The times, they are a-changin’.
After years of shrinking enrollment, the U.S. health insurance industry faces a tidal wave of consumer demand. Up to 32 million potential new customers will join the ranks of the already insured, thanks to the health-care legislation signed into law in April.
This is a decisive moment for the health insurance industry and the health-care industry as a whole. As millions of additional new customers call with questions about plan options and services, joining the millions of those already insured, insurance carriers have big decisions to make.
How will they handle the increase in consumer calls? Their decision will determine more than ever whether consumers will continue merely to tolerate their health insurance providers or view their insurers as true partners in their health and well-being and that of their families. This critical first impression could lead to additional enrollment or increased churn as customers are offered more options.
The flood of questions from consumers about the impact of policy changes is already starting to place a huge burden on operations. Convergys, which provides relationship management services on behalf of three of the top five health insurance providers, experienced a 15 percent to 20 percent spike in call volume from consumers on the day the new bill became law.
Scaling Up Customer Service
This shift from a B2B service model to a B2C model brings new challenges to providers. Those insurance providers able to scale up their customer service operations quickly to meet the demand and simultaneously provide excellent customer service will likely emerge as winners from this sea change. The wave of questions by phone and e-mail and reams of paperwork will engulf others, as disjointed processes, long hold times, and overwhelmed customer service representatives lead to a great loss of current customers as well as opportunities to win new…