Bupa showing customers value in real time

Members of Australia’s largest health insurer will now receive a real-time SMS if they have claimed at a Members First Extras provider and had a no-gap experience.

​Sally Damiani, Bupa’s Director of Customer Experience, said the initiative helps empower customers and improve transparency of health care costs.

“We know that our customer’s claiming experience with Bupa is a moment of truth, and often a driver for how they perceive the value and affordability of their cover,” Ms Damiani says.

“By educating our customers about why they didn’t have to pay anything, we’re helping them to understand how their cover works, reminding them about our network of providers so they’ll continue to have a positive experience, and reinforcing the value of their cover at the same time,” Ms Damiani said.

The Bupa Members First Extras Network helps members pay less for most services that are included in their Extras health cover such as most dental, optical, physio, chiro and podiatry. In return for Bupa paying providers a set fee, members receive higher benefits and have the certainty of knowing how much they’ll get back.

Ms Damiani said that the real time SMS functionality will roll out to all providers, not just Member First, in future stages.

“While it’s important to highlight why a customer has had a great experience, we also need to help them understand why they might not have got as much back on their claim as they expected, and how it can be avoided next time.

“The next stage we’re working on is focusing on customers who have had a gap experience at an extras provider, to acknowledge the fact that they’ve claimed and recommend their next best step.” Ms Damiani says.