| Situation
The Quebec Worker Compensation Board (CSST) provides
services to 3 million workers across the province
of Quebec in Canada. The information technology department
of the CSST was looking to improve the quality of
their help desk.
The Information Technology support service provides
on-line technical support and maintains the CSST network
infrastructure. Overall, there was a lot of unreliability
in the services offered; it was not clear what were
the priorities of the department, the needs of the
CSST employees, or the best organizational structure
that could optimize the operation of the department.
Solution
Cognitive Group was hired in September of 2003 to
optimize the CSST’s customer services. The project
began with an evaluation of the quality of the services
provided. This initial stage involved the use of a
cognitive approach and employed specialized cognitive
ergonomic tools to analyze the current process. Customers
and members of the IT department at all organizational
levels were involved in the review process.
The evaluation enabled the department to draw a clear
picture of their mission. In addition, the evaluation
identified the activities that did not focus on their
mission or the needs of their customers.
“With the cognitive approach and tools
we obtained a real understanding of the client perspective
on the quality of services that we offer.” (Benoit
LeFrançois)
Following the review, it was recommended to restructure
certain tasks. The managers of the support service
carried out the recommendations quickly and effectively.
Six month after the restructuring, another evaluation
was carried out to assess the changes. The outcome
was that the IT support service of the CSST improved
the quality of the service up to a 95% satisfaction
level, now respecting deadlines and budgets.
“In the past there was a lot of instability
and unreliability in our services. …Now our
client satisfaction level with our services is up
to 95%.” (Benoit LeFrançois)
One of the changes is that every major update is
now carefully planned before visiting the client.
The purpose of the upgrade is explained and an appropriate
date for the implementation of the upgrade is agreed
in advance with the customer. For customers in remote
areas, a support member stays on site to provide help
for one or two days after each system upgrade.
“All these improvements at the initial
stage of a project with a client have resulted in
fewer follow-up problems and reduced implementation
time.” (Benoit LeFrançois)
“In our new electronic services, these
changes have resulted in a cost reduction of approximately
$2 million per year.” (Benoit LeFrançois)
Solution impact
- The cost of departmental operations decreased
by $2 million per year.
- A better synchronization and relation with customers
was established.
- Customer satisfaction with the new services increased
to a 95% satisfaction level.
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