A leading health insurance provider worked with Technosoft to analyze and improve its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Technosoft used a 4-stage approach involving data collection, application analysis, benchmarking, and recommendations. This identified ways to optimize the IVR menu, increase self-service capabilities, and reduce call times. Implementing Technosoft's suggestions improved customer satisfaction by enhancing the user experience and lowering average call durations by up to 50%.

1. A leading health insurance
provider discovers the
competitive advantage
of it’s Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) system.
Technosoft’s 4 stage approach boosts
self-service and contained rates.
Technosoft Case Study Oct 2012

2. 02
the client
Our client is one of the leading health insurance organizations in
North America.
situation and impact
The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application is central to
providing customer service to their members. Members use this IVR
application to obtain information without speaking to a customer
service representative (CSR) such as claim status, accumulated
deductible, order ID cards, directions on how to update records,
obtain benefit information and verify eligibility for specific types
of benefits along with temporary messages regarding recent
changes that may impact a member (ex. Health care reform).
These IVR’s were designed around organizations and not
individuals and thus provided a sub optimal user experience.
Based on feedback from both their members and customer
service representatives, it became apparent that the IVR application
functionality was being underutilized resulting in a drop in customer
satisfaction and a higher percentage of calls being transferred
back to call centers. It was decided to work with a partner to analyze
and benchmark the member IVR functionality (menu options)
and performance (self-service and contained rates) against other
healthcare insurers and understand how to make the application
more effective and consumer centric. The selected partner would
then implement the final agreed upon solution to enhance the
current IVR system.
proposed solution
Our client wanted a partner that could take an objective look at
their current application, compare it to other industry players and
ultimately improve the process. Technosoft was selected for this
project based on our track record in enhancing speech systems
by tuning grammar, re-designing user interface (UI) to increase
recognition rates along with its expertise in Voice, Speech and
Natural language based technologies.
The team did a complete analysis of current member IVR
functionality and self-service and contained rates, benchmarked
these against other health insurers and put forth recommendations
to add/enhance functionality and improve self-service and
contained performance
the technosoft approach
Technosoft adopted a 4 stage approach (Phase 1) that spanned
data collection & application analysis, benchmarking, presentation
of results and implementation of the agreed upon solution.
We recognized that the member experience was a function of the
IVR flow such as prompts, menus, navigation and functionality.
The team gathered data about the application and patterns of use
through instrumentation and human experience modeling and
involved conducting interviews with customer agents. Data points
collected pertained to menu repeats, transfers, confusability and
over compliance with best practices.
project
factfile
Phase 1 was 75 days (30 days for data collection, 15 days for analysis and 30 days
for benchmarking).
Phase 2 implementation was 90 days. Experience manager tool
Oct 2012
03www.technosoftcorp.com
The data analysis approach included analysis of the user behavior
across channels, examination of the statistical relevance of
data patterns, sampling of performance capability to eliminate
performance overheads, confusability analysis, usability design
of the automatic speech recognition application and structure, and
Voice UI design change and improvements in the user experience.
How did callers navigate through prompts? What were the most
common actions? Is the question easily understood? Is the
language of the prompt colloquial?
The underlying premise was to develop additional functionalities
based on call drivers, develop a consumer centric experience that
allows the callers rather than our client to drive the navigation and
thereby experience, meet the callers’ expectations and intent and
provide quick and easy access to what members are calling about.
The outcome was to increase the rate of callers that interact with
the IVR while addressing how to handle callers that do not interact
with the IVR in order to identify their reason for calling and who
they are.
For instance, efforts were taken to improve the effectiveness of
the IVR application by optimizing the menu options based on
usage patterns. To do this we determined the most often selected
choices, used inquiry-cause data to develop/modify prompts,
added additional information when re-prompted, monitored usage
patterns after changes and adjusted timeout values. The end
result was a reordered menu that in many instances reduced the
average call duration by upto 50%.
In a similar manner caller satisfaction was enhanced by providing
a purpose oriented path to the caller which included narrowing
the focus of options as the call progressed, providing a brief
explanation of the services the IVR performed and ensuring in the
event the call was transferred, it was to the best qualified CSR.
Other activities were undertaken like assess the value of
implementing natural language, identify IVR performance and
success measures (containment, member satisfaction and
effectiveness), self service (telephone and web) strategy.
Phase 1: Benchmarking Phase 2: Implementation
Data Collection Application Analysis Benchmarking Presentation of Results
Implementationof
recommendationsontheIVRsystem
User experience
modeling
Instrumentation
Application usage
pattern data
Agent interviews
Data Points like Menu
Repeats Transfers
Confusability
Correlate human
experience model to
collected data
Form the model with
agent feedback & data
Analyze application
effectiveness of
intended functions
Analyze variance &
model the problem areas
for remediation
Average %age of IVR
calls handled
Average time spent in
the IVR
Functionality provided
Usability - Functionality
Overall volume of calls
Context/ Average wait
time
Degree of use of best
practices
Draft report in written
form
Discussion/ Q&A
Feedback incorporated
Final report submitted
Final presentation of
both deliverables

3. 04 Oct 2012
Recommendations made by Technosoft included
• Educate CSR and members on what is required to use the IVR
and what is available
• Add specific functionality
• Reordering of menu
• Allow for more time to respond to prompts
• Further research to be done on reasons for extremely high
level of max tries and timeout
• Do not transfer callers who do not respond to IVR prompts
• Audit requests fulfilled through IVR to ensure they are effective
• The ideal organizational structure for self-service (telephone
and web) strategy and ongoing development and
maintenance
• Best practices
Impressed with the quality and depth of our analysis and the
recommendations proposed, Technosoft was chosen for the
second phase implementation of the agreed upon modifications
as part of the proposed solution
outcomes realized
• Increased the rate of callers that interacted with the IVR
(through redesign of prompts, menus and functionality)
• Higher containment rate
• Improved the caller experience by enabling the member to
drive the navigation and meet their expectations and intent
• Reduced the average call duration (in some instances by up
to 50%)
we can help
If user complaints about your IVR application are all too common,
your IVR performance is not competitive (self service and contained
rates) and usage rates are falling, then it’s time you analyzed,
benchmarked and redesigned your IVR application.
We assist clients in enhancing their speech systems by tuning
speech grammars, re-designing UI to handle confusable phrases
to increase recognition rates, In addition we come equipped with
expertise in providing services and solutions in Voice, Speech and
Natural language based technologies
www.technosoftcorp.com
Average Call Takes 28 sec
Prompt A
Prompt B
Prompt C
Prompt D
Prompt E
Average Call Takes 13 sec
Prompt C
Prompt A
Prompt B
Prompt E
Prompt D
05
A systematic, user centric approach to analysis and design of the IVR
functionality was able to increase the rate of callers with higher containment rates
whilst reducing the average call duration by upto 50%
beyond
possible

4. www.technosoftcorp.com
About Technosoft
Technosoft Corporation is an IT and BPO services provider with
headquarters in Southfield, MI, USA and delivery centers in India. We
provide information technology, business process outsourcing and
consulting services to companies in North America, Australia and New
Zealand and Asia-Pacific Regions. As a privately owned company we
answer to only two constituencies - our customers and our employees.
Our customers rely on us to provide services and solutions that leverage
our industryand domain expertisecombined withour technologyprowess,
delivery focus and quality. Our collaborative culture and work environment
helps attract and retain exceptional talent which is a key ingredient of our
sustained growth. To see how Technosoft can go ‘Beyond Possible’ for
your organizational needs, email us at wecanhelp@technosoftcorp.com
or visit us at www.technosoftcorp.com.
Corporate Headquarters
28411 Northwestern Hwy,
Suite 640
Southfield, MI 48034
Tel: (248) 603-2600
Fax: (248) 603-2599
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