SICK: New Google Consumer Survey on the State of Health Insurance in America
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The document summarizes key findings from a 2015 survey of 1,004 Americans about their preferences and expectations when interacting with health insurance companies. The survey found that customers highly value strong customer service and prefer to access information through websites. However, less than one-third of customers find their health insurer's website easy to use. The survey also found that customers are likely to switch providers due to a poor customer service experience. The document argues that health insurers should invest in virtual agent technology to improve the online customer experience.
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© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 1
7 Key Takeaways from the 2015 IntelliResponse
Health Insurance Customer Survey
IntelliResponse recently conducted a Google consumer survey where we asked consumers
about what is important to them when selecting and interacting with a health insurance company.
The results paint a telling picture of two important trends that shouldn’t go ignored:
1) the incredibly high value that today’s health insurance
consumer places on customer service, and
2) the clear preference of ‘digital’ for support interactions
In this report we take you on a tour through the eye-opening results of our 7-question survey
including the key takeaways for each finding, so you can understand the importance of taking
action on these emerging trends right away.
Inside the Mind of the
HEALTH INSURANCE
CUSTOMER](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-1-320.jpg)
![© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 2
Two-thirds of Americans think it’s important that
health insurers provide strong customer service.
Question: When selecting your health insurance provider,
how important is it that they have a strong reputation
for customer service?
66% of Americans expect
health insurers to provide strong
customer service.
This is a major point of insight for health insurers because it reveals what customers value specifically when
selecting providers. Health insurance companies can make the most of this finding by they have a consistently
strong customer service strategy, especially during peak periods such as Open Enrollment, when many custom-
ers consider switching plans. Failing to deliver an exceptional experience when consumers are evaluating their
options will almost certainly result in customers looking elsewhere.
The website is king for customers looking
for questions about their health insurance plan.
Question: Where do you go when you first need an
answer about your health insurance plan?
Most health insurance customers today choose to go online first when they’re in need of answers. This is a
clear indication that consumers want to self-serve. Websites allow customers to find answers and information
on their own, on whichever device they choose. Health insurance organizations that do not have a strategy
for digital self-service run the risk of frustrating a large majority of companies by forcing them to use lesser-
preferred channels in order to get answers, such as picking up the phone or sending an e-mail. And this doesn’t
just frustrate customers – it can even result in additional support costs or losing out on customers that don’t
have easy access to the information they need.
44.7%
36.2%
8.5%
6.9%
2.0%
Phone
Website
Physical
Location
Email
Social
media
1
2](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-2-320.jpg)
![© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 3
Less than one-third of Americans think it’s easy to
find information on their health insurer’s website.
Question: The last time you visited your health insurer’s website,
how easy was it to find the information you were looking for?
Only 30% of Americans say it’s
“easy” to find information on their
health insurer’s website
This finding is both a warning and an opportunity. Unless you have already invested in enhancing the self-service
experience across your digital channels, be warned that your website likely falls into the category of being
“difficult” for customers to use. However, this is also an opportunity because many of your competitors have
also been slow to design a digital self-service experience that meets the needs of today’s modern consumer.
Savvy health insurance leaders will act now to assess their website’s performance and reduce consumer effort.
Nearly 90% of Americans prefer to self-serve for
answers when they visit their health insurer’s website.
Question: On a website, what is your preferred method of finding
the answer to your question?
87% of Americans use some form
of self-service option such as FAQs,
site search, or virtual agent
For today’s health care customer, the appeal of self-service lies in its ability to allow customers to provide easy,
effortless answers, so that they can resolve their issue completely and quickly return to their daily routine.
Increasingly, customers avoid filling out forms or phoning for live support because these kind of interactions
elongate the service experience, consuming more time than customers have to invest in the interaction. The
best online service experience is one that allows customers to “get in and get out” with their issue resolved
nearly instantly.
3
4
$%!#](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-3-320.jpg)
![© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 4
Americans place higher value on customer service
experiences than prescription drug coverage
when it comes to selecting an insurance company.
Question: Aside from cost, what is most important when considering
whether to stay with your current insurer or switch companies?
By a factor of nearly 2 to 1, Americans
value strong, consistent customer service
and ease of switching plans over
prescription drug coverage
This finding illustrates just how much health care insurance consumers value customer service today. When
evaluating options, strong customer service outranks even drug coverage on the list of consumer priorities!
While this may come as a shock to insurance companies, it should also be yet another wake-up call. It’s time
for health insurance leaders to closely evaluate the kind of customer service experience they are currently
offering and fund technologies that improve the experience, with the confidence that the investment will
pay off in increased sales and improved retention.
A majority of Americans say a poor customer service
experience is enough to make them consider
switching health insurance providers
Question: How likely are you to consider switching health insurance
companies if you had a poor online customer service experience?
6 out of 10 consumers are likely
to switch health insurance companies
following a poor customer
service experience
This finding offers even more evidence that investing in customer experience is a sound and necessary
retention strategy. One area of focus where this providers can impact retention is in the Member Portal
experience. Post open-enrollment, new members will often have an influx of questions about their newly
acquired plans. Member Portals, a frequent feature of health insurance websites, is one area where these
companies can make a big impact on client retention.
5
6](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-4-320.jpg)
![© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 5
Four times as many Americans say customer
service accuracy in health insurance is more
important than in any other industry.
Question: In which of the following industries should customers
expect the highest level of accuracy from companies?
For Americans, issues of personal and family health are near and dear to the heart. When it comes to accuracy
in customer service, the bar for health insurance companies is exceptionally high – so high, in fact, that providing
inaccurate information will almost certainly guarantee lost trust in your brand. When trust is breached, customer
deflection is the very next step. For insurers today, protecting your member base will come down
to your ability to provide accurate information to customers when and where they need it. Providing instant,
accurate answers to an unlimited number of incoming queries is where Virtual Agent technology from
IntelliResponse excels. The next few pages illustrate how the technology delivers a range of benefits to
insurance companies like you.
Poll was conducted August 6th and 7th using Google Consumers Surveys,
polling 1,004 Americans in 2015.
7
54.0%
Health
insurance
9.4%
Travel &
hospitality
9.4%
Cable &
internet
13.7%
Utilities
8.5%
Retail
4.6%
Telecoms
2.0%
Other](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-5-320.jpg)
![Virtual Agents for Health Insurance Providers
Today’s health insurance customers don’t want to be made to work hard when they enter your digital
channels in search of answers and information. That’s why it’s important for health insurance companies to
understand that different self-service technologies offer vastly different levels of satisfaction. Many organizations
still believe that FAQ pages and simple site search functionality constitutes the kind of self-service experience
that customers want. The problem with this thinking is that neither of these tools deliver one-right answer to
customer questions, nor do they give customers complete control of the self-service journey.
Virtual Agents, in contrast, do all of these things and more. Forward thinking insurance companies are
deploying Virtual Agent technology in their digital channels, such as their main website, to handle millions of
incoming questions automatically, while improving the customer experience, increasing conversion rates and
reducing costs. In the coming pages, we take a closer look at Virtual Agents and how they provide the kind of
customer experience outcomes that all health insurers need to deliver.
iPad
A Virtual Agent serves as a welcoming concierge in your digital channels.
© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 6](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-6-320.jpg)
![How Virtual Agents Deliver Value Pre- and Post-Enrollment
OPEN ENROLLMENT
During pre-enrollment , the Virtual Agent
helps visitors to your website get instant
answers to their questions Virtual Agent technology
allows members to ask questions in natural
language from anywhere, on any device,
day or night. They receive a single, accurate answer
in seconds, without having to scroll through
endless site search results or FAQ pages.
When a customer asks the question, the
Virtual Agent intelligently recognizes the intent
behind the question and serves the single
approved answer. By recognizing intent,
not just keywords, the Virtual Agent can deliver
the one accurate answer to a question regardless
of the hundreds of ways a question can
be phrased.
MEMBER PORTAL
After enrollment, the Virtual Agent continues
to deliver value inside your Member Portal
website. After the open enrollment period,
Virtual Agent technology serves as the central
knowledge base tool inside your member portal –
making it the perfect self-serve solution to
answer millions of member questions without
agent assistance.
© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 7](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-7-320.jpg)
![OPEN ENROLLMENT
The Virtual Agent also delivers value to members who wish
to contact your live support channel.
Insurance companies can also deploy Virtual Agent technology on agent desktops, putting fast,
accurate answers at the agent’s fingertips to reduce call handling time, increase answer consistency
and streamline agent training.
iPad
Dynamic Top 10 Questions are
provided so that answers to the
most-likely customer
questions are accessible
with one click.
The Virtual Agent does all the work of search and retrieval for
your live support agents, but with a much higher degree of
accuracy and level of confidence than human-directed
efforts, because the single answer provided leaves no
room for guesswork.
© 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company
Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 8](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whitepaper-alookatourgooglehealthinsurancesurvey-151022172654-lva1-app6892/85/SICK-New-Google-Consumer-Survey-on-the-State-of-Health-Insurance-in-America-8-320.jpg)
SICK: New Google Consumer Survey on the State of Health Insurance in America
- 1. $% !# $% !# © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 1 7 Key Takeaways from the 2015 IntelliResponse Health Insurance Customer Survey IntelliResponse recently conducted a Google consumer survey where we asked consumers about what is important to them when selecting and interacting with a health insurance company. The results paint a telling picture of two important trends that shouldn’t go ignored: 1) the incredibly high value that today’s health insurance consumer places on customer service, and 2) the clear preference of ‘digital’ for support interactions In this report we take you on a tour through the eye-opening results of our 7-question survey including the key takeaways for each finding, so you can understand the importance of taking action on these emerging trends right away. Inside the Mind of the HEALTH INSURANCE CUSTOMER
- 2. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 2 Two-thirds of Americans think it’s important that health insurers provide strong customer service. Question: When selecting your health insurance provider, how important is it that they have a strong reputation for customer service? 66% of Americans expect health insurers to provide strong customer service. This is a major point of insight for health insurers because it reveals what customers value specifically when selecting providers. Health insurance companies can make the most of this finding by they have a consistently strong customer service strategy, especially during peak periods such as Open Enrollment, when many custom- ers consider switching plans. Failing to deliver an exceptional experience when consumers are evaluating their options will almost certainly result in customers looking elsewhere. The website is king for customers looking for questions about their health insurance plan. Question: Where do you go when you first need an answer about your health insurance plan? Most health insurance customers today choose to go online first when they’re in need of answers. This is a clear indication that consumers want to self-serve. Websites allow customers to find answers and information on their own, on whichever device they choose. Health insurance organizations that do not have a strategy for digital self-service run the risk of frustrating a large majority of companies by forcing them to use lesser- preferred channels in order to get answers, such as picking up the phone or sending an e-mail. And this doesn’t just frustrate customers – it can even result in additional support costs or losing out on customers that don’t have easy access to the information they need. 44.7% 36.2% 8.5% 6.9% 2.0% Phone Website Physical Location Email Social media 1 2
- 3. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 3 Less than one-third of Americans think it’s easy to find information on their health insurer’s website. Question: The last time you visited your health insurer’s website, how easy was it to find the information you were looking for? Only 30% of Americans say it’s “easy” to find information on their health insurer’s website This finding is both a warning and an opportunity. Unless you have already invested in enhancing the self-service experience across your digital channels, be warned that your website likely falls into the category of being “difficult” for customers to use. However, this is also an opportunity because many of your competitors have also been slow to design a digital self-service experience that meets the needs of today’s modern consumer. Savvy health insurance leaders will act now to assess their website’s performance and reduce consumer effort. Nearly 90% of Americans prefer to self-serve for answers when they visit their health insurer’s website. Question: On a website, what is your preferred method of finding the answer to your question? 87% of Americans use some form of self-service option such as FAQs, site search, or virtual agent For today’s health care customer, the appeal of self-service lies in its ability to allow customers to provide easy, effortless answers, so that they can resolve their issue completely and quickly return to their daily routine. Increasingly, customers avoid filling out forms or phoning for live support because these kind of interactions elongate the service experience, consuming more time than customers have to invest in the interaction. The best online service experience is one that allows customers to “get in and get out” with their issue resolved nearly instantly. 3 4 $%!#
- 4. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 4 Americans place higher value on customer service experiences than prescription drug coverage when it comes to selecting an insurance company. Question: Aside from cost, what is most important when considering whether to stay with your current insurer or switch companies? By a factor of nearly 2 to 1, Americans value strong, consistent customer service and ease of switching plans over prescription drug coverage This finding illustrates just how much health care insurance consumers value customer service today. When evaluating options, strong customer service outranks even drug coverage on the list of consumer priorities! While this may come as a shock to insurance companies, it should also be yet another wake-up call. It’s time for health insurance leaders to closely evaluate the kind of customer service experience they are currently offering and fund technologies that improve the experience, with the confidence that the investment will pay off in increased sales and improved retention. A majority of Americans say a poor customer service experience is enough to make them consider switching health insurance providers Question: How likely are you to consider switching health insurance companies if you had a poor online customer service experience? 6 out of 10 consumers are likely to switch health insurance companies following a poor customer service experience This finding offers even more evidence that investing in customer experience is a sound and necessary retention strategy. One area of focus where this providers can impact retention is in the Member Portal experience. Post open-enrollment, new members will often have an influx of questions about their newly acquired plans. Member Portals, a frequent feature of health insurance websites, is one area where these companies can make a big impact on client retention. 5 6
- 5. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 5 Four times as many Americans say customer service accuracy in health insurance is more important than in any other industry. Question: In which of the following industries should customers expect the highest level of accuracy from companies? For Americans, issues of personal and family health are near and dear to the heart. When it comes to accuracy in customer service, the bar for health insurance companies is exceptionally high – so high, in fact, that providing inaccurate information will almost certainly guarantee lost trust in your brand. When trust is breached, customer deflection is the very next step. For insurers today, protecting your member base will come down to your ability to provide accurate information to customers when and where they need it. Providing instant, accurate answers to an unlimited number of incoming queries is where Virtual Agent technology from IntelliResponse excels. The next few pages illustrate how the technology delivers a range of benefits to insurance companies like you. Poll was conducted August 6th and 7th using Google Consumers Surveys, polling 1,004 Americans in 2015. 7 54.0% Health insurance 9.4% Travel & hospitality 9.4% Cable & internet 13.7% Utilities 8.5% Retail 4.6% Telecoms 2.0% Other
- 6. Virtual Agents for Health Insurance Providers Today’s health insurance customers don’t want to be made to work hard when they enter your digital channels in search of answers and information. That’s why it’s important for health insurance companies to understand that different self-service technologies offer vastly different levels of satisfaction. Many organizations still believe that FAQ pages and simple site search functionality constitutes the kind of self-service experience that customers want. The problem with this thinking is that neither of these tools deliver one-right answer to customer questions, nor do they give customers complete control of the self-service journey. Virtual Agents, in contrast, do all of these things and more. Forward thinking insurance companies are deploying Virtual Agent technology in their digital channels, such as their main website, to handle millions of incoming questions automatically, while improving the customer experience, increasing conversion rates and reducing costs. In the coming pages, we take a closer look at Virtual Agents and how they provide the kind of customer experience outcomes that all health insurers need to deliver. iPad A Virtual Agent serves as a welcoming concierge in your digital channels. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 6
- 7. How Virtual Agents Deliver Value Pre- and Post-Enrollment OPEN ENROLLMENT During pre-enrollment , the Virtual Agent helps visitors to your website get instant answers to their questions Virtual Agent technology allows members to ask questions in natural language from anywhere, on any device, day or night. They receive a single, accurate answer in seconds, without having to scroll through endless site search results or FAQ pages. When a customer asks the question, the Virtual Agent intelligently recognizes the intent behind the question and serves the single approved answer. By recognizing intent, not just keywords, the Virtual Agent can deliver the one accurate answer to a question regardless of the hundreds of ways a question can be phrased. MEMBER PORTAL After enrollment, the Virtual Agent continues to deliver value inside your Member Portal website. After the open enrollment period, Virtual Agent technology serves as the central knowledge base tool inside your member portal – making it the perfect self-serve solution to answer millions of member questions without agent assistance. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 7
- 8. OPEN ENROLLMENT The Virtual Agent also delivers value to members who wish to contact your live support channel. Insurance companies can also deploy Virtual Agent technology on agent desktops, putting fast, accurate answers at the agent’s fingertips to reduce call handling time, increase answer consistency and streamline agent training. iPad Dynamic Top 10 Questions are provided so that answers to the most-likely customer questions are accessible with one click. The Virtual Agent does all the work of search and retrieval for your live support agents, but with a much higher degree of accuracy and level of confidence than human-directed efforts, because the single answer provided leaves no room for guesswork. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc. a [24]7 Company Inside the Mind of the Health Insurance Customer | 8
- 9. [email protected] 1-866-454-0084 Get a Free, No Obligation Analysis of Your Website’s Self-Service Performance Compliments of IntelliResponse and Forrester Research, Inc. Next Steps? Gartner predicts that by 2020, the customer will manage 85% of the relationship with an enterprise without interacting with a human. The time to deploy a virtual agent solution is now. IntelliResponse Virtual Agents deliver cost savings, revenue opportunities, and voice of the customer insight to hundreds of organizations worldwide. Contact us today to see how we can help your organization meet the needs of today’s digital customer. © 2015 IntelliResponse Systems Inc.