How brokers can help lead the benefits industry out of the customer service crisis

Have you ever encountered a company that completely blew you away with the quality of their customer service?  If you have, I bet you still remember that experience and how it made you feel. And more than likely, you’ve been a loyal customer ever since. There are a number of companies such as Zappos, Nordstrom, or Trader Joe’s that have managed to consistently exceed their customers’ expectations and have developed a near cult following as a result. Beyond these usual suspects, last year brought us countless, often poignant, examples of outstanding customer care, with teachers finding creative ways to connect with students remotely, delivery drivers going out of their way to get packages where they needed to be, or frontline health care workers putting their own well-being on the line for their patients. These radical examples of member care, experience and service are an inspiration, but also show us that customer experience matters in every industry.

Unfortunately, the health insurance industry does not have a great track record of customer service, with a net promoter score that is consistently one of the lowest among consumer-facing industries; even lower than traditionally poor performing regulars like wireless, cable and satellite television. It’s time we change that — and I believe it starts with benefits brokers.

Benefits brokers are uniquely positioned to lead the way in demanding higher levels of customer service from health benefits providers.  As trusted and skilled advisors, they can help their clients identify health benefits partners that they know go above and beyond to take care of their members. When brokers present plan options that will dazzle their clients with radical customer service, everyone wins. So how do you identify plans and providers that are likely to exceed your clients’ expectations? Below are a few places to start:

Provide simple and comprehensive coverage

Through decades of continued cost pressure, our industry has ended up with benefit plan designs that are overly complex, and confuse both the employer and the employee. All too often, it’s difficult to decipher what is and isn’t covered, and how much the employee will have to cover out of pocket. The consequences are frustrating for everyone. Too much time is spent on member service phone lines and trying to decode complex plan documents, EOBs and bills. It’s an administrative burden that invariably becomes heavier and heavier every year for benefits brokers, employers and employees to shoulder.

Ever-increasing and overly complicated cost-sharing is not only incredibly frustrating for members, but also results in poorer health outcomes. In fact, a 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation survey discovered nearly 20% of survey respondents “had to make what they feel are difficult sacrifices in order to pay health care or insurance costs; for some, the sacrifices they report making are extreme.” When individuals are regularly forced to decide between taking care of their health or keeping the lights on, we can expect their view of health benefits provider is going to tank, which will invariably result in complaints to their employer, who will ultimately look to you, their health benefits advisor, for a solution.

Related: Keeping up with evolving expectations: elevating the client experience

And the solution? Present your clients with plans that offer straightforward and comprehensive coverage. When was the last time your client heard their employees say, “wow, that’s covered?” or “that’s all I have to pay?”, rather than holding their breath because they simply have no idea how much it’ll cost them until their bill shows up? Finding health benefits providers with plan designs that remove these painful confusion points is the path forward when it comes to providing excellence in care for your clients. As we work to bring the health insurance industry out of its current customer service crisis, I expect more health benefits providers will take a hard look at their plan offerings and do whatever they can to simplify them.

Elevate the member experience

It only takes one bad experience to sour a client’s view of their health benefits, but it also can take just one exceptional experience to establish a lifetime of customer loyalty. When it comes to the health benefit plans you offer to your clients, it’s critical to identify providers that truly demonstrate a “customer-first” philosophy, and that have invested in the quality of the member experience across all member touchpoints (print, online, or over the phone).

We have built our business with a focus on customer experience, which most of the time plays out in a myriad of simple, intuitive ways that seamlessly come together to improve the way that our members shop for and access healthcare. But recently, our customer-first mentality really came into play in the aftermath of a natural disaster impacting our customers, as our team truly went above and beyond to take care of the members who were in crisis.

When severe winter storms swept through Texas a few months ago, millions of homes and businesses were left without power, leading to devastating conditions, multiple deaths, food and water shortages, and critical road and business closures. In the midst of all this, we found out that one of our customers in Texas, with over 200 employees, was forced to shut down their operations temporarily.

Once we heard the news, we came together to figure out the ways we can help. We knew that many of their employees rely on daily prescriptions for their health and wellness needs. The urgent question our team asked was, “What if the pharmacies near these individuals are closed, and what happens when they can’t get the medication they need?”

Our member services department went into action and pulled a list of the company’s members who have regular prescriptions and called pharmacies in their geographic area, identifying the mere seven that remained open through the storm. Then, they called each one of the impacted employees to make sure they knew where they could go if they needed their prescription filled during that challenging time. I’m so proud of how the team came together to make our members’ lives a little less stressful during this trying time.

Also: Sales & marketing tips for 2021: Building & maintaining relationships

These days, it feels like these types of crises are happening more and more frequently. Brokers, are you partnering with carriers who will step up in those difficult times – and in the everyday – to proactively take care of members? If not, you need to identify those who have truly adopted the customer-first philosophy, as they will help you solidify your relationships with your clients.

Insist on exceptional service

When it comes to finding health benefits providers that focus on exceptional service, it’s important to remember that not all member services departments are created equal. The ones that stand out are those that infuse an understanding of members’ well-being into their culture in a very intentional way.

Once common problem when it comes to getting great service from a health benefits provider is accessibility. A 2018 Forrester study found that “only 56 percent of customers feel they can get help when they need it and that employees know how to solve their issues quickly.” Small differentiators in the breadth and quality of member service availability can make a real difference when it comes to providing a satisfactory experience for members, and ultimately, their employers.

Brokers, taking the time to examine the customer service culture, as well as the plans and covered services your benefits partners provide can have a big pay off when it comes to your clients. And ultimately, for improving the customer service crisis that has plagued our industry for far too long. When evaluating health benefits partners, don’t stop at ASA (Average Speed to Answer), but probe a little deeper to better understand how far their customer service representatives are willing to go to help your clients’ employees with everyday issues. With your help, we can ensure that health insurance is no longer synonymous with poor customer service experiences. And maybe, in 2021, health insurance will finally be making headlines for exceptional customer experiences.

Marek Ciolko is the CEO of Gravie.