New model cuts average case closure time by 20% and boosts monthly closures by 51.6%
May 2, 2025, Toronto, ON — To improve efficiency and provide better service to consumers, the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) restructured its consumer complaints team to better manage the increasing number of complaints it is receiving.
As a result, GIO has reduced the average time to close from 48.3 days to 38.25 days, while increasing the average number of files closed per month from 432 files to 655 files.
“At GIO, we are committed to continuous improvement in serving Canadian consumers,” said April Schulze, CEO and Ombudsman of GIO. “As contact volumes grow significantly year over year, we’ve optimized our operations to enhance efficiency, make better use of our resources, and deliver an improved experience for the consumers we serve.”
GIO’s consumer service staff now fall under two streams: Intake Officers and Investigation Officers. GIO’s Intake Officers handle the initial intake of consumer complaints up until a Final Position Letter is received from their insurance provider. The complaint then moves over to the Investigation Officer, who takes the complaint from informal conciliation and onwards in the complaints process. This allows the Investigation Officers to dive deeper into the files they are assigned, without the distraction of intaking new complaints.
GIO began piloting the new operations model in October 2024 and it was officially implemented on May 1, 2025.
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About the General Insurance OmbudService
The General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) is an independent organization, created in 2002, with the sole purpose of helping Canadian consumers resolve disputes or concerns with their property and casualty insurers. Our goal is to use our extensive experience and industry-related insight to work towards a fair resolution between individuals and their insurance providers. Any property and casualty insurance consumer in Canada who has a concern or dispute with one of GIO’s subscribing insurance companies can initiate the process by contacting us with the details of their complaint. GIO’s services are available free of charge, in both English and French. The majority of issues GIO deals with concern claims, interpretation of policy coverage, and policy processing and handling.