A Secure, Convenient Portal: The Cure for BCBS's Member Service Inefficiencies
Challenge
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Struggling with a large and costly customer service operation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) needed to find a way to give members autonomy over their account information — which would keep the insurer competitive with the latest service advances in the health insurance industry and reduce costs associated with the member service operation. BCBSMA also wanted to ensure the informational and visual designs for the new application would be consistent with BCBSMA’s existing site, as well as integrated with backend systems already in place.
Approach
Molecular followed its time-tested approach of discovery, analysis, design and delivery to provide Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with a member self-service application that would support both the organization’s and the customer’s online goals, remain consistent with the existing look-and-feel of bluecrossma.com, and optimize integration with existing backend systems. To do so, Molecular first identified the goals and preferences of the diverse membership with varied levels of Internet experience. Based on this information, the team developed task flows to minimize the learning curve for clients who conduct tasks infrequently. The self-registration and login processes were designed to be straightforward as well as to convey the seriousness with which BCBSMA regards the privacy and security of member health records.
Benefits
- The intuitive self-service application gives members the ability to obtain and update information faster than they could through a call center, dramatically improving the level of customer service BCBSMA is able to provide.
- Providing for customer self-service allows BCBSMA to reduce the need for costly customer call centers.
- The scalable application provides a platform on which BCBSMA can build and offer additional services to members as industry trends and member needs dictate.
