A health plan executive recently mentioned, “Let’s get it done now because, during AEP & OEP, everyone loses their minds.” ….It’s true, and we all know why.
There are three reasons why now is the time to experiment with strategies to lower short-term disenrollment:
Not only is this the slower season compared to AEP/OEP, but a steady pace of new members are aging into Medicare Advantage, creating the perfect environment for controlled testing.
Prepackaged retention pilots greatly simplify planning and coordination of A / B testing. Part of your call center onboards new enrollees with current protocols, and another group follows the workflows included with the prepackaged retention technology.
By the time you enter AEP season, your staff can be fully trained and efficient with new workflows that are proven to lower short-term disenrollment. There are no big shocks or surprises.
“A controlled test” vs. a significant distraction
Think of this test as delegating your retention pilot to a vendor who will train your staff, provide workflows, and help keep call center reps on track. You are free to focus on your other important tasks, and there is no risk or commitment.
Experimenting during the slow season increases your knowledge of what things don’t impact retention and what changes do lower short-term disenrollment. Both learnings are immensely valuable.
Essential topics to include in your A / B comparison:
Benefit utilization
Benefit utilization
Engagement stats, call length
% of time speaking: Call center rep vs. member
End of call NPS rating
Call center rep satisfaction
Member sentiment comparisons
Forecasted churn risk topics by member
Short-term disenrollment rates
When testing succeeds in lowering short-term disenrollment, verifying that the new approach is repeatable and scalable is important. This is done by adding more call center reps to the pilot. You want to know, “Do our improved results occur with all call center reps? With all plans and all member demographics? When speed bumps are identified, lean on the vendor to provide solutions. You expect to see reduced short-term disenrollment reliability achieved with these groups.
Based on pilot results on August 30th, you want to be confident in your retention strategy. At this point, you would use the higher-performing workflows and technologies with all onboarding calls and pre-AEP check-in calls. Everyone is trained, comfortable, and efficient with the more effective workflows.
Imagine reporting to your leadership that you intend to lower short-term disenrollment by 5% during the coming AEP/OEP campaigns, knowing that you are delivering 10% lower churn.
We’re here to help.
PlanAllies™ will demonstrate tech-enabled conversational engagement that obsoletes scripted onboarding. Technology monitors conversations and prompts reps through enjoyable back-and-forth conversations. Plan literacy, utilization and satisfaction meaningfully increase. The natural results are lower CTM, higher persistence, and increased LTV per member.
Now is the time to experiment.
Ask your call center reps if they’re ready to “Ditch the Scripts,” then give us a call. We’re ready to help you lower short-term disenrollment.