When you think of customer/member support, you likely think of a kind and courteous employee wearing a headset assisting a member over the phone. While human interactions are great for member support, the reality is that your health plan likely doesn’t always have the hands or time to give a thorough, five-star member support experience to every request you receive. In fact, long wait times, short calls, and multiple transfers can make a member’s experience go from bad to worse. And let’s be honest, most people calling in are already not happy. This is a recipe for poor member satisfaction ratings and retention. It certainly doesn’t help employee morale either.
So what can you do to fix these problems? Implement technology-based solutions that:
Technological solutions for member support are great for improving your current capabilities, and can also give you the ability to help members in ways you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. With so many options out there, we'd like to introduce you to two that are easy to implement, highly effective, and cost-efficient.
Not necessarily a groundbreaking or new digital innovation, but an important one. Especially to your members. In fact, 69% of people surveyed prefer chatbots because of their ability to provide quick replies to simple questions. Plus, many people (84% of people surveyed) also prefer to digitally interact with their health plan. Chatbots not only meet member needs (and therefore improve member satisfaction) but also reduce costs for you. One study found that chatbots can help businesses save as much as 30% on customer support costs. Another benefit is that many chatbots can record a member’s information, so if the member returns for more help they won’t have to start over from scratch. And of course, having a chatbot to take care of a portion of member requests allows your member support team to answer more critical calls and/or dedicate more time to complex member problems.
The demand for digital is rising.
By meeting this demand, your health plan can improve its member satisfaction ratings. Plus, when you’re offering what other health plans won’t, you decrease the likelihood of losing members to competitors. Which means better member retention for you. Some self-service features members want that you can add are:
Even though this blog is all about how technology-based solutions can improve support and member satisfaction, we would be remiss to not mention that self-service tools can also save health plans 35-40% on administrative costs. Also, if members are taking care of some of their own needs, you free up more of your member support team’s time. Time that can be used on more complex member issues.
Technology-based solutions don’t exist to replace your member support team. They exist to work in partnership with your team so your health plan can meet its goals of increased member satisfaction and improved member retention. Not only will you have happier members, but you’ll also have happier employees.
Discover the major changes happening that affect you, how to prepare, and even how to make the new rules work in your favor.
Discover how to stand out based on unique offerings and high member satisfaction, and how to implement these strategies.
Discover how to bring price transparency into your benefit offerings to increase member satisfaction, lower overall costs, stand out from competitors, and improve member retention.
Discover the roadmap unique to your health plan type and start seeing higher member satisfaction, lower overall costs, and healthier members.
Discover how TPAs, health cost sharing groups, and limited benefit medical plans can benefit from the use of ASCs.
Discover what health plan members had to say about the value of patient advocacy in our survey.
Learn the best strategies and tips for retaining your members while keeping costs low.
Learn the best strategies and tips for growing your members while keeping costs low.
Discover what health plan members had to say about the value of patient advocacy in our survey.
Learn the best strategies and tips for retaining your members while keeping costs low.
Discover how the the new rule will affect TPAs and health plans and how you can start your journey to compliance.
Discover how to add value to your health offerings that delight clients and members but don’t cost a fortune.
Discover what health plan members had to say about the value of patient advocacy in our survey.