As a non-profit Crown corporation, we exist solely to serve our customers. Our entire organization is focused on providing the high-quality coverage, access and service Manitobans have come to expect, as well as the rate stability that has become the nation’s gold standard.

The key to consistent quality is performance measurement—a responsibility we take seriously. We apply 54 Customer Service Standards to the nearly 10 million contacts we have with customers every year. Our aim is to ensure service is consistently prompt, courteous, fair, responsive and complete.

When we created the standards in 2000, we asked front-line staff to set the bar at a level that would be acceptable to a reasonable customer. In 2004 we decided it was time to test these important yardsticks against real-life expectations. A comprehensive examination of our service standards program by Prairie Research Associates confirmed not only that we are measuring the right things, but also that our standards are consistent with what Manitobans expect from their insurance company. This study also concluded that our Customer Service Standards meet or exceed industry best practices.

The next challenge is to expand Customer Service Standards to driver and vehicle licencing operations. The new benchmarks will give DVL employees greater assurance that they are meeting customer needs, while tracking improvements in service and efficiency.

After three decades of successful service, we never stop striving to improve. One example in 2004 was the progression of the personal care assessment grid for our Personal Injury Protection Plan (PIPP). The method we use for determining claimants’ needs is now more precise and more understandable for the claimant.

As our experience with PIPP grows, we find new and better ways to work with health-care partners and, as the program matures, claimant recovery begins to play a larger role. We’ll build on this experience in 2005 as we continue to improve our business model and our service to all customers.

Products and services at a glance

Insurance

• Universal Basic Autopac coverage
• A wide range of optional coverages, including deductible buy-downs
• Bodily injury compensation for all Manitobans injured in motor vehicle collisions anywhere in North America, regardless of fault
• Special Risk Extension products for commercial fleets and special needs

DRIVER AND VEHICLE LICENCING

• Licencing of all classes of drivers
• Vehicle registration, inspection and standards enforced
• Driver testing for knowledge, skill and physical ability
• Intervention to protect Manitobans from unsafe driving habits
• Regulation of auto dealers, sales people, recyclers and driving schools

CONVENIENT SERVICE

• Partnership with more than 300 independent insurance brokers
• Claim service through 22 locations in 13 communities, plus telephone service and road runs to more than 72 communities
• Driver and vehicle licencing services through 10 outlets and 147 agents in 123 communities
• Mobile driver testing units serving 69 communities

ROAD SAFETY PROMOTION

• High school Driver Education program in 114 communities
• Public education campaigns
• Province-wide accredited safety training and in-school safety from pre-school to Grade 11
• Certified training courses for motorcycles, snowmobiles, off-road vehicles and senior driving

Customer Service Standards Performance—In 2004, our customers told us we met or exceeded our targets on key service standards over 90% of the time.

Vehicle Inspector Sam Sanan (left) helps enforce provincial standards aimed at keeping Manitobans safe on the road. The corporation's services help reduce the risk of collisions, as well as the risk of suffering personal harm without financial support.