We’re ecstatic that 1,176 people took the time in 2023 to provide us with ratings and comments. Thank you!
Overall, BC 1 Call’s user community expressed high satisfaction levels, while providing excellent suggestions for improvement!
As promised, here are key highlights.
BC 1 Call’s Service is Valued by Users
Users overwhelmingly affirmed the value of BC 1 Call’s service.
- Over 91% say use of BC 1 Call is “very important” (5/5) to them or their organization for damage prevention.
- Over 89% say they use BC 1 Call because it’s a safe digging practice and protects their communities.
BC 1 Call’s Communications are Hitting the Mark
On average, respondents are satisfied with the frequency, quality & content of BC 1 Call’s communications.
- Average rating of over 4/5.
If you have any suggestions on how we can do better, please let us know at communications@bc1c.ca.
BC 1 Call’s Service garners High Service Satisfaction Levels
High service satisfaction is a good sign that users will form a habit of contacting BC 1 Call before disturbing the ground, and also recommend our service to others.
- 94% of respondents provided an overall service satisfaction rating of 4 or 5/5, with almost 69% providing the top rating.
- 4.38 /5 – the average service rating across all 5 important service elements.
- 96% would refer others to BC 1 Call.
Employers and Trade Associations are Key Promoters of BC 1 Call
Employers and co-workers continue to be the main reported source of awareness about BC 1 Call, followed by professional associations (many of whom are BC 1 Call Education Partners).
Here is a summary of responses to the question: Where did you first hear about BC 1 Call?
- 51% said from employers or co-workers.
- 12% said from their professional association.
- 11% said from Ads (online, TV, radio etc).
- 10% said from an underground infrastructure owner.
The Vast Majority ALWAYS Use BC 1 Call Before Disturbing the Ground
While we’d like to see all professional users reporting habitual use of BC 1 Call, we are pleased to see a slightly increased improvement in self-reported consistency of use. (We also appreciate that not all those that received BC 1 Call’s invitation to complete our 2023 User Survey are the registered user at their company who actually places locate requests, and may have answered based on personal, rather than corporate, use.)
- 78% said they “always” use BC 1 Call before disturbing the ground (up 2%).
- 15% said they “often” use BC 1 Call (down 1%).
- 3% said they “sometimes” use BC 1 Call (down 3%).
- 3% said they “rarely” use BC 1 Call (down 0%).
Increased placement of Online Locate Requests
BC 1 Call monitors the percentage of locate requests submitted online as a means of gauging ease of use of our service. Online requests also ensure faster agent availability for emergency requests and support interactions.
- 63% of respondents said they place locate requests exclusively online.
Note: Based on 2023 statistics pulled from our system, we believe online requests are a default for more professional users than indicated by the survey results:
- A record 83% of all locate requests (including 42% placed by homeowners) were submitted online.
- Over 86% of professional user locate requests were placed online.
The Vast Majority of BC 1 Call Users have NEVER had to Pay for Damage Repair.
We asked respondents if they have ever had to pay for infrastructure damage repairs. The majority of respondents and their organizations have no history of having been on the hook for such costs. Of those that have been responsible for damage costs in the past, we acknowledge that a number of them may have since – perhaps long since — rectified policies and practices, and have a longstanding clean record. It’s good to see that survey results remain relatively flat year over year.
- 24% Yes (down 1%).
- 67% No (up 3%).
- 6% Prefer not to say (down 2%).
Note: It’s impossible to identify and track infrastructure damage incidents prevented because of either (1) the use BC 1 Call, or (2) the careful review and implementation of BC 1 Call members’ safe digging instructions. What we do know from damage incidents voluntarily reported by infrastructure owners to the Canadian Common Ground Alliance, is that failure to use a one call centre and failure to follow safe digging instructions are two of the most common root causes of damage incidents.
There’s Always Room for Improvement!
Thank you for the many constructive comments and suggestions for improvement to either to the BC 1 Call system or to BC 1 Call members’ responses. Here are some highlights:
- System Improvements (many of these ideas are slated for January 2025, so stay tuned!):
- Better base map
- Better dig site drawing tool (polygon)
- Allow multiple dig sites at one location
- Make it easier to renew a locate request
- Member Responses (many of these will be discussed with our Member Resource Council this year):
- Faster responses
- Better accuracy / clarity of responses
- Make it easier to manage responses
- Suggestions that have already been implemented include:
- Access from mobile devices (launched January/2024)
- Ability to Auto-Populate a new Locate Request using a submitted locate request (Copy function for 100% autopopulation, with ability to revise as appriate prior to submitting as a new locate request)
Stay tuned for more service updates to be provided via our User Newsletters.
“Thank you again to everyone who completed the survey! Your feedback and continued use of BC 1 Call are critical,” Chris Hyland, President of BC 1 Call.