ICBC enhances online driver licensing and claims services for customers

Checking wait times at driver licensing offices or the status of a claim from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) can now be done online thanks to new service enhancements.

ICBC said in a press release on Wednesday that customers can now look at current wait times at 14 of ICBC’s highest-volume driver licensing offices to help them choose when and where to visit. It has also improved its online claims services so that most customers will no longer have to call to find out some essential information about their claim, such as the rental vehicle coverage they’re entitled to or the amount of their deductible. A claims status check is available at icbc.com/claims.

“We’re focused on making it more convenient for our customers to interact with us – serving them in the way they want to be served,” said Mark Blucher, ICBC’s president and CEO. “From reducing wait times for licensing transactions to reporting and checking claims online, our goal is to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

Last year, customers completed 1.2 million transactions at ICBC driver licensing offices, the corporation reported. “Knowing the expected wait time before arriving at our licensing offices will help ensure an improved customer experience,” the release added.

Using queue management technology, ICBC can now check wait times in real time. Online wait time reporting is available for these offices: Abbotsford, Burnaby (Lougheed Hwy.), Burnaby (Metrotown), Kelowna, Langley, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey (78th Ave.), Vancouver East, Point Grey and Royal Centre, and Victoria (McKenzie Ave.).

ICBC will be expanding this capability to the Kamloops, Surrey (Guildford) and Victoria (Wharf St.) driver licensing offices in the “coming months,” the release said.

On the claims side, most customers can now access helpful details about their claim 24/7 to stay updated. In developing the enhanced online claims services, ICBC used customer feedback to include information on the common questions customers ask adjusters.

Since improving the online claims service late last year, more than 20,000 online claim status checks have been performed using this new service, ICBC reported. In addition to checking their claim status, the new tool has also improved the experience for customers reporting a claim online. Enhanced security features and an improved interface provides a better experience for customers to easily report a claim anytime and on any device, the release said.

Over the past year, ICBC has been adding and enhancing several digital services over the past year, including:

• More than 355,000 online driving records and more than 112,000 online claims history letters have been completed since the new service was introduced last year;
• ICBC launched an improved “find a location” tool on its website last March. This mobile-friendly tool helps customers find their nearest ICBC location and hours of service; and
• The premium impact estimator help customers estimate the impact of an at-fault claim on future Autoplan premiums.

The announcement came one day after ICBC said that its free windshield repair program launches on March 27. Starting that day, customers who purchase ICBC’s optional comprehensive coverage for their private passenger vehicles will be able to get a chipped windshield repaired for free, as long as an ICBC Glass Express facility determines it’s safe and appropriate to do so, ICBC said in a statement. ICBC announced the program last month.