information and call centre services;
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and utilizing new technology to ensure customer inquiries are resolved during the first
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Table 1: Customer Relationship Management Operating Costs ($ millions) 12
2008 Historical 2009 Bridge 2010 Test Customer Relationship
Management 10.0 11.3 13.1
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The increase in costs from 2008 to 2009 is $1.26 million and includes the following:
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• $1.12 million is due to additional funds in the outsource Call Centre budget to
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cover an expected increase in costs from the implementation of Time-of-Use
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rates;
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• $0.07 million represents an increase in allocated costs for occupancy and IT;
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• $0.04 million is a result of IVR improvements for outage management response;
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and
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• $0.03 million is due to an increase in labour costs for temporary help to cover
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extended illnesses.
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The increase in costs from 2009 to 2010 is $1.85 million:
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• $0.80 million is an increase in the outsource call centre budget to cover the hiring
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of additional staff to accommodate the higher call volumes expected due to
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implementation of Time-of-Use billing and to facilitate CIS training and the post
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conversion transition. This is to ensure that customers are provided with the tools
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and necessary information to assist them in managing their energy usage and to
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maintain service levels. Costs are expected to level off in 2011, as customers
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adjust to Time-of-Use rates;
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• $0.35 million has been allocated to manage web data, updates, self service
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features and expected GEA requirements. Over the next two years, THESL will
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be introducing customer self service features using web-based technology;
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• $0.06 million is due to increased cost allocation for IT and Occupancy;
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• $0.22 million is a result of expected lower recoveries from Contact Voltage and
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CDM initiatives; and
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• $0.44 million is for a contracted increase in labour costs and an expected increase
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in temporary labour costs attributed to the CIS conversion.
