The service factor in group insurance

In a world where group insurance products are similar, service is what makes a provider stand apart. Whether that service is to administrators or employees, we understand that speed, efficiency and responsiveness are what matter most in the eyes of the beholders.

Two-and-a-half years ago Industrial Alliance embarked on a mission to become the best service provider of group insurance benefits in the country. In part, this was driven by our own interests to be a provider of choice. But more importantly, it was based on our understanding that first-class service plays an important role for organizations when it comes to improving employee attraction and retention.

To that end, we have adopted a disciplined approach to examine all of our work processes to ensure that we actually deliver what our clients want. Throughout this journey we learned a number of important things. First, clients want service contact to be swift and in the form they want (e.g. Web, email, mail, etc.). They want resolutions to be handled quickly, and they want it done right the first time.

With this in mind, we established a plan to introduce initiatives that would make it easier for administrators and plan members to deal with us. For example, we took steps to ensure easier claims processing, increased access to Web-based services and introduced interactive capabilities where they made sense.

In the past two years alone, we have made great strides. In 2011, we added Web-based claim capabilities. And earlier this year, we launched our mobile app for plan members.

We also looked at the processes used by pharmacies and dental offices, which were among the first to submit claims on their customers’ behalf at the point of contact. Industrial Alliance is now developing with Telus Health a simple electronic claim submission service for other healthcare providers, such as chiropractors and optometrists.

As an industry that deals with administrators and plan members every day, we understand that continuous feedback is an essential part of the service improvement process. So we constantly monitor and measure client satisfaction and make additions and/or adjustments as we see fit. Each quarter, for example, we conduct a survey with plan administrators and claimants to identify new service enhancement projects.

We also consider our call centre to be an invaluable resource for gathering information on what works and what doesn’t. Identifying the root cause of the calls and addressing it is the best way to resolve service issues.

Many of the changes we have implemented focus on simplification. For instance, we have streamlined our online claims forms and provided clearer reimbursement information. Where we may not have enough information to process a claim, we now phone the employee or healthcare provider directly to get the missing information quickly.

Since we took on the service challenge, we have seen marked improvement in terms of quality, accuracy, responsiveness and turnaround times. Yet we never lose sight of the fact that improvement of our processes is a never-ending quest.