This health insurer is committed to putting health first—for its teammates, customers, and the company itself. Through its insurance services, it makes it easier for millions of people to achieve their best health by delivering the care and service they need when they need it. These efforts lead to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.
The insurer’s IVR system handles over 11,000 calls per day, directing callers to a voice self-service application for tasks such as handling patient claims, provider benefit inquiries, and insurance premium quotes. However, members who call infrequently often struggle to navigate the IVR, leading to frustration and a preference for speaking with live agents. Additionally, the IVR system became challenging when callers encountered re-prompt messages or when self-service became unproductive for their needs.
Providers, on the other hand, often used the IVR for specific, well-defined purposes, such as benefits coverage or claims inquiries. While the IVR was the fastest way to answer their inquiries, dealing with an agent often took longer. The insurer needed a solution to improve IVR usability, reduce errors, and enhance the overall customer experience.
During the initial proof of concept (PoC) period, Gyst implemented its technology to dynamically and automatically adjust the audio playback rate of voice prompts in the IVR. Over a one-week period, A/B tests were conducted on over 20,000 phone calls to measure engagement and performance. Gyst Analytics collected data on caller behavior, and existing voice prompts were speed-adjusted based on individual caller skills.
Audio playback speed adjustment levels of 100, 110, 114, 115, 118, and 121 percent were used. A playback level of 100 indicates the normal playback rate of the audio, while higher percentages represent faster speeds. Audio was adjusted in accordance with the detected skill level of each caller at each conversation turn in the voice application.
In summary, the results indicated:
Callers using speed adjusted audio had 36.9% more engagement (Conversation Turns) in the IVR than callers using standard audio. They also encountered 12.5% fewer error messages and thus, had to reenter information 12.5% fewer times.
The difference in cost between a call handled by voice self-service and a call handled by an agent can vary between $2 - $6 or more, depending on the length of the call, the knowledge and training level the agent receives, onshore/offshore sourcing, and other factors. For our calculations below, we will assume a cost differential of $4 per call between the two.
Standard calls consisted of 3.2 Conversation Turns on average. Thus, had the 36.9% increase in engagement the adjusted audio callers experienced been handled by agents, the additional cost for a contact center handling 10,000 self-service calls per day would be: $4 x (10000 x .369)/3.2 = $4,612 per day. Put another way, replacing standard audio with adjusted speed audio in this particular voice application generates $1,683,380 in annual cost savings for the contact center.
Direct cost savings aside, having customers experience fewer error messages and requests for the reentry of information, along with handling their inquiries on their first contact and freeing up agents for less mundane calls, all contribute to additional benefits in terms of improved customer service and brand image.
