The U.S. Patent Office has granted Extend Health Inc. a patent for the automatic call distribution application contained in its proprietary call center solution, the company announced today. According to a company statement, the automatic call distribution technology, now recognized with a patent, decreases caller waiting times at call center operations by allocating calls based on matching criteria, sending callers to the agent best suited to handle their needs. Then solution recognizes more than 40 separate customer variables in assigning callers to agents.
“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. “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.”
The company described the operating component of the call distributor technology as “a grid-based algorithm” that replaces the usual queue-based “first come first served” algorithm employed in other call center systems. The grid based algorithm permits a speedier match between agent and caller. The solution also integrates customer data into Extend Health’s service and support center program, providing agents with immediate access to a customer’s health information.
San Mateo-based Extend Health, Inc. operates the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange. The company noted that Cameron C. Liljenquist, David C. Annesley-DeWinter, Ryan Hauert and Mark Stafford had been issued U.S. Patent #8,082,152, “Method and systems for routing items to resources,” for the solution Dec. 20, 2011.
Extend Health provides senior citizens with a central venue for comparing and selecting among private Medicare plans. The company allows comparison of coverage plans offering by more than 75 carriers nationwide, and provides licensed benefit advisors to assist senior citizens assess their Medicare coverage and investigate additional coverage choices.
In January, the company filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. According to a company statement, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. had been selected as book-running managers for the offering, while Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Securities, LLC had been chosen as co-manager for the IPO.
Edited by Carrie Schmelkin