How Health Insurers Can Elevate The User Experience

The user experience is something every insurer must consider as the importance of a competitive edge continues to grow within an industry where customers have more options from which to choose.

However, decentralized communications between insurers, employers and health care providers historically created frustration for consumers and inefficiencies for insurers. Organizations are looking to make industry-wide changes to modernize the user experience by prioritizing and elevating customer service experiences.

Elevating customer communications strategies is a priority for many industries today. In fact, customer experience has become such a top priority that President Joe Biden recently signed a customer experience bill, the “Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government,” in which the government plans to “design and deliver services in a manner that people of all abilities can navigate,” and “use technology to modernize Government and implement services that are simple to use, accessible, equitable, protective, transparent, and responsive for all.”

The president’s call to action should act as a reinforcement for all organizations about the importance of the customer experience for brand loyalty. This is especially relevant for industries such as health care, where insurers are tasked with providing efficient, informative and helpful customer communications.

Modernizing the user experience has been an undeniable challenge, but also a transformative moment for insurers to leverage technology to deliver a first-rate, human-focused customer experience at a time when nothing less will do. Here are ways insurers can create an effective, integrated strategy with communications technology so that they can alleviate challenges and open up new opportunities for growth.

Breaking Down Barriers, Building Loyalty 

Loyalty is hard to come by in the health insurance space. In fact, a recent Medallia Zingle study found that nearly 60% of Americans who receive health insurance through their employers do not feel a sense of loyalty towards their insurer. Of the 40% of those who do feel loyal, “fast and reliable communication” was cited as the No. 1 reason for their loyalty. This shows that enhanced communication channels are a high priority for patients from both the clinical and insurance sides of care.

Similarly, when those who said they did not feel a sense of loyalty to their health insurer were asked what they could do to improve this, “fast and reliable communication” was the second most popular response, trailing only behind “quick resolution to my claims and coverage related concerns.” This is something that is possible only through a speedy and efficient communications channel.

It's no surprise that health care organizations who boosted their communications capabilities have been able to build confidence and loyalty among their customers and employees. Adopting a technology-driven approach has proven incredibly effective for meeting their customers on the channels that they prefer with the immediacy that they’re seeking.

Meeting Heightened Expectations

With the rise of instant eCommerce enabling leading online brands to redefine what customer service looks like, today’s consumers are ready for more than just an effective clinical experience. They expect an exceptional customer service experience too. A recent study by Press Ganey found that assuming quality care is received, patients rate “customer service” (71%) and “communication” (64%) as more important than even “bedside manner” when it comes to rating a five-star health care experience.

This eye-opening statistic suggests that health care organizations would benefit from providing their experience teams with the resources and technology they need to provide a great customer service experience and thorough communication in every moment relating to care and cost.

With health concerns becoming increasingly important for a number of reasons over the past 18 months, consumers must spend more time than ever engaging with their health insurer around issues such as claims processes.  More than a quarter (27%) of surveyed Americans said the claims process is difficult and confusing.

Considering 51% of employees who get their insurance through their employer said that they would switch health insurance providers after only two or three poor customer service interactions, the pressure is ratcheted up on insurers to prioritize communication to meet the evolving expectations of their customers. This means meeting customers through the channels they’re already on and establishing lines of communication that make them feel as though their unique life and health situations are understood.

Empowering Customers Through Education

Health insurance is a complex topic that many don’t fully understand. In fact, Medallia Zingle found that 62% of those who receive their insurance through their employer said that they only have a basic understanding of their health care options and benefits. Yet, nearly a third of these individuals said that COVID-19 has made them more interested in modifying their health insurance coverage than in years prior.

While consumers have a lack of understanding of the options and benefits available to them, the onus is on insurers to support employers and ensure that their workers have the information they need to make informed decisions that will impact on them and their families. The challenge for insurers, however, is that they must do so in a way that not only meets customers’ expectations for real-time communication through easily accessible platforms, but also adheres to industry standards.

Technologies that comply with federal private regulations minimize friction, simplify staff workflows, and create a scalable and centralized approach to personalized patient communication. Contactless communication tools such as intelligent text messaging platforms are transforming the way insurers and providers interact with their consumers. These tools empower real-time, two-way conversations that are fast and easy to use so that customers can move on to the rest of their day without friction and frustration.

For example, insurers can choose privacy-compliant text messaging to introduce a whole new level of convenience to the member experience cycle while also giving patients and policyholders a voice to communicate their questions, feelings and even their frustrations.

With the reduction of in-person work meetings contributing to insurance customers’ lack of understanding about their policy options, it’s up to insurers to implement a two-way communication strategy that makes up for the lack of in-person connection.

With nearly half of all Americans receiving employer-sponsored health insurance, employers and insurers have a task on their hands to close the knowledge gap that prevents consumers from making the best decisions for them and their families. An enhanced channel for ongoing, contactless communication can support all stakeholders in real-time through this stressful period. This will enable insurers to centralize and scale interactions, streamline care and ultimately improve the consumer experience.

Effective communication holds the key to fixing many of the challenges facing insurers today. With the right technology and strategies in place, insurers can fulfill much more than their customers’ health needs; insurers can rise to their customers’ expectations and drive increased loyalty, two critical elements that have been hard to obtain.

Ford Blakely is senior vice president and general manager of Medallia Zingle. He may be contacted at [email protected].

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