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Relationships and Communication are Vital
Relationships with our stakeholders, members and clients, are vitally important, yet during the pandemic, they became our number one priority. And, communication became our number one ally. By strategically increasing and improving communication we maintained critical relationships with those who needed information quickly and accurately.
There is nothing more important during a national health pandemic than available health information and understanding and accessing health insurance benefits. We knew that staying “open” for business, providing accurate and timely answers and information was critical to our relationships.
In 2020 PHP:
- Communicated process changes and educated our members and clients for greater awareness.
- Shared insurance coverage changes related to COVID-19 which benefitted our members and families.
- Shared resources available to employers such as the Paycheck Protection Program.
- Provided resources for employers to help manage their remote workforce.
- Established a COVID-19 web resource as a single site of information which continues to be updated based upon current recommendations and guidelines.
- Rolled out a member mobile app for easier access to plan information.
- Introduced a web chat feature to enhance our customer service responsiveness.
Every Team Member Plays an Important Role
In March 2020, PHP realized that we’d have to mobilize our entire team to work full-time, efficiently and effectively from home. The ultimate purpose was two-fold:
- Keep our team members as safe and healthy as possible.
- Keep PHP “open” for business to serve our clients and members.
Numerous changes happened quickly in an effort to shift to a remote work force. In the insurance business, information security and privacy are a top concern. Desktop computers had to be swapped out for secure laptops and technological upgrades made for accessing our network securely. Telephone connections were routed through team members’ computers, virtual meeting software deployed, and security measures verified along the way.
Through this experience, we learned the value of our technology team and the dedication and flexibility of our employees. On Friday, March 13, 2020 PHP staff members started shifting to at-home work and by Friday, March 20, 90% of our team was safely working from home locations. Staff members remained dedicated to our clients and members and continued to serve during the transition. We were never “closed” and PHP owes this to our dedicated staff and devoted leadership team.
Delivering Live, Local Service makes a Difference
Stress and anxiety during the pandemic has affected all of our day-to-day lives. To address this, PHP consciously evaluated touchpoints to assure client interactions were as easy as possible and that we could continue to deliver the same live, local service offered since 1983. We've learned, by staffing a local service team, we can address issues more quickly. And, resolving questions locally helps PHP understand what’s working for our clients and what’s not. When we make things easier for our customers, we also make things easier for ourselves through their satisfaction. In 2021, we continue to work on aspects of our business that will improve delivery of our products and services.
It’s a Win-Win
In many ways, 2020 may go down as one of PHP’s best years. On paper, the financials will tell a different, less compelling story—it was a very tough year from a financial standpoint. You can’t have thousands of people struggling with health issues and expect a health insurance company to come through untarnished.
However, beyond financials, every other measure reflects tremendous personal, professional, and cultural progress at PHP. Relationships are stronger, technology is better, products have been enhanced, and the PHP team proved they can be nimble, resilient, and dedicated under extremely difficult circumstances.
Be well, everyone.
Gary Shearer joined PHP as President and CEO, May 2019. You can reach him at: gshearer@phpni.com or 260-421-4351.
Learn more about PHP here.
