Dedicated non-emergency call takers
Until now, most non-emergency calls were answered by police call takers who also answered emergency calls. Because call takers must prioritize emergency calls when volumes increase, non-emergency service levels deteriorate. In response, E-Comm has created a dedicated non-emergency call-taker role, with recruitment of 36 positions completed in 2023. This role recognizes the different skill-sets required for handling emergency versus non-emergency calls, and opens up a larger pool of potential candidates. These agents now answer over 60% of all NER calls.
Read more in our news release.
New NER contact centre technology platform
May 2024 marked the successful launch of Genesys, a new cloud-based platform that is utilized for non-emergency calls in the Lower Mainland during peak volume hours. This technology is designed to further enhance the caller experience by enabling wait-time estimates, call-back options, improved call menus, SMS and call-transfer capabilities. Genesys will also provide better data around the reasons for these calls, forming an integral part of E-Comm’s digital strategy to use technology to improve the public’s experience reporting non-emergency crimes.
Harmonizing standard operating procedures
E-Comm answers calls for 33 police agencies, and each one has its own way of responding to non-emergency calls. We collaborated with our police partners to harmonize SOPs across agencies for the 96 different NER “call types” that we answer, reducing call taking complexity, which will help to improve call-handling times, reduce training time, and strengthen quality assurance.
Enhancements to online alternatives for reporting NER incidents
We have worked with our police partners to improve websites for reporting of NER crimes, as an alternative to NER calls.