B.C. customers needing language assistance during the claims-handling process will now be able to converse freely with ICBC in more than 170 languages through an interpreter.
The Language Line Services initiative is an on-demand, over-the-telephone translation service piloted this year in nine Lower Mainland claim centres. Its interpreters are trained in the use of insurance terminology.
The service was piloted earlier through ICBC's Dial-a-Claim service.
The success of this trial period has resulted in a plan to roll this service out to all ICBC claim centres across the province.
"The successful handling of any claim depends on open and clear communication," said ICBC vice president of claims Craig Horton. "This service will reduce the anxiety some of our customers may feel by creating an environment for them to ask questions and resolve any issues in their own primary language."
During ICBC's pilot for this translation service, the top 10 languages requested were Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Farsi, Hindi, Russian and Japanese.