Extended Health Awarded a U.S. Patent for ACD Technology

Extend Health, Inc., which operates a private Medicare exchange, today announced it has been awarded a U.S. Patent for its automatic call distributor technology that shortens call wait times by matching a caller with the benefit advisor best suited to meet the caller’s needs based on more than 40 customer-specific variables, according to a company press release.

The call distributor technology is a key component of Extend Health’s proprietary call center solution, according to the press release.  Automatic call distributor technology is the first “must-have” that companies requires to do well, according to Donna Fluss, president, DMG Consulting.

Over the past few years, the contact or call center has emerged as the essential component of marketing, since all customers are expecting more value and services from the businesses they buy from and the call center is often the first place they reach when trying to contact the company.  

 “Our goal is to help our customers find the best-fit private Medicare plan and complete their enrollment applications in just one call,” said Bryce Williams, CEO of Extend Health, in the press release. “The key to accomplishing this is being able to match callers with the right benefit advisor when they call. That’s a complex task that involves evaluating 40 customer-specific variables, including such things as benefit advisor licensure, certifications, caller geographic location and health information, how many times the caller has called in the past and total hold time over those calls.”

Extend Health’s call distributor technology centers on “a grid-based algorithm instead of the typical queue-based ‘first come, first served’ algorithm used in most call center systems, allowing a more efficient match of benefit advisor to caller,” the press release stated.

Since the technology automatically integrates customer data into its solution, Extend Health’s call distributor technology allows benefit advisors to have immediate access to that customer’s health information as they talk.