CIGNA Government Services
Company: CIGNA Government Services, Nashville, TN
Company Description: CIGNA Government Services, LLC (CGS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of CIGNA. CGS contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to process Medicare claims for more than 16 million beneficiaries and more than 80 thousand healthcare providers and suppliers. CGS exceeds CMS expectations and focuses on controlling costs to maintain the integrity of the Medicare Trust Fund.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Team of the Year - Recovery Situation
Nomination Title: Flood Recovery - Rising to the Challenge
Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
May 1, 2010, it started to rain in Nashville. When the deluge ceased, more
than 13 inches of rain had fallen in 48 hours. The flood took the lives of 21
people and destroyed countless homes and businesses. As the rains lifted on
Sunday, CGS was among those businesses left with the daunting task of either
closing shop or continuing business on Monday. As a government contractor,
closing shop was not an option. But with our headquarters swept up in the 31%
of Tennessee declared a major disaster area, the simplest business
transactions were now pieces of a complex business recovery operation. CGS
management was informed that the flooded area surrounding our facility was
closed to all personnel due to power outages and the instability of a nearby
levee.
Immediately, upon learning that the facility was closed, CGS
management utilized our emergency notification system, Notifind, to update
employees. This system became a critical link to our employees who needed
daily updates regarding the status of the facility closure and their access to
work. CGS executive staff and key personnel quickly assembled in an alternate
CGS office in Nashville to conduct conference calls and assess the situation
in the context of our existing business continuity plan. Because of this
existing plan and workload management tools, this team was able to quickly
identify the critical services and systems necessary to meet customer needs
with minimal disruption. Recovery of CGS’s customer service functions,
including the Call Center and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, was top
priority. The IVR handles approximately 80% of incoming provider and supplier
inquiries.
Given only a two-hour window to retrieve essential equipment, CGS IT
personnel raced to recover servers and computers. Due to the substantial phone
line requirements of the IVR, a CGS recovery team member personally
transported the IVR server from Nashville to CGS’s satellite office in North
Carolina, where necessary phone lines were available. By Wednesday morning,
the IVR was operating at near full capacity. With one employee traveling, the
remaining recovery team transferred computers and servers from headquarters to
our secondary location in Nashville. Utilizing all available space, employees
were relocated and equipped with computers and phones, ensuring continuity of
service to providers and beneficiaries served by CGS.
On May 13, we began transferring back to headquarters. Thanks to the
exceptional efforts of CGS management and the recovery team, CGS customer
service operations were fully-functioning within 48 hours. This fact alone
would have been a success story for any business in the affected area; however
CGS managed to meet this challenge and exceed customer service metrics goals
in all areas throughout the entire event.
MAY 2010 Results
Metric Customer Goal Actual Results
Part B Average Speed of 120 39
Answer (ASA) (Seconds)
Part B % Knowledge 90.0% 94.2%
Part B % Customer Skills90.0% 100.0%
Part B Provider Call Backs 99.5% 100.0%
DME ASA (seconds) 60 20
DME % Knowledge 93.0% 95.0%
DME % Customer Skills 93.0% 100.0%
DME Provider Call Backs99.5% 100.0%
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.cignagovernmentservices.com/
http://www.cignagovernmentservices.com/jc/help/IVR.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjaQoOdJvI&feature=player_embedded#!
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated team:
John Kimball is the Vice President of Operations. He has been with CGS for
more than 15 years. He has a Bachelors and Masters of Science in Physics from
Appalachian State University. John recently moved from the CGS Systems
organization where he held the roles of Chief Information Officer, System
Security Officer and led various IT teams.
When not working, John enjoys leading his sons' Cub Scout pack and
participating in Scout outings with the boys. John also enjoys golf, running
and cycling. In 2010 John completed 8 Half Marathons, his first Full Marathon
and two Triathlons.