We enable better experiences by offering smart solutions and collaborative partnerships that champion the customer experience and support community, resiliency and growth.
How we monitor impact and progress:
Topic |
2022 performance |
YoY change |
2022 third-party verification |
Trend |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer experience | Reduce complaints accepted by the CCTSfootnote 1 | Reduced by 37.5% in 2022 | Improved by 29.5 percentage points | CCTS | Achieved |
| Community investment | Help build better communities across the country by contributing to groundbreaking work in mental health and engaging in volunteerism and charitable giving | $22,152,794 | +$0.5M | PwCfootnote 2 | Achieved |
Customers
To effectively champion customer experience, all of our team members, regardless of their role, are encouraged to keep the customer top of mind in everything they do. We prioritize our customers’ needs in all facets of the customer journey, from developing and implementing solutions and initiatives to sales, service and support.
Our activities and outcomes Championing customer experience
Bell is continuously working to improve our systems and processes to offer our customers a positive experience on their own terms – whether they connect through our stores, by phone or our award-winningfootnote asterisk digital channels. This includes creating a new dedicated queue to support Mandarin and Cantonese customers in their own language for a more personal sales and service experience for many new Canadians.
Our online Bell Community Forum enables customers to ask questions or help address questions from others. This peer-to-peer community benefits from shared knowledge and is supported by Bell moderators. Through the forum, we are able to obtain insights and feedback that help lead to better customer experiences. We also offer customer support on a variety of social media platforms.
Developing customer tools and resources
Customers rely on our online platforms to find the support and information they need, when they need it. Over the past few years, we have been progressively enhancing our self-serve tools so that customers can interact with us in a way that’s convenient for them. In 2022, our MyBell, Virgin Plus My Account and Lucky Mobile My Account apps continued to be recognized internationally for excellence in design, ease of use and capabilities, winning 22 awards in total, including the 2022 Gold MarCom Awards.
The MyBell app now includes a guided experience for new customers and improved ordering processes that make it even easier to complete transactions digitally using a smartphone or tablet. Virtual Repair enables customers to run their own diagnostic service checks, identify local service outages, resolve common issues, connect with a Bell support team member, and book an appointment or technician visit online if required.
We empower customers to manage a scheduled appointment with a Bell technician using our Manage Your Appointment tool. Customers can reschedule an appointment, know when the technician is en route, and easily share convenient information such as entry instructions. Move Valet, available to customers in Ontario, Québec and Atlantic Canada, is a next-generation platform that ensures a seamless transfer of Bell Internet, television and home phone services when customers change residence.
Bell also uses automated, predictive billing notifications to proactively inform customers about events that have an impact on their bills and/or services, and to share digital messages. These digital messages provide support recommendations varying from payment reminders to new features available on relevant products.
Bell continues to develop advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to connect customers with our customer service representatives in real time. Our Dynamic Call Routing program matches incoming calls from customers with an agent who has the right skill set to optimize the customer experience. Intelligent Routing helps us efficiently address complex service requests from our business customers by providing Bell agents with a single, unified view of a customer’s account. This improves efficiency and reduces response times for specific requests.
Measuring performance
The most recent 2021–2022 annual report from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services demonstrates the positive impact of our efforts to champion the customer experience. This latest report shows that Bell’s share of complaints has decreased to 17.2%, down 3.5 percentage points, which was the largest decline among national providers footnote 3. Our industry share of complaints continued to drop for the seventh year in a row. While complaints to the CCTS as a whole decreased by 24.8% for the year, complaints about Bell declined by 37.5%, which outpaced national competitors.
Embracing accessibility standards
Bell seeks to break down the barriers that limit access through initiatives such as our Accessibility Services Centre (ASC). The ASC is a specialized call centre dedicated to serving customers with disabilities. This includes hearing, vision, speech, cognitive, and mobility disabilities, among other accessibility needs. Customers also have access to our detailed accessibility webpages for Bell, Bell MTS, Bell Aliant, Virgin Plus, and Lucky Mobile so that they can learn about the customized solutions available to them.
We offer accessibility discounts, data add-ons and services to eligible customers with accessibility needs. For instance, Bell Mobility customers with a disability are eligible to receive a $20 monthly discount on any current Connect Everything or Unlimited smartphone rate plan, and Bell offers a monthly bill credit to eligible customers with a disability who purchase certain handsets. Virgin Plus customers with a disability are eligible for a complimentary two-gigabyte monthly data add-on, which can be paired with an existing postpaid smartphone rate plan with data. Bell Mobility, Virgin Plus, and Lucky Mobile customers using Video Relay Service (VRS) on a Bell mobile network are not charged for data associated with using the service on either a mobile device or through a Turbo Hub. Customers with disabilities are eligible for a 411 directory assistance exemption, allowing them to make free calls to 411 directory assistance.
Bell Media’s network team uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve closed-captioning and content accessibility. We started deploying automated closed-captioning initially at CTV Calgary and CTV Vancouver in 2021, with successive rollouts to other stations across Canada.
Bell continues to strive to make our products and services more accessible for everyone. To do so, we have established a company-wide Accessibility Program and an Executive Steering Committee across the BCE group of companies.
In accordance with the federal government’s Accessible Canada Act, we have consulted with persons with disabilities in order to learn more about the barriers they face, and we will publish an Accessibility Plan on or before June 1, 2023. Also in line with the Accessible Canada Act, in May 2022 we launched an accessibility feedback process to make it easier for the public to provide us with feedback about accessibility. By June 2023, we intend to expand this process and the ways we receive feedback.
To learn more about Bell’s accessibility Products and Services, visit bell.ca/Accessibility_services
Customer choices in a competitive Internet market
The CRTC oversees a regulatory framework that is designed to ensure that the key principles of net neutrality are maintained. This includes fostering consumer choice, innovation and the free exchange of ideas. It has been developed over a number of years and is implemented by the CRTC through Canada’s Telecommunications Act. This effectively codifies specific rules for Internet traffic management practices and differential pricing practices.
Community
Building strong relationships with our customers extends beyond our direct product and service offering. We aim to strengthen the communities in which our customers reside. We do this through a variety of means including our mental health programs, our DEIB initiatives, community projects we support, team member volunteerism and charitable giving, economic activities and industry partnerships.
Our activities and outcomes Advocating mental health through Bell Let’s Talk
The goal of the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, while accelerating access to care, supporting research and promoting psychologically healthy workplaces.
Each year, Canadians and people worldwide meaningfully engage in the mental health conversation on Bell Let’s Talk Day. In 2023, Bell made a fundamental shift in the campaign by highlighting the mental health crisis Canadians are facing in very real and personal ways and issued a collective call to action and change. Bell Let’s Talk Day also put a spotlight on mental health organizations across the country that are providing supports and services for Canadians experiencing mental health issues – organizations that Bell Let’s Talk is proud to support. Bell also announced an additional $10 million toward our goal of $155 million for Canadian mental health programs by 2025. This commitment replaced the donation of 5 cents per interaction that Bell has made in previous years on Bell Let’s Talk Day. This new funding of $10 million is more than Bell has ever committed on Bell Let’s Talk Day and it will shift more emphasis toward practical actions that Canadians can take throughout the year to create change. With the additional $10 million, Bell has committed more than $139 million toward its $155 million goal.
Bell Let’s Talk is active year round providing funding through the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund, Diversity Fund, and Post-Secondary Fund. Bell Let’s Talk has partnered with more than 1,400 organizations including hospitals, universities, local community service providers and other care and research organizations. This collaboration has enabled these organizations to improve access to mental health supports and services in communities nationwide.
Bell follows the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, and promotes its adoption across corporate Canada. Since implementing the standard, we have shared best practices across hundreds of organizations. We have done this through tailored presentations, conferences, benchmarking exercises and various advisory committees. All of this to encourage and guide other organizations on how to adopt healthier frameworks in their own workplaces. We also work with our Employee and Family Assistance Program provider and Queen’s University to develop our program. The Workplace Mental Health Leadership certificate program is the first of its kindfootnote asterisk in Canada. In addition to implementation within Bell, the program is available to other Canadian organizations, with significant adoption nationwide. Since its inception, more than 1,050 companies have participated in this program, which leads to a certificate from Queen’s University.
To learn more about how Bell Let’s Talk is making an impact on Canadians’ mental health, visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk
Supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our communities
The Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund, launched in 2020, provides grants to organizations working to increase access to culturally-informed mental health and wellness supports and services for Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour communities across the country. Since the launch, the Fund has provided 39 grants totalling $4.45 million, including 11 new grants announced in January 2023.
To learn more about the Diversity Fund recipients, watch the videos on Bell Let’s talk website.
Bell fosters positive and mutually respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities, including colleagues, customers and community members. We seek to build an inclusive workplace for all First Nations, Inuit and Métis team members, and work to ensure everyone has equitable access to career development opportunities. Bell supports the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. All team members are encouraged to learn more about contributing to reconciliation at work and in our personal lives. This helps everyone recognize the systemic inequalities and discrimination that Indigenous peoples experience, and encourages us to do better wherever we can.
In 2022, Bell Media continued its ongoing support of major arts and culture festivals. This includes the imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival and the 26th Annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Bell Media also helped launch the first-ever Unscripted Producers Lab alongside BIPOC TV & Film. This new development initiative aligns with Bell Media’s objective of producing diverse and inclusive content that resonates with audiences across the country.
To learn more about how we support DEIB arts and culture in our communities and through our media, see our Empowering voices and fostering a space for all
To learn more about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Bell, see the Our people section of this Strategic Overview.
Investing in creating community value
Our goal is to help build better communities across the country by contributing to groundbreaking work in three areas – mental health, team member volunteerism and charitable giving. Our overall community investment in 2022 was $22,152,794 footnote 4.
In January 2023, Bell Let’s Talk announced funding for these new mental health projects:
- $1.1 million in new Diversity Fund grants for mental health programs supporting Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour communities throughout Canada
- $1 million in Post-Secondary Fund grants awarded to 10 Canadian colleges, universities and cégeps to support mental health initiatives
- $200,000 to Fondation Cité de la Santé de Laval to support the psychiatric care unit
The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund announced 114 new grants in October 2022. The Fund has provided over 1,000 grants totalling $17 million since the launch in 2011.
In 2022, the Bell True Patriot Love Fund awarded a total of $350,000 to eight organizations making a meaningful difference in the military veteran community. Since 2013, the fund has provided more than $2.7 million in funding and over 124 grants to organizations across the country. These organizations improve access to mental health care for military members, veterans and their families.
Through the Bell for Better Team Giving Program, our team members are highly engaged in charitable giving and volunteerism to make the world a better place. Bell doubles the impact by matching donations to registered Canadian charities, up to $1,000 per team member per year. In addition, Bell provides team grants to charities based on, and in recognition of, the volunteer time commitments of our team members and retirees. In 2022, Bell team members and retirees donated $2.6 million to 2,200 Canadian charities during the 2022 Bell for Better Team Giving Campaign, matched by a further $1.8 million from Bell. More than 100,000 volunteer hours were tracked, resulting in 328 team grants for charitable organizations across Canada.
$22 million
Our overall community investment in 2022 was more than $22 million.footnote 4
Contributing to large-scale economic benefits
Network investments made by Canadian communications service providers, including Bell, contribute to economic benefits. In 2021, Canada’s telecommunications industry contributed $74.9 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), which fueled growth in other economic sectors as Canadians continued adjusting to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s telecommunications industry also supported over 650,000 jobs, including more than 120,000 well-paying, high-quality jobs within the telecom sector alone, according to a study prepared for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA).footnote 5
In 2022, Bell again led its peers in capital expenditures, reaching a historic high of $5.1 billion for the year and a total of $14 billion since 2020. Bell’s capital expenditures have accelerated the rollout of broadband fibre, 5G and rural networks to keep Canadians in cities, rural and remote communities connected.
Notably, Bell estimates that every $1 billion investment in broadband and 5G networks over one year generates $2 billion in economic activity and supports as many as 7,500 jobsfootnote asterisk within Bell and among Canadian suppliers. Bell procures equipment and services from Canadian suppliers and partners, who in turn employ thousands of Canadians, further contributing to the Canadian economy.
Reducing the digital divide through affordability and targeted support
Average wireless prices at the end of 2022 were 25% lower than they were in January 2020 while prices for Internet access plans continued to trend below inflationfootnote 6. High-speed Internet plays an important role in Canadians’ participation in the digital economy, and we have made gains in improving access across the country. Despite all this, almost half of Canadian households with an annual income of $30,000 or less do not currently have high-speed Internet access, for reasons other than availability. To help bridge this gap, Bell is participating in the Government of Canada’s Connecting Families initiative. Under this initiative, government, private companies and non-profits work together to enable qualifying low-income Canadian families to access the Internet by reducing the price of access to more manageable levels.
Originally launched in November 2018, and updated in 2022, the Connecting Families program now offers speeds that are up to five times faster than in phase one of the program, and includes 200 gigabytes of data for $20 per month. The second phase also broadens eligibility to include low-income seniors and families receiving the maximum Child Care Benefit (CCB). The initiative is administered through Computers for Success Canada (CFSC-OPEC), a not-for-profit partner of the Government of Canada’s digital inclusion and economic development programs, and is made possible through the involvement of service providers like Bell and others.
Bell joined other companies to launch the CEO Pledge campaign initiated by Microsoft Canada in 2021. The campaign is a joint effort by several companies that have committed to reducing the digital divide by donating their used equipment to the Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) program. In the past 18 months, 49 new companies have joined this movement.
Bell is actively involved in Computers for Schools Québec (OPEQ), the Québec division of CFS+. In addition to providing refurbished equipment to thousands of students, OPEQ offers internships that contribute to the development of digital skills and the integration into the labour market of young technicians and people with physical or intellectual limitations. By participating in this program, Bell also contributes to the employability of this workforce.
The Connecting Families initiative provided 48,704 computers to families through the CFS+ program. From this total, OPEQ has delivered 13,497 computers to eligible families in Québec since the start of the Connecting Families program.
To learn more about OPEQ’s history and performance, see the Supporting and equipping children and our communities
Suppliers
Accountability is at the centre of the mutually beneficial and ethical relationships we establish with suppliers. We hold our suppliers to high standards and recognize the potential social and environmental impacts when purchasing goods and services. We endeavour to choose suppliers who share Bell’s values in ethical behaviours and diversity.
Our activities and outcomes Monitoring supplier selection and accountability
Our values and expectations for our suppliers are set out in our Supplier Code of Conduct and various contract annexes. This Code seeks to ensure suppliers maintain data privacy and security controls, reduce environmental impacts, respect labour and human rights, ethics, health and safety and responsible sourcing of minerals. The Code helps minimize risks to our operations and reputation in the following areas: business continuity, information security, privacy, health and safety, environment, corporate responsibility and financial stability.
We continue to invest in multi-year projects that will lead to the increased digitalization of our procurement and supply chain processes. We expect to achieve this by streamlining the processes, implementing new technology and enhancing knowledge of supplier management programs across the business.
In accordance with our supplier risk management program, additional due diligence may be required from suppliers based on the results of our preliminary risk assessment. The products and services Bell purchases are assigned a high, medium or low risk. Risk level is determined by the initial onboarding assessment and multiple subsequent assessments. These assessments are shared with the vendor to collect additional details pertaining to their data management, Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, environment and responsibility policies, and business continuity plans. Suppliers may also be asked to provide supplementary information, such as their ethics and labour policy, health and safety standards and environmental policy. Bell’s supplier requests are dependent on the type of product or service provided to the company. Mitigating controls are applied to seek to manage the risk of the product and/ or service purchased. In some cases, Bell shares its own internal procedures and directives for suppliers to follow.
Based on the level of information security and privacy risk, vendors with a high-risk rating are reassessed on a yearly basis and medium-risk vendors are assessed every three years. Other vendors are assessed upon contract renewal. Suppliers that have a potential significant impact on our operations, customers and services, as well as other considerations, are defined as critical suppliers. Bell conducts regular touchpoints with our critical suppliers to discuss items around information security, privacy and business continuity. In addition, Bell reserves the right to conduct on-site audits of key suppliers. Three supplier site audits were conducted in 2022.
In 2022, we began exploring technologies and risk methodologies to enhance and optimize our management of critical suppliers. This involves the use of big data, creation of dashboards, and improved performance indicators.
To learn more about Bell’s responsible procurement practices and policies, see our Responsible procurement and supplier partnerships and our Supplier Code of Conduct. GRI 408-1 GRI 409-1 GRI 414-1
Procuring responsibly through our supply chain
Bell makes clear its approach to the responsible business and risk management practices of its suppliers through the Supplier Code of Conduct. We also seek to address the responsible procurement of specific products through our sustainable criteria program. The program focuses on conflict minerals in electronic products, sustainable packaging, product energy efficiency and other criteria for customer electronic devices.
To learn more about these sustainable criteria, see our Circular economy
Engaging with suppliers to promote growth and innovation
Bell works with suppliers to participate in innovative solutions that seek to minimize the environmental impact of our business operations. This means we work with suppliers to redirect, reuse, repurpose and recycle material from our waste streams wherever possible. We also support organizations that are focused on protecting the environment.
In 2022, 26% of our suppliers by spend had set SBTs for reducing their greenhouse emissions. Through our supplier engagement strategy, we engaged over 200 of our top suppliers in 2022, in an effort to reduce our indirect emissions (scope 3).
To learn more about our supplier relationships, see our Responsible procurement and supplier partnerships
$104 million
Spent $104 million with certified diverse suppliers in 2022
Promoting diversity among our suppliers
Bell’s supplier diversity program encourages the active inclusion of businesses that are majority-owned and managed by Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, women, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, veterans and persons with disabilities.
Bell continues to build its network of certified, diverse-owned suppliers through corporate partnerships with the Canadian organizations listed below. These organizations certify diverse-owned businesses, and help to create meaningful connections with corporations and governments for procurement opportunities, through advocacy, development and promotion.
In 2022, BCE was recognized for its commitment to supplier diversity. We were nominated for the Canadian Aboriginal & Minority Supplier Council’s (CAMSC) Corporation of the Year Award (Finalist)footnote asterisk. We were also nominated for the Top Supplier Diversity Leader Award (Finalist)footnote asterisk by Women Business Enterprises Canada (WBE)footnote asterisk.
To learn more about our supplier diversity program, see our Empowering voices and fostering a space for all and our Suppliers webpage.
