Health Care Call Center Outsourcing:

Health Care Call Center Outsourcing Is Answer to Looming Open Enrollment Deadlines

by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on November 15, 2011

If you are in the medical insurance industry, this is crunch time! Open enrollment for Medicare Part D ends on December 7, 2011, barely 3 weeks away. Coinciding with the open enrollment period for many corporate insurance plans, the early Medicare decision deadline puts extraordinary pressure on insurance agents and insurance providers to renew current policy holders and sell their services to new customers.

Nationwide, 27.6 million Part D beneficiaries have more than 1,576 plans to choose from. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, from 41 to 55 plans will be competing for consumer attention regionally. If you sell Part D coverage, you know that two things will most impact your sales figures:

The number of potential beneficiaries you reach, and
How quickly you reach them.

The shear volume of phone calls and time required to contact current and prospective clients is a herculean task that can quickly overwhelm your office staff or in-house health care call center. The same is true if you handle the open enrollment process for corporate clients. If, like many insurance agents or providers, you handle both; it’s double the pain.

As the December 7 Medicare Part D open enrollment deadline draws closer, overworked employees and in-house call center staff are going to be feeling the pressure. The resulting stress can lead to increased errors and decreased civility; both business killers. Outsourcing health insurance calls to an expert health care call center can solve your problem, ease the stress on employees and result in higher sales and greater customer satisfaction. It’s a win-win solution for your firm, your employees and your customers.

And it’s not too late to get the help you need to succeed. A highly-regarded health care call center referral service, Telesales Services specializes in matching clients to experienced, high-quality healthcare call centers that are ready to go when you are — even at the eleventh hour!

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Enhance Customer Relationships by Outsourcing to a Healthcare Call Center

by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on October 27, 2011

For health care stakeholders, an unprecedented opportunity to increase market share looms on the horizon. When new healthcare reforms take effect in 2014, an anticipated 40 million new customers will be added to health insurance rolls, shifting industry emphasis from corporations to individuals. Not only will thousands of previously ineligible or uninsured consumers gain access to health insurance under the new legislation; employees will gain the power to choose their own health care coverage. Healthcare stakeholders who position themselves to accommodate the coming paradigm shift will reap the greatest rewards. To win the business of individuals, health insurance and healthcare product providers will need to place greater emphasis on providing responsive communication and personalized customer service.

According to a recent survey of 1,000 insured individuals conducted by Accenture, a global management consulting firm, nearly 80% of health care consumers value easy and convenient customer service and nearly 50% are willing to pay extra to get it. (Results of the Accenture survey were reported in The 7 Things Your Health Insurance Customers Are Not Telling You. Click the link to read the full report.)Survey analysis found that 42% of health insurance customers reported a high degree of satisfaction with their health insurance, but only 7% said they would consider purchasing additional products from their insurer. Dissatisfaction with their health insurance provider’s customer service appears to be at the root of the disconnect.

In the 5 areas health care survey consumers rated as most important — knowledgeable representatives, convenient service hours, wait time, single contact, length of issue resolution — the Accenture survey found an average 50% gap between customer expectations and insurer performance. Outsourcing your health insurance call center or healthcare telemarketing services can help you close that gap. Telesales Services can help you boost customer satisfaction and increase customer loyalty by matching you to a quality health care call center that can provide the personalized customer service your customers desire.

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Necessity of Call Center Outsourcing for Healthcare Companies

by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on October 17, 2011

There is always a secret weapon to win a game; be it in school, personal life or professionally. If one knows this tool, then they can conveniently be an ace. This secret weapon is more in use in the corporate sectors because each company wants to be on the top in the race. The businesses want to be renowned in their field of work. Hence, they try out all the possibilities and finalize upon a particular prospect as their secret weapon. For many companies, call center has become the secret weapon. In addition to corporate houses, even healthcare organizations have given paramount importance to healthcare telemarketing. The health care companies have taken full advantage of the popular medium – call center outsourcing service for their benefits in a cost-effective manner. And many call centers for healthcare organizations have come into the limelight in order to let the healthcare services concentrate on the main aspects of the business and the core competencies.

Health care organizations considering call center outsourcing need to understand that there are many call center vendors from which to choose. And while many of them may be qualified, some are more qualified than others. You may find one that has state-of-the-art technology but is less than a state-of-the-art service provider. Or you may find exceptional call center infrastructure but the agents don’t have the appropriate skill sets.

That’s why it’s imperative to do extensive due diligence. You’ll avoid hiring a vendor that may not suit your specific needs and thereby not meet your expectations.

When researching health care call center outsourcing, it’s important to consider several factors. You’ll want to make sure that the company you go with has substantial health care industry experience. That may seem obvious on the surface. However, you’d be surprised at how many call centers out there that don’t exhibit a sure-fire understanding of the intricacies of health care.

What’s more, it’s crucial that the health care call center you entrust with your business has worked with major HMOs and pharmaceutical companies, handling their telesales, telemarketing, and inbound call center requirements using the latest call center technology.

You’ll also want to go with a call center that has a track record of success. More often than not, these will be call centers that are staffed by teleprofessionals who are more than just knowledgeable. They have practical experience to better serve your customers. For example, a call center for a pharmaceutical company might require licensed health care agents working for them as well as the call center being HIPAA compliant. These service providers will ensure that the service they provide is of the highest quality.

When you hire a qualified health care call center service provider, you can be assured of receiving world-class service along with a wealth of services that will serve you well in the long term. Surveys are a typical outsourced application. These include surveys for physicians, hospitals, and patients. They are invaluable when it comes to learning what you can do to improve your business practices.

The right health care call center will also be proficient in dealing with a wide array of programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Winback programs and retention programs are also a top priority for maintaining your customer base while top-of-the-line lead generation will expand that base exponentially.

Clinical trials and drug launches require special treatment and know-how. Experienced health care call centers can handle these sensitive topics with the utmost professionalism and confidence for the most desired results.

A few service offerings include event and class registration, patient scheduling, health plan update notifications, database updating, message management, pharmacy support, and information request handling and 24/7 availability.

The benefits to health care companies from using a qualified call center are innumerable and cannot be overstated. Overall performance will be optimized, which, in turn, will improve the all-important bottom line. An enhanced competitive and strategic position will be realized as well.

Customer acquisition efforts will result in new customers. Retention rates will improve. Labor costs will be cut. Ramp-up time will be decreased. Time to market will be decreased. Market share will be gained.

Outsourcing to a dependable call center that specializes in health care should minimize costs and maximize quality, consistency, and accountability.

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Health Care Call Center Outsourcing: