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How Aetna Improved the Quality of its Call Center and Claims Operations
Table of Contents
Performance Support Tools: A Case Study ............................................................................... 3 The Business Problem ................................................................................................................. 3 The Solution................................................................................................................................... 3 Results............................................................................................................................................. 4 Lessons Learned............................................................................................................................ 6 Future Evolution of Program...................................................................................................... 7 About Us............................................................................................................................................. 8 About This Research ........................................................................................................................ 8
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Screen Shot of the epiLearn Performance Support Tool ........................................ 4 Figure 2: Classroom Training Required Before and After Performance Support Tools.... 5 Figure 3: Relationship Between Usage of Performance Support Tools & Late Payments . 6
February 2005
Aetna refocused its training on the 20% of tasks that are critical to an employees every day job. For the other 80% of tasks, the company provided performance support tools.
February 2005
Performance Support Tools: A Case Study For the other 80% of the job, mastery is less important. Employees are unlikely to retain knowledge on tasks performed infrequently, so the traditional training on these tasks was ineffective. Instead, providing support tools so that employees can access necessary information to complete these tasks when needed would be a more economical and effective approach.
Figure 1: Screen Shot of the epiLearn Performance Support Tool In this example, the HR professional needs to update an employees personal data record. epiLearn brings up a list of steps need to complete the task. As the employee completes each step successfully, the step is checked off the list. If a step is skipped or performed incorrectly, the tool notifies the user, who then can go back and complete the task correctly.
Bersin & Associates 4 February 2005
Aetnas call center employees use epiLearn to complete similar tasks, such as updating a customers address or personal information, changing the vehicle listed on the insurance record, and opening or closing a claim. In each case, the tool works in much the same way as described aboveproviding the steps needed to complete the task, checking off each step as it is completed, and notifying the employee if an error has been made.
Results
In 2003, Aetna developed and deployed 5 performance support tools; by the end of 2004, the company had over 40 support tools in operation. These tools have enabled Aetna to reduce the 13-week training course for new hires to 11 weekssaving each call center employee 2 weeks of time away from work. Our training approach is not about making employees experts on all tasks, said Dave Ulm, Project Manager of Performance Support. We train the employees to know the basics really well. For everything else, there are performance support tools.
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Newly hired call center employees now spend two weeks less in classroom training.
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Figure 2: Classroom Training Required Before and After Performance Support Tools
After rolling out a new performance support tool in March 2004, Aetna tracked the usage of the tool and quality of claims processed for a 3-month period. Aetna tracked tool usage through cookies placed on employees desktops after they registered the tool. The study showed a clear correlation between the use of the performance support tool and the quality of the claims processing: 100% of the employees who used the performance support tool processed their claims without error. In every case where the processed claim contained an error, the call center employee handling the claim had not used the tool.
February 2005
In a second study, Aetna gathered data on usage of performance support tools and late payments. Again, the results showed a direct correlation between the percentage of employees who used the tool and the number of late payments. The greater the percentage of employees using the tool, the lower the number of late payments.
As the percentage of employees using the performance tool increased, the number of late claims payments decreased.
Figure 3: Relationship Between Usage of Performance Support Tools & Late Payments
Inaccurate and untimely claims processing have huge cost implications for insurers. Reworking claims to correct errors carries significant costs in personnel time. Inaccurate and late payment of claims adversely impact customer satisfaction. And, it is difficult to recoup money in the case of overpayment. The performance support tools have proven to be extremely effective in improving quality and reducing costs.
Lessons Learned
Performance support tools are really a different animal from other training development, says Ulm. They look, feel, and act differently. For most of their online training programs, Aetna uses the 3 e approach: educate; engage; entertain. But for performance support tools, the last two (engage and entertain) dont make sense. The tools must be focused and provide the necessary information quickly, then get out of the way. There is no need or desire for engagement or entertainment.
February 2005
Performance Support Tools: A Case Study Ulm recommends that people building performance support tools must look at what the employee will use, and determine how to make it fit with what they do. This requires more user interface expertise than traditional content development. One rule-of-thumb Aetna uses, for example, is to make the performance support tools accessible from the left side of the screen, which conforms to typical website navigation toolbars. And, the information must be no more than three clicks away or it will take too long for the learner to access.
February 2005
About Us
Bersin & Associates is the only research and consulting firm solely focused on What Works e-learning research. With more than 20 years of experience in e-learning, training, and enterprise technology, Bersin & Associates provides a wide range of services including market research, best-practices, vendor and product analysis, corporate workshops, corporate implementation plans, and sales and marketing programs. Some of Bersin & Associates innovations include a complete methodology for learning management system (LMS) selection and application usage, an end-to-end architecture and solution for training analytics, and one of the industry's largest research studies on blended learning implementations. Bersin & Associates offers the industry's first e-learning research subscription, "The E-Learning Research Center," (http://www.elearningresearch.com), which offers up-todate research, product selection guides, white papers, and access to other experts online. This service enables corporate training managers, vendors, and consultants to make faster, better decisions about e-learning strategy, programs, and technology. Bersin & Associates can be reached at http://www.bersin.com or at (510) 654-8500.
February 2005