Leading independent research firm recognizes UnitedHealthcare for multifaceted approach to improving the member experience
UnitedHealthcare Named 2012 Voice Of The Customer Awards Finalist
<0> UnitedHealthcareSarah Bearce952-931-4732 </0>
UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, was named a Forrester Research Voice Of The Customer Award finalist. Forrester Research announced the finalists and winners at its Customer Experience Forum in New York on June 26.
Now in its fourth year, the Voice Of The Customer Awards recognize companies that improve how they collect, interpret and react to customer feedback. Winners and finalists were selected based on their clarity of approach, business value to the organization, positive impact on customer experience, and innovation. UnitedHealthcare was one of seven finalists chosen from more than 40 entries submitted by a variety of companies spanning several industries.
UnitedHealthcare was recognized for its efforts to better understand the voice of its customers enrolled in the company’s Medicare plans and respond to consumers’ feedback in ways that have led to measurable improvements in their experiences and have made health care simpler and more personal for them.
At the core of these efforts is UnitedHealthcare’s Member Journey Map, which was created based on personal interviews with Medicare members in their homes. The interviews focused on their experiences with Medicare and their health plans, revealing the challenges they faced throughout the process of choosing, enrolling in and managing a Medicare plan.
UnitedHealthcare employees use the Member Journey Map to help them gain a better understanding of enrolling in and using a Medicare plan from the consumers’ perspective. It helps employees develop more personalized solutions to members’ needs and concerns, thereby creating a better member experience.
The Member Journey Map is one example of how UnitedHealthcare translates complex data into useful information and humanizes that information so the voice of the customer is brought to life for employees – stirring emotion, reaction and, ultimately, action. The tool and other member-centric efforts have enabled UnitedHealthcare to better align its programs, products and services with consumers’ health care needs.
“UnitedHealthcare has created a better consumer experience by embedding the voice of our customers in our culture and engaging employees to listen to and understand our members on a more personal level,” said David Shapiro, vice president of member experience at UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement.
“As a result, we’ve seen significant improvements, including a decrease in customer complaints and calls to customer service. Our members have also told us the materials we send them are easier to understand. These indicators suggest that the experience of being enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans is becoming a simpler, more personal one for members,” Shapiro added.
UnitedHealthcare is the nation’s largest business dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries. The company serves nearly 10 million members through its portfolio of Medicare plans and is the market leader by enrollment in each of its core product offerings: Medicare Advantage plans, Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare supplement plans.
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.