Project Summary

Client: BC Hydro

Project: Short-Term Management Services – Customer Care Outsourcing Management

Situation

The implementation of several major customer-related initiatives at BC Hydro including the Smart Metering & Infrastructure initiative (SMI) created a surge in outsourcing contract requirements for the Customer Service Operations group beginning in 2012.  There was only one individual assigned to these tasks and she was also tasked with supporting a major project.  It became clear that additional resources would be required as in some cases it was taking close to six months to put together required contract arrangements essential to moving projects forward.  There was clearly a need for a resource to augment existing staff and help clear through the backlog of outstanding contract items.

Goal

To assist in clearing a backlog of work that developed during a period of significant customer-related initiatives.  Later the requirement was extended when the main department resource went on leave and when several operational initiatives were required to address the major transformation caused by the SMI initiative.

Activities

Paul Cormier was asked to come in to assist in clearing the contractual backlog and to take over several responsibilities associated with the ongoing management of the Customer Care outsourcing arrangement, such as negotiating and finalizing contract arrangements, monitoring service level agreements and invoicing, resolving disputes, supporting operational groups and providing input in aid of regulatory filings.  Initially, outstanding contract arrangements were prioritized in order to begin clearing the backlog.  Stronger tracking and reporting mechanisms were developed so clearer visibility as to outstanding and upcoming items could occur.  Several major issues were resolved in the first few months.  Priority was placed on maximizing value derived by ensuring the optimal use of different funding mechanisms under the agreement.  Several operational issues emerged and working with the key BC Hydro operations managers, creative solutions were developed to ensure contract arrangements would support operational priorities.

Results

In two years, more than 160 Customer Care related contract arrangements and issues were negotiated and resolved with the outsourcing service provider resulting in stronger vendor performance, process improvements and more than $2.7 million of incremental contract value to the client.  A number of operational initiatives were launched which improved operational efficiency and performance.