The NTT DATA team recently completed an industry-wide Customer Friction Factor study that examined the customer experience of enrolling in Medicare Advantage. In this study, the top performing plans all addressed a few common themes:

• Empowered the customer with the information and tools necessary to make an informed decision
• Designed processes for the customer by focusing on the customer’s goals and streamlining the steps necessary to complete the transaction

• Understood their customer’s needs and demographic, and used that information to personalize the experience.

Looking at enrollment data from Alabama suggests superior customer service can be a competitive advantage in healthcare. The Alabama Blue Cross Blue Shield plan (which ranked best in our study) enrolled 25,898 new Medicare Advantage members in 2017. The lowest performing plans in our study (all big national plans with deep budgets) enrolled only 6,480 new members in that state in total. Here is the bottom line: For health insurance companies to avoid going the way of taxi companies and travel agencies, it is time to get serious about establishing an experience advantage.

Learn more about what we found by reading NTT DATA’s latest Customer Friction Factor study: A Silver Tsunami Is Spurring Improvements in the Medicare Advantage Shopping Experience.


About the author: On his first day as an engineer, someone decided that Matt Leach should write requirements. He soon discovered that project success is not just about technology, but a holistic solution that solves the right problem. Since then, he has helped organizations better understand their business and their customers while delivering solutions that delight both. Currently, Leach is a vice president in NTT DATA’s Digital, Applications and Information Management Practice where he leads the Business Analysis and Project Management Practices.

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