According to a recent health insurance industry study by 1to1 Media and KBM Group, highly engaged members are less likely to shop around, and more likely to consolidate their health insurance purchases with one company. Leaders in the contact center play a key role in creating an environment that builds engagement between members and the associates who serve them. We were brought in to deliver a coaching and mentoring solution that would bring out the best in every team lead.

The Leadership Learning solution began with forty hours of classroom training, with an emphasis on building the core technical and interpersonal competencies needed for front-line customer interaction leaders. At the conclusion of the course the leaders joined their teams, and a nesting manager was assigned to support them over the following four weeks through supplemental coaching and collaborative team guidance. A syllabus was developed specifically for both nesting managers and team leaders-in-training so that key skills could be scored, tracked, and discussed each week. For the team leads, the additional support provided time for them to practice, adopt, and retain the skills learned during the training sessions. The contact center operations team used the nesting time to establish goals, expectations, and performance guidelines based on the nesting metrics.

A robust communications plan maintained transparency and kept the entire organization engaged with the progress of the program. Delivery schedules were created for all team leaders, for both the training program and the nesting component. Operations managers provided performance feedback at various stages of the process. The nesting scorecards were updated with metric data provided at 30, 60, and 90 days beyond the completed training program.

Average handle time (AHT) dropped by 14% as a result of the program. More importantly, the 33.35% increase in customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores showed that the team leads were now providing a measurable contribution to an improved customer experience. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, more and more consumers are purchasing individual health coverage. This new coaching culture helps the company deliver a higher level of engagement — growing trust, loyalty, and lifetime value with each member.