Hydro One has announced that its contact center employees, previously contracted out, will be coming back in-house. This will allow contact center agents to better serve customers by providing a more seamless experience. Hydro One worked collaboratively with two unions, the Power Workers Union (PWU) and The Society of Energy Professionals to enable this transition which will deliver improved service quality, agent flexibility and cost efficiency.
"We are changing the way we do business to bring us even closer to meeting our customers' expectations," said Ferio Pugliese, Executive Vice President, Customer Care and Corporate Affairs, Hydro One. "Our contact centers are one of our greatest points of contact with our valued customers so ensuring that they receive the best service is our priority. We are listening to our customers and by bringing this service in-house, we will be better equipped to respond to their needs."
The centers are currently operated by a third-party on a contract that expires on Feb. 28, 2018, and will not be renewed. The contact centers are based in Markham and London, Ontario, and they employ more than 400 individuals, handling two million calls per year. By coming back into the organization, the agents will have access to ongoing development opportunities and will play a large part in advancing Hydro One's renewed service culture.
Hydro One previously operated the contact centers across the province until it outsourced the operations function more than 15 years ago. Pugliese added that Hydro One is bringing the customer experience to the core of everything it does, and with this move customers can be assured they are now connecting directly with Hydro One agents, service leaders and decision makers who will be better equipped to serve them.
There will be no service disruption to customers during the transition which will be completed by the end of February 2018 and rates will not be affected.