customer service representative

executive assistant

claims examiner

agent de centre d'appel

Pacific Blue Cross

I've worked in call centers and various administrative roles for 10 years. I always thought I was a job hopper but then I took a 12 month contract with PBC in their call center. I realized, it wasn't me - it was them. I just hadn't found a good company to work at.

It's still a call center with the same expectations (KPIs, reliability, etc). The big difference is the 35 hr work week, 7.5 hr days; flex days off for appointments (you owe the hours and work them back); the pay shows their commitment to their employees; and it's unionized so you know you're protected against injustices. 

Additionally, there are opportunities to apply to other departments. So if you want to get experience elsewhere, take a break from the call center, that's a possibility. A lot of people do it. 

It's not perfect, though. Nothing is of course. There's some trust issues from the lock out in 2017. Not without warrant, they have every right to feel that way. I feel lucky to have joined after the lock out had been resolved. It's just hard to feel good about a place that I know is objectively a good place to work when there are people around me who still have hard feelings and voice them often. 

Aside from that, it's hard to get a permanent position until you get high enough seniority. Plus, permanent positions aren't posted often, even when it makes sense for them to be posted. That's only a concern if you're trying to do family planning and you want a job to come back to I guess.

My current position as a Incoming Mailroom Clerk has several duties. First and foremost is opening all the mail received on that day, it ranges anywhere from 3000-10,000 pieces depending on the seasons and deadlines customers have to give in claim forms. After opening all the mail we then have to prep and sort everything, as in taking out staples and paper clips then getting it ready to be scanned into PBC's system for other departments to view and start their work on. Once it is all prepped it is taken to the scanning department and from there it will go up to whichever department physically handles claims. There are certain weeks where the incoming mail department receives cheques to be mailed out to customers and dentist, this is something we handle as well by folding, stuffing and sealing envelopes to get it ready to be mailed out. There is also a duty which is called "the Priority person," this person is to relieve the "Courier Desk Clerk" whenever they go on break. Priority person talks to anyone who calls the desk and handles anything to be received. They are also responsible for any large bulk mail to be opened and any registered mail.

I worked at Pacific Blue Cross, and my experience was overwhelmingly negative. The leadership is disorganized, unprofessional, and lacks accountability. There is a culture of favouritism and micromanagement, making it difficult for employees to succeed unless they conform to unrealistic expectations.Management fails to support employees, and instead of fostering a positive work environment, they create unnecessary stress and pressure. HR is completely ineffective, and complaints about toxic behavior, bullying, or unfair treatment are ignored. If you’re looking for career growth or a healthy workplace, this is not the place for you. The company does not value work-life balance, and their outdated processes make simple tasks frustratingly complex. Employees are often overworked and underappreciated. HR even interferes in your personal life they don’t have boundaries if they hire they think like they have full control over you . 

Job Title says Travel Insurance Sales however still expected to take tons of calls for Personal Health Insurance. Training never provided you with sufficient knowledge that you need and would just tell you to figure out everything on your own. Team Leads and Managers are cold and ignorant and not willing to help. Never felt welcomed on the team and colleagues would back stab you. It’s funny that the team leads aren’t licensed to sell insurance but they still provide feedback on how to sell insurance. Never gotten a single negative feedback for the first 3 months and all of a sudden senior management starts to monitor your calls and point out “mistakes” that you don’t even know you are making since you are supposed to figure out everything on your own because everyone is “Too Busy” for new hires. Lunch is only 30 minutes and don’t even have time for Bathroom Breaks since you need to be “On Queue” all the time. If I was told about the reality of working at this company I would have never accepted the job offer at the first place. What a waste of time, energy and money. 

Poor training with large groups and unexpected expectations from the training to the live system. Management will not help you when you are in need of assistance. Grading system is random based calls and based on what you receive within the month, after probation you go from 4 monitors to 1 because management does not want to put in the work to access accordingly. You are last pick on vacation and flex time based on seniority and this applies to your work schedule as well. No parking, even though it is mostly empty in their underground parking lot.  The job applications will show as full-time, but you will not receive full time status until a minimum of 5 years of service.

Overall the work keeps you busy. Depending on what department you work in, a lot of it is time managed. It's unionized so you are protected. There are tons of people that work there that shouldn't have a job there. It's a 50/50 environment. Watch out for lots of office gossip. Lots of people love talking behind your back. The management and HR tend to be fake. They are nice to your face but secretly wish they could fire half the building. Yet since they are unionized, their hands are tied. Expectations are high and productivity seems to be low. Yes the pay and benefits are great, yet majority of the employees are unhappy and find themselves stuck working in their day to day routine. I'm sure the people that do leave company find themselves relieved.

I have worked at PBC for almost 9 months, and for the last 1.5, we have been on strike because of changes proposed by management. 
Prior to the strike, I loved working at PBC. The hours, wage and benefits were outstanding. The culture was warm and I found my fellow employees and supervisors knowledgable and approachable. 
Leading up to the strike, the environment and culture changed dramatically. Employees were clearly unhappy with changes, including hours, schedules, wages and benefits.

•	Handle 75 to 100 incoming calls per day from health-care providers, members (insured subscribers), administrators and government agencies regarding Dental and/or Extended Health Care plans and claims.
•	Act as a Pacific Blue Cross ambassador
•	Listen to customers and analyze their needs in a courteous and professional manner
•	Offer solutions that are adapted to caller needs
•	Handle and overcome guest concerns
•	Data entry
•	Maintain Quality Assurance by reviewing group benefit plan packages
•	Processing a variety of group plan benefits

The training was all over the place, no consistency then we were thrown onto the phones, rather stressful
I am confused as to why Management would hire a new class of CSRs during the Union rotating Labour Disruptions so now after only a month of training and working combined we were Locked Out by the employer and had to picket in order to receive any sort of compensation 
Annoyed that I left a very stable job for a new and promising opportunity,  only to be unsure having a job even after the negotiations are settled

PBC is a very good, stable, lower stress work environment. They offer great benefits and work/life balance. Best department to start in would be the Call Centre - either IP or CS and then branch off into whatever interests you the most within insurance offered. Management is very supportive regarding furthering education. The cons are that as it is a union it can be difficult to move, depending on your contract details.  

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 7 salaries reported	$28.14 per hour
Executive assistant 1 salary reported	$96,811 per year
Claims examiner 1 salary reported	$3,575 per month
Agent de centre d'appel 1 salary reported	$23.57 per hour

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