CORPORATE CULTURE & EMPLOYER OF CHOICE RECOGNITION

CCEOC Success Story

Interview with Ian Tarrant, Director Contact Centre Single Family Operations

About MCAP

MCAP is one of Canada's largest independent mortgage financing companies, with over $55 billion in assets under administration.

The company operates in two key lines of business: residential mortgages and commercial mortgages & development finance.

Comprised of 700 employees in 9 offices, MCAP originates, securitizes, trades and services mortgages across Canada. With a stable of more than 25 institutional investors and over 200,000 borrowers, MCAP has the flexibility and expertise to create innovative financial products to match the needs of both borrowers and investors. MCAP truly means "One Stop Shopping" for all aspects of real estate lending.

Challenges & Opportunities

Specific areas of focus include (sample):

  • gain industry-wide recognition as a great place to work
  • improve ability to attract, retain and engage the best talent
  • identify areas of opportunity to improve communication & performance
  • build pride and commitment, boost morale and satisfaction
  • develop employee focused continuous improvement programs

The following is an interview conducted by Jeff Doran - President of CCEOC Inc. with (contact name) from MCAP.

JD: You've had such great success in developing an employer of choice culture. Can you tell me how you've addressed key employee concerns and created a consistent view across the organization?

MCAP: The survey results highlighted three main areas of opportunity for us; Stress Management, Employee Involvement and Convenience Amenities. A committee of employees was formed to address these issues including all employees in the process through group discussions and conducting surveys. For Stress Management, based on employee input, the committee highlighted the resources that are accessible through our Employee Assistance Program as well as other tools for managing stress. To address Employee Involvement, our agents collaboratively defined what Employee Involvement means to them; highlighting the tools they desired to increase their involvement in the Contact Centre. Regarding Convenience Amenities, the committee conducted a Contact Centre wide survey. Based on the feedback received, we identified what amenities were priorities for our employees. A few examples or amenities that were introduced are WIFI, cutlery and games for the lunch room. We started on this journey for our employees and it has been our goal to involve them in every step of the process as we strive for continuous improvement!
JD: What communication channels did you use to keep employees involved and informed?
MCAP: Everything we could think of! From emails and surveys to posters around the office and desk drops (where information was left on employees' desks) to ensure they were aware of our initiatives. To further involve employees, open discussions were held in weekly meetings, which gathered their input and guidance. An on-line suggestion board was developed where employees submit their ideas and can remain anonymous if they choose to. Employees are also encouraged to discuss any of their concerns or suggestions with a committee member in person.
JD: Can you tell me a bit about your employee satisfaction & engagement scores?
MCAP: Our decision to engage the CCEOC organization was largely driven by our desire to measure employee satisfaction and engagement, to help us determine what actions we can take to improve these results. In our first year working with CCEOC, we have made notable gains in our employee satisfaction and engagement scores, especially in the area of employees feeling that their opinions are heard and valued. The scores suggest employees also feel encouraged to pursue their goals compared to last year's results. Our work is far from over; this will remain one of our greatest priorities, but we are happy to see our efforts have had the desired impact.
JD: How has developing an employer of choice culture affected customer satisfaction scores?
MCAP: We have just embarked upon a robust CSAT measurement and follow-up process – We felt strongly of the correlation between employee satisfaction and engagement to customer satisfaction, and wanted to ensure we had a solid foundation in place with our employees prior to the implementation of our new CSAT practices. As our measurement of customer satisfaction is still in its infancy, we are excited to see the data and directional insight in the months to come.
JD: You've had big gains in productivity. Can you provide some insight into why this has occurred?
MCAP: Research suggests that happy employees are more productive. Over the last year we have set our efforts to improve our employees' experience, making numerous changes to achieve this result. Comparing our 2016 scores to those of the 2017 survey, it is apparent that the Contact Centre Employee experience has changed in a positive way.
JD: How has employee turnover been affected?
MCAP: External employee turnover has not been an issue for us. Through this process, we have been able to promote and identify opportunities for staff to progress within the company. We have also modified our interview process to include information about our employee and business culture to help determine if a candidate is a good fit for our company, not just at the entry level, but in the years to come.
JD: How do you use the CCEOC designation as a competitive advantage to win new business?
MCAP: This is absolutely giving us a competitive advantage as an employer. Through our interview process, candidates are asking us about and telling us that they were drawn to MCAP as an employer because of our CCEOC Gold designation. Moreover, other mortgage lenders have engaged MCAP to manage their servicing businesses based on our employee culture, which has become stronger through this process.
JD: Describe how the designation is used for internal recognition
MCAP: Given the nature of the CCEOC organization, it is very important that we involve employees in the process wherever possible. A celebration was held to thank our staff for their participation following our initial designation as well as our recertification. It is a priority of ours to recognize new ideas throughout our Contact Centre and to make the impact of employee driven changes known by encouraging employees to voice their opinions. Our industry is one that changes constantly, making it important for MCAP to be innovative, which is why we value and recognize forward thinking members of our team.
JD: Just to sum up, how has the MCAP contact center benefited from developing an employer of choice culture?
MCAP: Through this process we have become more aware of what the MCAP employee experience really is. We make valuable changes and involve our employees in every step of the process by asking for and allowing them to express their opinions. The results of the recertification survey suggest that employees feel more involved in their workplace and that they are measurably happier with their employment than they were a year ago. We will continue to encourage our employees to make suggestions and voice their opinions about change, which we use to guide the decisions we make moving forward.
JD: Thanks very much for your time and continued success.
MCAP: Our pleasure Jeff..