The Client & Their Challenge

Our client, a non-profit health insurance company, is committed to helping members navigate the often-complex world of healthcare. In 2024, shifting market conditions created new challenges:

  • The withdrawal of competitors from the New Hampshire market created a significant gap in coverage, resulting in an urgent and growing demand for services.
  • Plan Changes & Market Disruption: The launch of the new Signature Access PPO plan for 2025 drove enrollment surges and member questions about provider networks, drug coverage, and plan tiers.
  • Enrollment Complexity: Dual enrollments, provider lookups, and coverage checks caused handle times to rise — some averaging 27+ minutes per enrollment call.

Our client needed a partner who could scale intelligently, maintain regulatory compliance, meet CMS standards and above all, ensure every member felt supported and confident during critical healthcare decisions.

Our Approach: A Smarter Member Experience

At Harte Hanks, we brought together CX design, technology, and human empathy to create what we call the Smarter Member Experience.

  • Augmenting the Team: Added 11 non-licensed agents dedicated to handling MDA enrollments, freeing licensed sales agents to focus on selling — saving 20 minutes per call on average.
  • AI-Powered Insights: Leveraged Contact Lens conversational analytics to transcribe calls, analyze sentiment, and surface member pain points. These insights fuel targeted coaching, faster QA, and better call flows.
  • Compliance First: Maintained 100% phone enrollment/MDA compliance through structured evaluations, real-time monitoring, and weekly calibrations with our client’s teams.
  • Smart Training & Tenure: Our agents averaged 5.1 years of tenure with Harte Hanks — with 14 out of 19 surpassing 6.5 years. This stability created a foundation of trust and expertise for members.

Execution in Action

During AEP 2024, Harte Hanks navigated high enrollment volumes while adapting to new challenges:

  • Handled Market Disruption: Guided new members through disrupted plan changes with extra time and care, ensuring clarity even as complexity drove up handle times.
  • Broker Support: Identified bottlenecks with broker call wait times and recommended opening the phone enrollment group to brokers during AEP to reduce friction.
  • HRA Campaigns: Managed 8,390 contact IDs for Health Risk Assessments, with nearly half requiring 3+ outreach attempts, demonstrating persistence and member dedication.

The Outcomes: Smarter CX in Action

  • Time Efficiency: Enrollment redesign freed sales agents to sell more effectively, cutting 20 minutes per call while maintaining compliance and CMS standards.
  • Quality Safeguards: Even with seasonal pressures, evaluations and compliance monitoring held quality above industry benchmarks (~90–95%).
  • Member Experience: Conversational analytics are laying the foundation for AI-driven personalization and reduced Average Handle Time in upcoming AEP cycles.
  • Stability & Trust: A seasoned team with 5+ years average tenure continues to anchor our client’s member experience, reducing ramp time and increasing member confidence.

Looking Ahead

The partnership is evolving toward a future where AI and human care blend seamlessly:

  • AI-Enabled Training & Simulations to help agents master complex calls faster.
  • Real-time call review and sentiment analysis to reduce escalations.
  • TTY accessibility (via NexTalk) to ensure inclusivity for all members in 2026 AEP planning.

Together, Harte Hanks and our client are proving that healthcare customer experience doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right mix of technology and empathy, every member can feel supported at the moments that matter most.

The Harte Hanks Difference

For our client, Harte Hanks delivered more than contact center support. We delivered:

  • Scalable enrollment solutions that save time.
  • Compliance peace of mind in a highly regulated environment.
  • Human-first member experiences that drive trust and loyalty.

That’s what it means to design a Smarter Member Experience.

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