We Hear You

Project Description:

In collaboration with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), students in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design (IHCD) program were asked to examine service delivery at the IRCC Client Support Center (CSC). Our project team explored the journey and challenges faced by Permanent Resident (PR) clients throughout the application process while contacting the CSC.

To orient ourselves within the problem space, we conducted a literature review examining secondary sources such as published journal articles, newspaper articles, blogs, websites and social media. We developed a questionnaire in which we asked clients about their experiences with the application process and their interactions with IRCC through various channels. We used the results of the survey to inform interview questions for PR clients with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of client experiences and pain points. We also interviewed Subject Matter Experts including Immigration Consultants, Call Center Agents, UX Researchers and collaborated closely with IRCC to gain insight into their processes and eventually gain feedback on our proposed solutions.

Our research uncovered that many of the clients reaching out to IRCC through different channels were unable to reach an agent and many faced difficulties getting in the queue to connect with the agent. The clients who were able to reach the agents were often unsatisfied with the responses they received. Seeing little to no response within the expected timeline advertised on the website makes them feel anxious and frustrated about their application. Our primary research led us to develop the experience principles for the project, where we identified key principles that could help us develop our proposed solution for clients. The key findings from our research were that clients want tailor responses to their questions, they want to know “where in the process their file is,” and most importantly, they want to feel reassured about their application.

Our proposed solution is focused on reassuring clients before they reach out to call the CSC. The clients will be able to access the chatbot + live chat inside the PR application portal, where they’ll first interact with the chatbot. In case of a specific query, the clients would also be able to connect with the live agents directly, where the agents can provide updates on the client’s file. Our platform will help PR clients connect to the agents and get their queries acknowledged and heard. The chat history will also be recorded inside the portal to avoid miscommunication between agents and clients.

Throughout the course of our project, our team had the opportunity to learn by applying our theoretical knowledge to a real world issue and to adapt to several challenges as they came up. We also learned to enhance our collaboration skills by better understanding how to use the digital resources at our disposal.

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