Upgrading from massive PDF files to AI-powered Real-Time Guidance helps agents get information as fast as possible

The Challenge

Getting the Right Information During Calls Was Slow. Too Slow.

Insurance claim calls are one of the toughest challenges for reps. If you’re a rep for a nationwide insurance company like National General, you need to have a huge array of policy information at your fingertips at all times.

If they don’t, handle times can go through the roof while customers wait for answers, and QA scores trend south as reps struggle to provide complete and accurate information. National General used to experience this first-hand.

National General used to store almost all policy information in a 400-page PDF file that reps had to keep open during calls. When a customer asked a question about their claim or policy coverage, reps had to put them on hold while they searched through the file for the right answer. This ate up precious seconds on calls. And when policies changed, updates were sent out in an email, where it was up to the reps to read, store, and dig up while on a call.

We used to have a 400+ page digital document that agents had to search to help each customer in the best way. – Julie Morelli, Call Center Director, Claims

National General is no stranger to using technology to fill these kinds of gaps. But most of those solutions only went to work after the call was over, rather than guiding reps in the moment.

The missing piece? Something that would surface the exact answer a customer needed without a rep going on an expedition to find it.

The Solution

Showing Reps the Right Response Live on the Call

National General reached out to Balto and told us exactly what they wanted: Help their reps get the right information as fast as possible.

Enter: The Dynamic Prompt. This feature of Real-Time Guidance helps agents know exactly what to say based on what’s being said on a phone conversation. When a customer asked about a policy change, a rare claim, or other issues the rep wasn’t familiar with, a Dynamic Prompt would automatically surface the information in real-time.

With Balto, our agents have an extra set of ears and are always provided the appropriate response or necessary answer. – Mark Poisson, Director of AI

Once they had Balto, National General’s Claims team immediately moved policy information out of the PDF file and into Balto Playbooks. Each Playbook was built for different policy types, and every single one readied an arsenal of Dynamic Prompts for calls.

As an admin, I can update something and it is available for employees on the very next call. – Julie Morelli, Call Center Director, Claims

After a quick training session, reps started getting guidance on what to say in every conversation. Automobile policy? Homeowners insurance? It didn’t matter what kind of call it was or which state the customer was calling from; reps now got the right information a split-second after the customer said why they were calling.

The Results

No More Digging for Info = 53 Seconds Faster Calls

That saved time added up. After four months of using Real-Time Guidance, the average handle time for claims calls dropped by 53 seconds. Multiplied by the number of reps using Real-Time, the cost-savings grew into the hundreds of thousands.

We’ve been able to cut down our hold time because [Balto] makes that information readily available. It’s right there. – Julie Morelli, Call Center Director, Claims

And did we mention the thousands of customers who get lightning-fast and reliable service every day?

National General didn’t stop with their Claims team. Check out how they also boosted their sales rates using real-time.