Steve Hutcheon and Jeff Lane of FedPoint discussed how the federal benefits administrator and marketplace operator uses artificial intelligence to modernize contact center operations and improve customer experience across federal benefits programs.
Training the AI Tool to Classify Calls
Jeff Lane, manager of contact center support services at FedPoint, said the company has adopted AI to analyze and identify recurring call categories, assess customer sentiment and monitor resolution outcomes.
By training the AI tool to classify call categories, Lane said the company gained more insights into customer needs and identified overall trends.
“AI also enables us to compile empirical data for each call category, such as volume of calls, average call duration, sentiment, and percentage of calls that get resolved,” Lane noted.
“This provides a great sightline into what’s working well in our contact centers and where there are opportunities to improve the customer experience. This knowledge enables us to invest wisely in areas that will maximize positive impact with respect to both efficiency and customer experience across channels,” he added.
According to Lane, AI-driven insights have resulted in several customer-centric system improvements at FedPoint. For instance, an AI-based analysis revealed that a significant number of calls required transfers to insurance carriers.
“This insight led us to change our Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) menu to identify calls in this category sooner and redirect them to the applicable insurance carrier directly, before involving one of our agents,” Lane stated. “This allowed our customers to get to where they needed to go faster, saving them time, while also reducing call volumes and expenses for us—a win across the board.”
Managing Call Volumes With AI
Steve Hutcheon, director of client services at FedPoint, discussed how AI has enabled the company to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction as it manages millions of enrollments for members of the federal civilian workforce, military retirees and their families.
“Implementing the AI improvements in our contact centers enables us to better manage call volumes year round, including the surge of activity that occurs during the Federal Benefits Open Season each fall,” Hutcheon noted.
Amplifying Human Insight With AI
According to the head of client services, FedPoint’s use of AI reflects the company’s efforts to merge human expertise with advanced technologies to better serve federal enrollees.
“What’s important to note is that AI doesn’t replace human insight, it only amplifies it,” Hutcheon stressed. “Key to our success in integrating AI into our service model are the experienced FedPoint employees shaping how we apply the technology.”
