Good customer communication is the key to success for almost every business. Companies in most industries are now looking at new and innovative ways to improve that essential one-to-one communication without increasing the overheads.
Cape Town-based IT solutions provider to the healthcare funding industry, NHA, has achieved just that and has successfully created interactive SMS technology for the innovative, new generation healthcare scheme, Medicover.
Committed to outstanding customer service, Medicover needed an alternative medium for members to access important medical aid information quickly and easily. Traditionally, members would use the Medicover call centre or Web site to extract information. This proved time-consuming for both members and call agents alike.
Drawing on existing SMS technology, NHA has worked to take it that much further and designed an interactive SMS feature into its esteemed Medware system. This smart and sophisticated new feature allows members easier and more effective access to information regarding their benefits, claims and other important medical aid details.
"The new SMS service has given members the freedom to access information as and when they need it," says Sandi Banks, Membership and Marketing Manager at Medicover. "Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, there`s no restriction to office hours. This flexibility suits our new generation market and so does the SMS medium. What`s more, they have the information they need almost immediately. With Medware, our turn around times at call centre had already improved drastically, but with this additional functionality it puts us in another league."
For NHA, this new technology is yet another feather in its cap. Another feature it has tailored into its prized Medware system.
"It`s all about designing working solutions for our clients," says Gavin Harvey, Director at NHA. "It`s the way we approach all business. Because we understand the intricacies of the healthcare funding industry, we understand the needs of their very unique clients. It`s our job to create IT solutions to answer those needs. Medicover`s SMS service solution is a fine example of tapping into a technology and applying that technology creatively, effectively and appropriately."
So how does it work? Well, it`s as simple as sending an SMS and has two components that are designed to make life for member and medical aid administrator that much easier.
The first component works to confirm the receipt of a claim or prompts an event, be it birthday, compliance or reminder regarding medical tests. This is all done from the administrator to the member via SMS.
The second component is the Interactive SMS. A simple and easy to follow process that allows the member to access personal information pertaining to their benefits, contact details and claims - all accessed at the press of a cellphone button. Once Medicover has received the SMS, the relevant information is then automatically sent back to the member via SMS.
"It`s exciting to incorporate new technologies into our existing Medware system," says Harvey. "As cellphone technology develops, so too will its functionality and its potential."
Harvey points out that there is in excess of 9 million cellphones in SA, predicted to double by 2005, effectively bringing all South Africans into the digital network age.
Recognising and harnessing that potential and making it work effectively for their clients, is what NHA has succeeded at yet again. It`s little wonder the company remains at the top of its game.
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