BLOOMFIELD, Conn., January 19, 2010 - CIGNA HealthCare has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence for a fourth consecutive year under the J.D. Power and Associates Call Center Certification Program.SM The Call Center Certification Program distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by CIGNA HealthCare’s call center operation to provide “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience.”
To become certified, CIGNA HealthCare’s call center operations successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee incentives, quality assurance capabilities, and management roles and responsibilities. As part of its evaluation, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a random survey of CIGNA HealthCare customers who recently contacted its call centers, located in Bourbonnais, Ill.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Denison, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; Scranton, Pa.; and Visalia, Calif.
“In achieving certification for a fourth consecutive year, CIGNA HealthCare has demonstrated its commitment to deliver high-quality service to customers contacting its call centers,” said J.D. Power and Associates. “Customers contacting CIGNA’s call centers are particularly pleased with the courtesy shown by the customer service representatives, which is so vital to building advocacy toward CIGNA’s brand given the sometimes delicate nature of the interaction.”
For certification status, a call center must also perform within the top 20 percent of customer service scores, which are based on benchmarks established in J.D. Power and Associates’ cross-industry customer satisfaction research. The evaluation criteria include courtesy; knowledge; concern for the customer; usefulness of the information provided; convenience of operating hours; ease of reaching a representative; and timely resolution.
“To earn J.D. Power and Associates recognition for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence for a fourth time is an important milestone,” said Brett Browchuk, senior vice president of CIGNA’s service operations organization. “Each year the challenge seems greater, and so we cannot be content to rest on our laurels. For example we have expanded CIGNA call center service to 24/7/365 for all our medical, dental and pharmacy health employee benefits plans.”
The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction with call centers and to help call centers in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls.
There are more than 75,000 call centers in North America and an estimated 125,000 worldwide that help customers with product and service questions across a multitude of industries, ranging from credit cards, financial services, investment services, utilities, service warranties and insurance to telecommunications, healthcare and office products.
About CIGNA
CIGNA (NYSE:CI), a global health service company, is dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. CIGNA Corporation's operating subsidiaries provide an integrated suite of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident and disability insurance, to approximately 46 million people throughout the United States and around the world. To learn more about CIGNA, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for email alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to http://newsroom.cigna.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=18.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on the 2009 Call Center Certification ProgramSM , car reviews and ratings; car insurance; health insurance; cell phone ratings; and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
