5 Key Metrics to Improve Insurance Claims Call Center Performance

We’ve all called into a company’s customer service number only to be stymied by a confusing maze of options. Or be put on hold for a long period of time before finally giving up and abandoning the call. Or being sent to voicemail and hoping that someone will call us back at a convenient time.

How does it make you feel about that company when this occurs? The fact is, client dissatisfaction with call center experiences is a reason they often leave for companies that will take better care of them.

People calling for assistance with an insurance claim are already under a significant amount of stress. So having this experience when calling into an insurance claims call center can be particularly distressing.

Inefficient claims call center performance can also have a very adverse impact on the company, as calling or managing a claim is often the only direct experience a client will have with their insurance company. And that experience can either enhance loyalty or cause them to look elsewhere for insurance coverage.

That’s why it is critically important to constantly monitor key performance metrics in an insurance claims call center. Following are some of the metrics that every claims manager should have a firm handle on each and every day.

Key Metric #1: Average Call Duration by Agent

Of course, some claims calls can be handled quickly and some take longer to complete. The key is to understand the averages to identify outliers. For instance, agents whose average call duration is consistently below the average may not be providing clients with the care and attention they require. On the other hand, agents with an average call duration that is regularly above the average may not be handling calls efficiently. The average call duration is a key metric that helps identify any potential issues so a claims manager can take corrective action to improve both productivity and client satisfaction.

Key Metric #2: Abandoned Calls

An abandoned call is a call or other type of contact initiated to a claims call center that is ended before any conversation occurs. When inbound calls are abandoned, it is often because the caller is frustrated with the time on hold.

Knowing how many calls are abandoned and which agents they had been routed to provides critical insight for improving client service and satisfaction.

Key Metric #3: Calls-to-Voicemail

Claims center calls that are routed to voicemail can have a number of negative impacts. For instance, clients routed to voicemail are more likely to abandon the call and continue calling into the claims center until they reach a live operator, increasing call volume.

Large numbers of voicemail call-backs can seriously undermine overall productivity and client satisfaction. That’s why Calls-to-Voicemail is a critical claims center metric that must be continually monitored.

Key Metric #4: Hunt and Group Pickups

Metrics on the number of hunt and group pickups provides valuable insight into the efficiency of your call center to improve results. For example, agents that regularly pick up calls in the group queue are going “above and beyond” to ensure excellent customer service. You can use this information to reward and incentivize agents to be team players and further boost motivation, efficiency and productivity.

Key Metric #5: Outbound Calls

Effective insurance claims call center management involves carefully monitoring outbound as well as inbound calls. For example, it’s important to know that outbound calls made by agents are business related and not personal calls.

Because the claims process is such a critical event in the life of an insurance policyholder, it’s paramount that insurance providers get it right. They need to use new methods of analyzing customer data to understand not only what has the most impact in driving satisfaction, but also where to focus to improve customer satisfaction. The TeleTech P&C Customer Satisfaction Survey