Automated Personal Service Yields Bountiful
Opportunities in the Consumer Health Market

Looking to expand your market share in the consumer healthcare arena?

Strategic automation and a workforce of home-based agents may be your answer.

With more than 47 million uninsured Americans and a growing population of employers who cannot afford to offer coverage, the consumer-driven health market is booming. Many consumers are bypassing local agents and are turning to the Internet in search of affordable solutions. The online health insurance market offers a plethora of products at competitive prices. What it doesn't offer is personal, expert assistance with navigating the extensive complexities of health insurance - an offering that's not conducive to self-service. Hence, there's a lot of room for competition. The trick is competing cost-effectively.

Harness virtual office efficiencies.

Automation is the key to cost-effectively marketing to the consumer population. Agents who wish to compete in the virtual consumer marketplace must have two things: a Web site and plan selection software.

Today, many large agencies and carriers offer proprietary software to help agents and consumers narrow their choices and select plans that best meet their unique needs. Users can search for health plans based upon pre-existing conditions, budget, desired benefits and more, which saves time and frustration.

In contrast with 10 years ago, today's insurance agents don't require a "storefront" and they're usually not required to work in a traditional office setting. Many companies now employ home-based agents. If your company plans to leverage the cost-efficiencies of a home-based sales force, here are some things to consider:

• Make sure your Web site is professional and search engine optimized so that your site appears within the first three pages of listings when the consumer conducts a keyword search. A good Web site serves as the foundation to success in the consumer marketplace.
• Don't rely solely on search engines to generate site traffic. Use direct mail and advertising to steer potential clients to your Web site.
• Use a software that's built using ASP.net technology and allows home-based agents to access your system via an Internet connection.
• Carefully test systems before making a purchase, paying attention to processing speed (how fast it moves from one screen to the next).
• Assess the "intuitiveness" of the program. Are the field names understandable to the average person? Do questions flow logically? Does the application feel overwhelming or easy to complete?
• Evaluate the reliability of the system. Does it consistently perform without crashing? Does processing time diminish with multiple users?
• Once your system is in place, test your remote processing speed before making the online application available to home-based agents or consumers.

Create a marketing approach that's tailored for your audience.

Agents can place the software on their Web sites for consumer use, or they can simply use the software themselves to speed the selection process. In either case, consumers are well served by technology that compares their personal information to numerous health plans and narrows their choices in minutes. When deciding which approach to take, closely consider the characteristics of your target market.

If you market to seniors, families, those with pre-existing conditions, or those who value personal service, a behind-the-scenes approach is wise. For these clients, a licensed insurance agent plays an integral role in selecting the plan, answering questions, navigating benefits and helping the insured feel confident in his/her health plan. Home-based agents have a definitive marketing advantage over the online health insurance providers with this audience. Make sure your Web site differentiates you by promoting personal service and the confidence of professional assistance.

Alternatively, if you're targeting those with simple coverage requirements who are also technically savvy, a Web site application model works well. These consumers value autonomy and are willing to invest the time to become educated about their options. Keep in mind that with this approach you'll be competing head-to-head with online health insurance providers. Carefully review your competitors and be creative in finding ways to differentiate your services. Offers for free information, checklists and guides are often strong incentives for this information-hungry audience.

Delight, retain and enjoy referrals.

Now that you've decided how to best attract consumers, the next step is to retain them. Actually, the next step is to go beyond just retaining them to delighting them in a way that causes them to tell their friends. How can a home-based agent achieve this? By pouring on the value-added service - in an automated fashion, of course.

Most carriers offer a suite of online tools for managing health insurance. Tools include online payment systems, expense tracking, claims filing, physician screening and selection, hospital comparisons, procedure estimates and more. Your business can easily differentiate itself by going two or three steps beyond just selling the policy.

Here are a few ideas:

• Send a thank you e-mail along with a link to the carrier's site and tips for managing healthcare online.
• Set up an appointment to walk new clients through the carrier's Web site and fully explain the tools available.
• Proactively educate your clients about healthcare and medical issues by periodically e-mailing them an educational e-newsletter.
• Send quarterly follow-up e-mails to uncover any questions or concerns and to let the client know you're available to help.
• Be aware of policy renewal dates and proactively work to renew the policy before your client shops elsewhere.
• With a proactive, personal approach, a home-based agent often provides better service than "storefronts" or big company captive agents. Moreover, the client conveniently receives these services at his/her computer and the agent delivers the services without the expense of postage or the time of in-person consulting.

The Differentiating Factor

The Internet is opening doors for agents and consumers who wish to cost-effectively select and manage healthcare services. However, much like medicine or even auto mechanics, health insurance is an industry that requires personal expertise before implementation. For example, consumers will use the Internet to self-diagnose chest pains or to identify potential causes of a car's brake failure. They will also use the Internet to research potential remedies, find professional assistance, and investigate typical costs. That's where the Internet stops and the personal service begins.

If a situation is complicated and mistakes are costly (or deadly), consumers continue to seek personal professional assistance before making purchasing decisions. Both of these factors are present in health insurance sales. There's a lot of room to compete in the consumer healthcare market. My bet is on the agents who find a way to combine automated efficiencies with expert, personal service.

By Liz Kenneally
Liz Kenneally is the Vice President of Business Development for Oxonia Insurance Group, Inc , a national health insurance agency and exclusive distributor for the Sure Health and Intelicare Health Programs , an innovative provider of Mini Medical products for the individual or group market. Liz serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Association of Health Underwriters (FAHU) as their Publication Chair and is also the editor for the free monthly online newsletter, One Voice. (www.fahuonevoice.com)

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