Compassion and clarity: The heart behind exceptional customer service
Published by
Jim Milke
on
In honor of National Customer Service Week, let’s look behind the scenes at Mass General Brigham Health Plan’s customer service center to learn some of the skills, challenges, and rewards that make this operation the lifeblood of a member-focused organization.
We talked with Customer Service Representative (CSR) Heather Otoolemurphy, and Kevin Bryant, Customer Service Activities Committee Chair and Working Our Way (WOW) Focus Group member, to understand their challenges and what drives and inspires their mission to provide exceptional customer experiences.
What qualities/traits make a good customer service person?
Heather: “Being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes is so important. Our members may be going through difficult situations, and it really helps them to let them know right away that they’re understood. Being an active listener and setting a tone of respect and helpfulness is important.
Kevin: “Critical thinking skills are also so important. We sometimes find that it just takes one CSR to ask why we do something a certain way to create a ripple effect that makes a better customer experience, one small change at a time.”
How is a health plan’s customer service different from other industries?
Heather: “You’re doing a lot of educating about health insurance. Often, you’re not just giving an answer about covered services, you’re often taking a step back and explaining why it is or is not covered. When you educate members, they start to understand their plan and how to use it to their best advantage.”
Kevin: “Healthcare is very personal and emotional. Some of these calls are very high stakes. For example, they may be helping someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, and you are helping them understand their coverage. This is something that you don't see in most industries.”
What about the job is especially challenging?
Heather: “Sometimes we are not able to provide a resolution on the spot. Sometimes things take longer. Not being able to deliver that—that’s challenging.”
Kevin: “Situations where we have to deliver news that the member isn’t hoping for. It's hard when the customers have really high expectations and the plan they purchased doesn’t meet their expectations.”
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
Heather: “When you talk to a member who is having a challenging situation, and you help them understand it, or you make it a little bit easier for them, that’s very rewarding. Listening to people, really hearing them, and being able to take ownership and help resolve the issue. Being able to say, I can fix this for you.”
Kevin: “It is especially rewarding when the customer called upset, but you were able to help them and turn their experience completely around. It’s also great to help a customer get the help they need to keep them healthy.”
Heather and Kevin’s top tips on being a world-class health plan customer service professional:
- Don’t expect to know everything at once. Every situation is going to be different. The more you do it, the more you’ll know.
- When you’re in the field, on the phone, that’s when you really start learning. It can be scary at first, but relax and do the best you can, it’ll be okay.
- No two phone calls are ever the same. That’s always a challenge, but part of what makes the job interesting.
- Take some time to take care of your own mental health. It’s important that you get time to recharge.
- Learn all you can from your customer service experience. The things that you learn are so valuable.
- Never give up even on days when it feels difficult. Focus your mind on the customers that you did make a difference for.
- Never doubt that even the smallest thing like updating a PCP for a customer can make a big difference for them.
- Look for an organization with a great support team. Here, the support you have is unreal. Everybody supports each other, and even though we’re working remotely, you still feel part of a community.
- Your attitude is so contagious. Be understanding and empathetic and you’ll learn you can turn even a heated call around. It’s all in how you approach it.
“One needs to be a good communicator and be able to remain calm under pressure. You’re often asked to sift through a lot of information to get to the right answer. It’s important to pay attention to detail—but be as efficient as possible.” Heather Otoolemurphy, Customer Service Representative at Mass General Brigham Health Plan.
If you have a question, contact Mass General Brigham Health Plan.
If you need support managing your health insurance plan outside of business hours, check out the Member Portal and the member app—which are available 24/7 for accessing your cost sharing information, member ID card, provider search tools, and more.