D + H

Company Description

Founded in 1875, D+H provides innovative programs, technology products, and technology based business services to customers in the financial services industry who offer deposit, lending, insurance and wealth management products to consumers and businesses.

D+H is well-known for supporting the cheque programs of most Canadian financial institutions and it is this part of our business that we have received recognition as a CCEOC. Through our programs to chequing and credit card accounts, we serve the needs of over 20MM consumers and 2MM small businesses with comprehensive cheques programs, and such added value services as IDefence (identity theft protection services), BizAssis^® (online marketplace for small business) and eSwitchTM (a service which assists consumers in managing the switch of preauthorized debits to a new account).

We're about so much more than cheques, however.

As a result of both continued program enhancements and strategic acquisitions, D+H has evolved into a market leading service provider across a broad range of products and programs, including:

• Mortgage and lending technology. Our technology platforms are widely used by a broad cross section of North American lenders to process the documentation associated with a retail, mortgage, small business, commercial, or equipment loan and/or lease.
• Search & lien registration services. D+H is Canada's largest service provider for search and lien registration services. Our systems assist lenders with the activities required to register a personal property lien associated with a loan.
• Loan administration programs. D+H is an industry leader in the provision of loan administration programs to Canadian lenders, with customers that include financial institutions and government. In fact, D+H is the largest provider of student loan administration programs to government and also provides similar program support to a number of credit card issuers.
• Asset recovery services. D+H is a Canadian industry leader in asset recovery solutions that automate, manage and minimize the manual collection processes involved with asset recovery and remarketing, insolvency management, debt collection, and litigation. Our solutions cover moveable property recovery, real property recovery, insolvency management and unsecured debt recovery.
• Outsourced data processing & admin programs. We support a wide range of customers with services that include: claims processing, payment processing, and coupon and rebate processing. We are, for example, Canada's largest service provider for coupon redemption services.
• Contact Centre Services. D+H and its predecessors have been providing outsourced contact centre solutions for companies in the financial services, retail, government, consumer products and technology sectors for over 35 years. Today, our centres handle over 3 million calls a year on behalf of our clients.

In addition, we recently acquired Mortgagebot, a leading provider of internet-based mortgage origination solutions to the US financial services industry.

At D+H, we know that our success is rooted in a culture of passion for the customer. This is based on a fundamental belief that our job is to deliver ever increasing value to our customers in order to help them more effectively meet the needs of their customers. Customers trust D+H's commitment to their business success, and have rewarded this commitment by making us a leading services provider to the financial services industry with relationships that extend back, in some cases, over 100 years.

Contact Center Description

The D+H Cheque and eSwitchTM Call Center handles over 2.5 million inbound and outbound calls per year from 3 call center sites located in Toronto, Longueuil Que, and Markham, Ont. Products supported include: Forms, Manual Cheques, eSwitchTM, Registery Services, Appraiser Central, IDefence^® and BizAssist^®. Hours of operation are 6:30 a.m. EST to 11 p.m. EST.

The Call Center Leadership Team is committed to creating an environment that is professional and pleasantly appealing. The Centers are very modern and clean with large bright windows that bring in lots of natural light and special blinds for lighting and temperature control. Vibrant colours are used throughout the centers creating a lively atmosphere that is warm and inviting. There are many works of art and plants visible in the offices which give it a professional decor. Visual aids are used to communicate information on various campaigns, to promote monthly incentives and to recognize employees for their personal achievements.

D+H uses sound dampening in the call centre by angling partitions to drive noise away from representatives. The Centers strive to achieve a non-paper based environment through the use of online support tools and resources which help keep the clutter down to a minimum while reducing carbon footprint. All locations are very customer centric and the teams work closely with Privacy Officers to ensure that customer information remains confidential and is safely discarded in various on-site shredding and recycling security boxes.

There is a kitchenette/lunchroom in Toronto, and cafés in Markham and Longueuil that provide a wide variety of healthy hot and cold meals. Centers are equipped with fridges, microwaves, filtered water coolers, toasters and other break time amenities. There are vending machines in all locations with a combination of snacks for the health conscious and for those who want to enjoy a sweet treat. Board games such as checkers, chess, and dominos are available in the lunch room as is a Foosball table which has become a very popular competitive pass time for breaks and lunch. Picnic tables are also available outdoors and serves as a nice social gathering place.

Employees are trained on proper posture and other factors that contribute to personal health and safety. If employees are feeling ill or stressed, they can relax in the Sick Bay which is a quite room off to the side of the Call Centre or if they have a particularly difficult call, they are allowed to take a "tough call" break. The Library is also available for relaxing and lounging with comfortable seating and ample reading material and comes equipped with TVs and DVDs for casual watching. There is an internet café with free web access for chat lines and surfing during downtimes.

From a security perspective, all necessary precautions are taken to protect employees and the organization. All employees require a security badge to gain access to the offices and all visitors have a sign in process and personal escort while on the premises. Parking is free including the Eglinton downtown location.

D+H Call Centre operation has achieved the Contact Center Employer of Choice^® (CCEOC) designation for its 3 sites (Toronto, ON, Markham, ON, Longueuil, QC).This is the fourth year in a row that D+H contact centers have been recognized with this designation.

D+H has proven once again that it is a great place to work and that it excels in many employer of choice areas including: work/life balance, rewards & recognition and social activities. Being recognized as a CCEOC identifies D+H as a progressive organization and one of the best contact centres to work for in the country.

The desire to be recognized as a Contact Center Employer of Choice^® was based on the centers passion for people and creating a high performing culture.

Specific areas of focus include:

• Gain industry-wide recognition as a great place to work
• Improve ability to attract, retain and engage the best talent
• Boost employee morale and satisfaction
• Improve customer interactions, by improving awareness of employee satisfaction and correlation with customer satisfaction

The results of the assessment have provided management with different perspectives on how to address key challenges that exist in the customer contact environment that will have sustained impact on culture and morale. Through the programs' in-depth reporting and analysis, management has gained a deeper understanding of key employee motivation and satisfaction drivers.

Key Performance Measures

All employees have a balanced scorecard that encompasses the following key performance measures:

• Quality Customer Experiences
• Knowledge Professionals
• Voice of our Customers
• Financial Performance
• First Call Resolution

Technology and Ergonomics

The latest VOIP is used throughout the operation including: Cisco IVR, CTI, Cisco VOIP. In-house scheduling, forecasting and networking systems have been developed by the IT department. SER dialer and Mercom call recording are used for outbound auto-dialing and quality assurance programs. MS Windows is used as the operating system throughout the organization.

Representatives have plenty of desk space with workstations ranging in size from 6'X5' to 6'X7'. Low partitions are used to create an open fluid environment supporting the open door policy. All chairs and equipment are ergonomically designed to help reduce physical stress and repetitive strain injuries. Each workstation has ample storage with locking files.

Growth Prospects

D+H have a number of new programs and initiatives to position the organization for future growth. They include Credit Card eSwitchTM services, Biz Assist^® Premium Membership and as part of IDefence^® (identity theft protection services), SecureVault and Credit Card Monitoring. Like our other programs, these new enhancements will focus on helping Canadian financial institutions provide improved service to their customers.

CCEOC Attributes

Work/life Balance and Health & Wellness

The D+H Health & Safety Committee meet regularly and conduct quarterly health audits of the work place. D+H has a generous Group Benefit Program after a 3 month new hire probationary period. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is offered to all employees through Great West Life, to provide confidential and voluntary support that can help solve all kinds of problems and challenges in life. A quarterly wellness bulletin goes out to employees and includes information on the corporate benefits program and fitness/health tips. Different themes are created around wellness each month including: smoking cessation, heart & stroke, asthma etc.

Daily ergonomics where employees can exercise in between calls is encouraged and forms a natural part of their work routine. D+H is sensitive to chronic medical conditions and makes special accommodations for employees and those on STD with special medical conditions. Management supports an open door policy and is always available to listen to employee concerns. Health & Safety committee members carry orange badges and their pictures are posted for easy identification. All Team Leads and some Representatives are trained in first aid and all new employees go through health & safety orientation.

Rewards & Recognition

D+H has many motivating rewards and recognition programs available to employees.

"You've Been Caught" is a very popular peer to peer recognition program. People who win receive a gift certificate and receive public recognition in the call centre. The Quality Award is handed out to representatives who achieve the top 20% of the quality measurement standard and for those who achieve the top 20% for sales and Balance Scorecard. Achievers receive a letter from the Call Centre Manager, an award certificate and are recognized on the Call Centre website and quarterly newsletter. All monthly incentives are employee driven and organized by a committee of Call Center Representatives from each location with guidance from the leadership team. This supports our desire for employee engagement and satisfaction and ensures that we are delivering motivating and fun incentives that meets the needs of our Representatives.

Performance bonuses are earned quarterly and paid out to employees who reach or exceed performance targets annually. Pizza lunches and surprise treat days are provided on a regular basis in recognition of employee appreciation days.

The 25-Year Club has an annual dinner party & recognition evening to recognize present and past employees who have 25 years of service or more. Service Award recognizes employees for every 5 years of service and can choose a specialty gift from an incentive catalogue. Their name is posted on the intranet and Managers gather peers to present their award. Birthdays are recognized and celebrated with a cake and decorations at the person's workstation.

Culture & Social Environment

D+H is committed to the personal development of all employees and to foster a coaching culture the call center has set up separate coaching and training rooms. There is a strong focus on: creating quality customer experiences, teamwork through positive relationships, continuous learning and training and rewarding employees based on realistic, measurable objectives. Employees are actively engaged in their personal success and work closely with their coaches. Leadership development workshops are part of the monthly foundation and are a key success factor for the call centre.

The Social Club is very active at D+H. They are responsible for many of the fun functions and charitable activities that go on throughout the year.

Some of these include:

• Annual company picnic
• Annual holiday dinner/dance organized by Social Committee
• Children's holiday party
• Holiday lunches at each location
• BBQs in the summer
• Discounts on theatre and event tickets
• Theme days: Halloween, Valentines, Mother's Day
• Lots of activities during the holiday season – spread out over 2 weeks

Community Support

D+H is very involved in the community and various charitable organizations. To that end they have established a charitable donation program.

Employees can contribute through pay-roll deduction or personal contribution. Some of the charities and organizations supported include:

• Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion
• United Way
• Toy drive at Christmas
• Corporate support of the Arts
• Sponsorship of Thorncliffe Community
• Junior Achievement

Above and Beyond Factors

The Above and Beyond factors are the big and little things that make a big difference in the D+H Call Centre.

Here is a list of some of those attributes that employees are saying:

• Call Centre is well supported by HR and the rest of the business
• Great attitude
• Effective senior level communication
• Family oriented culture
• Management is well respected and quickly addresses issues
• Open door policy for all management and senior management
• Representatives really care and listen to the customer
• Functional areas are well integrated into the call center
• High quality new hires
• Great opportunities for personal development and career pathing
• Well designed pay scales
• Good benefits plan
• Strong team spirit with the front line
• People feel valued and that they belong
• High customer satisfaction ratings