On an average workday, the Manitoba Public Insurance call centre receives 2,550 calls. Last year those calls translated into the processing of nearly 230,000 claims, 120,000 requests for claims information and 112,000 other public inquiries.

Each of these calls is an opportunity to help our fellow Manitobans, and to add value to our relationship. From the moment a customer first opens a claim until the claim is settled, we strive to meet the customer’s every need.

In 2000, we established a set of corporate-wide standards to ensure our service would consistently exceed the expectations of our customers, no matter where they live.

These standards are concrete and measurable, and adjusted to meet the changing needs of customers over time. They range from underlying commitments to treat customers courteously and honestly, to specific time periods and criteria for estimating a vehicle and completing a claim.

Three and a half years and more than seven million customer contacts later, the results are clear. In 2003, our customers told us we met or exceeded our service standard targets 94 per cent of the time. In fact, Manitoba Public Insurance outperformed other insurers in terms of prompt settlement of customer claims, a major factor affecting customer satisfaction.

When Manitoba Public Insurance was created in 1971, the corporation pledged to make insurance services available to all our customers, in all areas of the province. Today we have 22 claims offices in 13 communities, and a network that brings direct service to 72 communities through telephone reporting and road runs.

Our commitment to customer service shines through, especially in emergency situations. When Altona was hit by a hailstorm in July 2003, claims staff set up an emergency centre in the community. Within three days of the storm, the facility was up and running, even though there was no permanent Manitoba Public Insurance office in the town.

The corporation also stresses that injury case management be tailored to each client. The Personal Injury Protection Plan, introduced 10 years ago, has paved the way for a co-ordinated team approach focused on helping claimants achieve as full a recovery as possible.

Training for this new approach was introduced to staff in partnership with the University of Manitoba, which created a case management program. Through specialized courses, case managers were trained to work closely with medical professionals in an empathetic style of case management. Together, they develop personalized programs aimed at improving quality of life for those most seriously injured.

The program has since been adopted by other disability insurers, including the Workers Compensation Board, Wawanesa and Great-West Life.

At Manitoba Public Insurance, our commitment to outstanding customer service means looking after our neighbours when they need us most.

Left: A recent independent survey showed that, overall, 86 per cent of rural Manitobans are satisfied with the way their latest claims were handled by Manitoba Public Insurance.

Above: More than 90 per cent of claimants over the age of 65 told us that their expectations were met or exceeded by Manitoba Public Insurance when it came to having a claim settled.