Streamlined and Supportive: When Health Insurance Gets CX Right

I recently had a long list of questions to ask my insurance carrier as I prepare for a major life event and the associated healthcare costs. My provider's office requested some paperwork from me to clarify exactly what coverage looked like on my plan, and I had a number of additional questions of my own. To stay organized, I created a Google Doc and listed everything I needed to ask. I expected I'd need to call in, wait in a queue, and listen very carefully while noting down the information quickly. While I'm a reasonably fast typist, these calls always make me a little hesitant. As a millennial, my communication preference is written—waiting on the phone is not ideal. Plus, I sometimes struggle with phone reception issues, or the representative may have a quiet voice or an unfamiliar accent, making it easy to miss something. I really couldn't afford to misunderstand anything in this instance.

I fully expected my experience with my insurer to resemble the image, below, by the time I was done.

health insurance can be frustrating

To my pleasant surprise, there was an option to send a secure email directly to a senior representative, which made my day! I prefer having critical information in writing, so I can refer to it anytime I need. Given the nature of my questions, I worried they’d ask me to call in anyway. But, within two business days, I received a very detailed response from the representative. I was impressed! Having previously worked with insurance companies, I know how few offer email as a secure communication option. Maybe it’s the norm in the U.S., but in Canada, where I worked, it was a rarity. Companies would often send correspondence by snail mail, which meant waiting for several days—how inefficient is that? Reducing the need for me to call back, possibly multiple times, to confirm details also lightens the load on the customer service team. I could now update my Google Doc and share it with my provider if requested, making everyone’s lives a bit easier. This is an example of customer experience (CX) at an organization getting it right the first time.

The response was thorough and even went beyond my questions. The rep pointed out additional services I could take advantage of, which were covered and eligible for reimbursement. This saved me from digging through my benefit booklet, only to be confused by coverage details—I got the information I needed, along with clear steps for reimbursement. Carriers are often known for providing the bare minimum in vague terms, but this detailed correspondence was refreshingly different. I didn't even ask for additional service details but found I could really benefit from them. I look forward to taking advantage of these benefits, which I didn't realize existed.

The rep’s email was organized, polite, and prompt (within two business days), and she signed with her name which helped take that nameless, faceless feeling away. I appreciated that the insurer collected feedback afterward, with an option to submit additional comments. There was even a message noting, “This looks like important feedback and we will share it with our team ASAP.” Another nice touch! I genuinely hope the team takes customer feedback seriously and shares it with those who could benefit from it.

Insurance communications seem to have come a long way in recent years, and my experience with my insurer felt like a bright spot in what’s usually a challenging process. No long phone queues, no faxes, and no waiting for paper letters to arrive—just timely, written information, right when I needed it. No waiting around, worrying or guessing and as a customer, these are key emotions which need to be addressed and eliminated during the customer journey. 

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