Top 5 ways voice automation is a game changer for Healthcare Insurance contact centers

Voice automation is a potential game changer for healthcare insurance contact centers. With the healthcare insurance industry expanding rapidly but net profit margins decreasing, insurers need to find solutions that help them improve operational efficiency while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

Voice automation makes use of voicebots supported with artificial intelligence technology to create ‘virtual assistants’ who can perform a wide variety of tasks without the need for human supervision. Advanced natural language processing technology used by the voice assistants also means that callers can interact naturally with the voice AI in a human-like manner.

In this article, we take a look at the top 5 ways voice automation can help insurers improve the performance of their contact centers and increase overall levels of customer satisfaction.

Callers can access self-service options 24/7

Ease of access is a priority for consumers. Because voice AI is able to work unsupervised, members can get access to services 24/7, offering convenience that gives the insurer a competitive edge in delivering better customer service.

FAQs

Callers can ask the automated voice assistants for information. members can call the voice assistant at any time to ask questions about policies, procedures and coverage without the need to talk with an operator.

Account queries

Callers can ask the voice assistant to confirm an account status, such as when a premium is due or when the policy is due for renewal.

Claims processing

Members can check the status of their claims or submit additional information to the voice assistant over the phone.

Call waiting times can be greatly reduced

Access to services is ranked among the top three priorities for health insurer clients. Lengthy call waiting queues, long hold times and complex menus contribute to a negative customer experience.

Because voice assistants are a scalable service, they can be available to answer every call almost instantly, no matter how busy the contact center is.

Learn about how voice AI is helping healthcare providers automate their reception services.

Healthcare providers can use automated services for time intensive processes like pre authorizations

Voice automation can help make time-consuming processes like the prior authorization for treatments more efficient. For many healthcare providers, the administration required to get prior authorization can be a real headache. The American Hospital Association (AHA) noted that:

“…one large, national hospital system spends $15 million per month on administrative costs associated with insurer prior authorization changes. The system employs two to three full-time staff just to monitor insurer bulletins for changes to their prior authorization rules.”

Freeing up the time of healthcare providers by reducing call waiting times, automating call backs and offering 24/7 support over the phone with voice automation means healthcare providers can spend less time in administrative tasks and more time on patient care.

Voice assistants lower operating costs while scaling up capability

Contact centers that implement voice automation report a reduction of operating costs of around 30% in the first year. Voice assistants are much cheaper than hiring and training new representatives and offer a predictable cost model when scaling up services.

Many post-call administrative tasks such as updating account records or booking call backs from representatives can be automated with voice assistants, creating a further time saver for human agents and further reducing overall operational costs for the contact center.

Learn more about how voice automation can improve call center metrics.

Contact center specialists are freed up to focus on providing better patient care and better provider support

Contact center staff are under constant pressure to meet performance metrics. Even for the largest insurers, the pressure on staff can lead to burnout and poort customer support. With voice assistants available to take care of many calls, contact center staff will have more time to focus on helping callers with more complex issues. Better patient care and support not only contributes to a better customer experience but also better health outcomes.

Why invest in voice automation?

The main issues impacting customer service satisfaction levels for the healthcare insurance contact centers are:

• Poor rates of issue resolution
• Large volumes of calls with pressure of contact center metrics leading to multiple calls from members and providers
• Pressure on contact center staff leading to burnout, higher attrition rates and further challenges with hiring and retention

Research from Deloitte noted that:

Customers continue to want to contact their insurers by phone. Voice automation offers insurers game changing ways to improve the efficiency of their contact centers while improving customer satisfaction with their services.

Talkie.ai’s conversational AI platform offers healthcare insurers a convenient all-in-one-platform for adding and managing voicebots designed with the specific needs of the healthcare insurance industry in mind. Our pre-trained voicebots are fast to deploy and able to perform with a high degree of accuracy from Day 1.