PACP - Actions taken since Report 1, spring 2019 OAG Report (Call Centres) - December 5, 2023

Key Facts And Figures

• In 2022, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducted a post-audit project to assess the progress of recommendations they had made to the Department – 1.27 and 1.46 – of their Report 1 – Call Centres - 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada. The OAG found that the Department had fully implemented its action items related to the original recommendations, and published the updated results to the public: ag-measures-app (oag-bvg.gc.ca).
• However, the demand for client support has only increased since the OAG’s original report. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Client Support Centre (CSC) received 10.6M enquiries, up 128% from the 4.66M received in 2018-2019. This has had significant impact on service levels and call centre performance.
• With that said, the CSC has deployed efforts to increase its capacity. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the CSC answered 4.1M enquiries, more than double the 2.0M it answered in 2018-2019.

Key Messages

• In 2022, the OAG found the Department had fully implemented the two recommendations outlined in their 2019 report on call centres.
• The Department is aware that the demand for client services has increased since the findings of the OAG report due to ongoing international crises and the impact on services caused by COVID-19.
• In 2022-2023, the CSC received 10.6M enquiries, up 128% from the 4.66M received in 2018-2019.
• The funding investment from Budget 2022 has allowed IRCC to stabilize resources at the CSC on a permanent basis, as well improve tools and technology aimed at ensuring timely client support. This investment has helped the Department respond to enquiries, and provide better service to its clients.
• In 2022-2023, the CSC answered 4.1M enquiries on its main three contact channels, more than double the 2.0M it answered in 2018-2019.
• IRCC has also launched a number of initiatives aimed at helping clients self-serve as much as possible without the need for live support, such as improved online tools for checking the status of an immigration application.
• Despite these improvements, we know it is difficult to keep pace with the growing demand for client services.
• However, through its Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) Programme, IRCC is working to introduce a new modern online account to provide the tools and capabilities via a single digital ‘front-door’ for a more seamless client experience.

Supplementary Information

2019 Audit of Call Centres

• In 2019, the OAG audited four departmental call centres: IRCC, Employment Insurance (ESDC), Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security (ESDC) and Veterans Affairs Canada.
• The objective was to determine whether these departments provided clients with accessible and timely call centre services and whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Shared Services Canada provided a strategy and support to enable these services.
• For IRCC, the report found that callers who wanted to speak with an agent often could not do so, and that for those that could, the wait time was high (32 minutes on average).
• The report outlined two recommendations for IRCC:
  • 1.27 Call Centre should review how they manage incoming calls to improve access to agents. The departments should consider practices such as allowing callers to decide if they prefer to wait, use self-service options, or have the call centre call them back later.
  • 1.46 a) Set call centre service standards that are relevant to clients and consider client feedback as per the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Guideline on Service Standards, and
    • b) Publish call centre service standards and performance results in a transparent and consistent manner and verify the results to confirm accuracy.
• In 2022, the OAG reported that IRCC fully implemented action items related to both recommendations.

Service Standards

• Service standards for client support were implemented in December 2019, and IRCC has published yearly results since 2020-2021.
• The published service standards for enquiries are:
  • 50% of calls requesting an agent reach the wait queue, and 80% of clients wait 30 minutes or less once in the queue.
  • Acknowledge receipt of web form enquiries (emails) within one business day, and answer them within three business days.
• Despite significant increase in capacity, growing demand for live client support has impeded the Department from meeting its service standards.
• Service standard results for client support:
  • 2020-2021: 27% of emails were answered within 3 days. 44% of calls requesting an agent reached the waiting queue, and 52% of those waited 30 minutes or less.
  • 2021-2022: 30% of emails were answered within 3 days. 26% of calls requesting an agent reached the waiting queue, and 45% of those waited 30 minutes or less.
  • 2022-2023: 14% of emails were answered within 3 days. 15% of calls requesting an agent reached the waiting queue, and 61% of those waited 30 minutes or less.
  • (2022-23 results are considered final, but have yet to be published on our website).

Recent Correspondences with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP)

Since the OAG’s findings in their report on Call Centres, IRCC has provided updates to PACP on call centre performance in May 2022, January 2023, June 2023. Most recently, the committee wrote to the Department to request an update on how Budget 2022 resources has contributed to the improvement of the CSC. A response to the most recent request has been drafted and is undergoing departmental approvals.

• In IRCC’s response letter of May 2022, the Department outlined
  • Facts and figures related to growing number of enquiries stemming from COVID-19 and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
  • Efforts to mitigate this, such as initiatives around self-service through improved technology.
• IRCC’s response letter of January 2023 provided:
  • Information about further year-over-year volume increases.
  • Update on measures to improve performance.
• IRCC’s June 2023 letter responded to questions about how the dedicated channels for Afghanistan and Ukraine added significant pressure on support for regular clients.
• In a draft of the Department’s response to the Committee’s request in June, IRCC provides an update on improved performance resulting from increased staffing and a reduction in the volume of enquiries received.

Volume of enquiries and CSC performance

COVID-19 disrupted services provided by the Department (e.g. suspended or delayed processing), resulting in an increase in the number of enquiries received at the CSC. The pandemic also increased the complexity of interactions, with clients wanting to know how departmental policies applied to their unique circumstances, and seeking clarity on the status of their application and processing times.

Additionally, due to the urgency of the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine, IRCC diverted resources from regular operations to respond to calls and emails received on the dedicated channels, on a priority basis. Up to October 31, 2023, IRCC answered 298k calls and 655k emails related to the crisis in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Finally, increased immigration levels have resulted in an increased volume of enquiries, as clients require support and assistance throughout their immigration journey.

Client Support Centre Funding

Budget 2019 ($42.9M for 2019-2020 and 2020-2201) and Budget 2021 (74.4M for 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024) allowed for the temporary hiring of 237 Full-time equivalent (FTEs) employees at the CSC.

With Budget 2022, IRCC received new funding ($187.3M over five years and $37.2M ongoing) to permanently retain FTEs that were temporarily hired as a result of previous budgets, and hire an additional 107 incremental FTE resources to continue responding to a rapidly growing volume of enquiries