Satisfying Digital Interactions Lead to Lower Operating Costs, Higher Likelihood to Renew

Understanding what health plan customers expect from digital channels is key to delivering a great digital experience. The difference between delivering a GREAT digital experience and an unsatisfactory experience can hinge on three key performance indicators (KPIs):  

1. Ease of use/findability: Customers expect to find what they are looking for without a lot of effort  
2. Understanding coverage/usage: Customers expect coverage and benefits to be clearly explained  
3. Features/functionality: Customers expect digital experiences to be fast, appealing, and functional  

Digital Shopping Experience and Healthcare  

It’s important to note that a satisfactory digital experience may begin in the shopping phase before a customer is ever onboarded.  

In fact, the majority of 2023 Healthcare Digital Experience Study (HDES) respondents use the website to compare and research policies:  

Across interaction points, we see shoppers that use digital channels to be more satisfied than those who perform these activities offline. The most satisfied online healthcare shoppers request a quote: 

Once a customer is onboarded, a strong digital experience can more than double plan loyalty. Data shows that the likelihood to renew in the individual Medicare Advantage market is strongly associated with high overall satisfaction with digital experience:   

Areas of Opportunity 

When we look at cross-industry data of other low-touch industries, we see that Medicare Advantage and Commercial Member Health Plans both lag P&C carrier websites on dimensions of Navigation and Speed, which negatively impact satisfaction. Healthcare’s under performance in Navigation is driven by both Findability and Usability challenges. Even the heaviest users of healthcare websites report difficulties with navigation:  

In addition to the need to improve navigation and usability, healthcare providers have an opportunity to increase their mobile presence. Mobile apps outperform all other online channels across digital studies; however, mobile apps remain underutilized in the health plan space.   

Key Takeaway 

A positive self-service experience with a plan’s digital channels reduces phone calls and significantly increases participants’ propensity to continue to use digital channels. Investing time and effort into digital channels can streamline the customer service experience and have a positive impact on your business outcomes.  

To learn more about the 2024 Healthcare Digital Experience Study, join us at the final results webinar on April 9^th >>>