Annual Report of the Canada Pension Plan 2001-2002
Improved Service Delivery
Reaching Out to Canadians
During 2001-02, HRDC continued its efforts to help Canadians better understand public pensions and the retirement income system, and to encourage them to actively plan and prepare for their own retirement. Information on the CPP is available in print, on the Internet, in person at local offices, by phone, and at electronic kiosks in government offices and public buildings.
Personalized contact with clients continued to receive high priority. In 2001-02, HRDC issued personal CPP Statements of Contributions to more than 12.9 million contributors between the ages of 18 and 70. The statements were accompanied by information on the retirement income system in Canada.
Delivering Service
In 2001-02, HRDC focused on maintaining the CPP systems and continuing to modernize CPP program delivery in conjunction with information technology renewal.
Major systems-related initiatives gave CPP staff better online access to contributors' record-of-earnings information and the ability to correct client information online.
New data storage and retrieval features have been added to improve support to external partners, such as provincial social services departments and workers' compensation boards. These changes have improved client service and the speed with which benefits can be adjudicated and inquiries answered.
Work also continues on the rules-based system - a knowledge base to guide the decision-making process and ensure that legislation, operational policy and procedures are correctly and consistently applied.
Processing Benefits
CPP services are offered in person, by telephone and by mail. In 2001-02, staff processed 55,709 disability applications (which are complex and require medical information) within an average of 66 days. Other types of applications were processed within 28 days (see Table 1).
Better communication with clients and their physicians helped staff make more informed decisions and helped CPP disability applicants better understand the reasons for decisions. As a result, close to 90 percent of the applications for disability benefits in 2001-02 were finalized during the initial phases.
HRDC call centres received over 1.3 million calls about the CPP in 2001-02. Positive responses to initiatives such as the mailout of personalized statements to CPP contributors and inquiries received during the traditionally busy T4 period contributed to the high number of calls.
| National speed-of-service measures | Objective | 2001-2002 National Average |
|---|---|---|
| Number of working days to process initial CPP applications* (excluding disability applications) | 28* | 28 |
| Number of working days to process initial CPP disability applications | 62 | 66 |
*Number of days between the date the application is received and the date of the decision.
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| 2001-2002 | |
|---|---|
| Percentage of clients served by a service agent within 180 seconds of placing a call ** | 81.9% |
| Average waiting time to speak with a service agent | 61 sec. |
| Average time clients spend talking to a service agent | 244 sec. |
*Table includes CPP and Old Age Security totals. Speed of service does not vary between programs.
** The objective is to serve clients within 180 seconds for 95 percent of calls.
Higher call volumes mean managing longer wait times. This is a challenge throughout the year. The problem was addressed by increasing staff in telecentres and by installing updated equipment and new software designed for high volume and peak periods. CPP is also piloting the use of the Internet to complement traditional telephone services and to address the growing volume.
Telephone inquiries continue to become more complex. Direct support is being implemented for staff through updated online reference materials and new national training packages. This will provide comprehensive and consistent training to staff across Canada.