Senior Market Sales® Announces Call-Recording Solution to Help Insurance Agents Comply With New Medicare Regulation
Omaha, Nebraska – Senior Market Sales® (SMS) has unveiled a full-featured business phone solution to help insurance agents comply with a new Medicare regulation requiring the recording of phone calls that are part of the chain of a beneficiary’s enrollment into a Medicare Advantage or Part D Plan.
The solution from SMS, one of the industry’s premier insurance marketing organizations (IMOs), goes beyond just satisfying the call-recording compliance requirement – it also provides additional capabilities that many independent agents don’t have today, including video conferencing, text messaging and voicemail transcription. Most notably, the mobile application gives agents flexibility to sell compliantly from virtually anywhere. SMS will provide the phone solution at no cost to SMS-contracted agents this Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP).
“This is the most full-featured solution we’ve seen in the industry,” said Bob Harding, SMS Chief Technology Officer and First Vice President. “Agents will be able to record calls whether working from a desktop or a mobile device, and they can set it up to ring on their desktop, landline and mobile phone all at once. With the SMS solution, agents should never miss a call or be tethered to a desk.”
Dwane McFerrin, SMS’ Senior Vice President, Med Solutions, said that SMS immediately jumped on finding a solution when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the regulations on May 9, 2022, so that agents could comply by the Oct. 1 deadline and for their busiest season, AEP, which is Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. SMS partnered with Phone.com, a unified communications service provider known for being HIPAA compliant and having easy-to-use APIs – features that allowed for quick integration with SMS’ Lead Advantage Pro® lead-to-enrollment tool.
“It was important to us to provide a solution that would allow agents to continue doing business the way they prefer. The solution could not be cumbersome and slow them down,” McFerrin said. “Through our partnership with Phone.com, we’re able to deliver a solution that not only empowers the agent to continue their daily process, but also possibly allows them to work even more efficiently because of the additional functionalities it offers.”
The phone solution will be integrated with SMS’ proprietary Lead Advantage Pro tool in mid-September. Lead Advantage Pro’s other integrations – such as with Medicare.gov’s Blue Button – and other features help agents work more easily, efficiently and accurately, by eliminating manual tasks, allowing for online quoting and applications and corralling the entire sales process into one platform.
“Lead Advantage Pro’s integration with Phone.com gives agents even more power, more flexibility and more efficiencies, wherever they’re working,” McFerrin said. “Agents using Lead Advantage Pro can call and record within the tool with a single click.”
Calls on SMS’ call-recording solution can be retained for 10 years, fulfilling CMS requirements.
SMS also is providing call recording through its Medicare Insurance Direct® solution, along with an exciting new feature that will allow agents to execute telephonic enrollments with voice signature. Voice signature will be a game changer for agents who sell over the phone, McFerrin said, because it will eliminate the need to email or log into websites. Call recording and voice signature will both be available in Medicare Insurance Direct this AEP.
“We’ve been able to provide solutions that will help agents do more than just comply with a regulation,” McFerrin said. “These solutions will help agents work more efficiently and present a more professional presence to clients and prospects. We look forward to helping agents make this AEP their best yet.”
Agents can learn more about the call-recording solution at www.SeniorMarketSales.com/CallRecording.
About Senior Market Sales
Senior Market Sales® (SMS) represents top Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, annuity, life, long-term care, and travel insurance carriers in all 50 states. More than 70,000 independent insurance agents rely on SMS for proprietary technology, competitive insurance products, and expert training and service to help them leverage their time, make more money, and put their business in a position of distinction. Founded in 1982, SMS is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2020, SMS joined the Alliant Insurance Services family of companies. Visit www.SeniorMarketSales.com or call 1.800.786.5566 for more information.
Agents should note that none of the information provided by SMS in regard to this technology solutions should be taken as legal advice, or as a guarantee that use of any particular technology will fulfill their regulatory or contractual requirements. Agents are responsible for understanding all call-recording obligations that are applicable to them, and for ensuring that they are using SMS technology solutions in a manner that will allow them to meet those obligations. The solution provided by SMS is not the only option available for management of call recording obligations.
