Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Insurance Department Follows Blunt’s Call to Improve Efficiency
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt’s call to identify common sense ways to reduce costs has led the Missouri Department of Insurance to consolidate consumer service functions for an annual savings of more than $67,584.
“As we continue to whittle away at the waste and mismanagement of the past, the dollars add up and the costs go down,” Blunt said. “I applaud the Department of Insurance and state employees who have identified ways to improve operations, maintain exceptional customer service, and reduce costs for state government.”
In the Department of Insurance, consumer services used to be handled by region. Files and related information were routinely transferred among the central, Kansas City and St. Louis offices. Coordinating, transferring and tracking data and files was time consuming but demonstrated no clear benefits to the department or consumers. Employees suggested all consumer services and hotline calls could be managed centrally to reduce process time for consumers, reduce costs for the state, and eliminate unnecessary extra steps. Since consolidating the services, consumers’ questions are being addressed promptly and costs have dropped by $67,584. The figure represents two full time positions no longer needed as a result of the change. The consolidation also resulted in time savings for staff and has allowed them to spend more time addressing consumer concerns instead of transferring information.
“Our goal was to find ways to save the state dollars, yet continue to provide a high level of service to consumers,” said Dale Finke, the director of the department. “We knew that consumers would not care where the consumer service representative was located in the state. The only thing that would actually matter is that their questions and concerns were answered to their satisfaction.”
Consumers with questions or concerns about their insurance policy, company, or producer are encouraged to call the department hotline at (800)726-7390.
For more information about the consolidation, contact Matt Barton at the Department of Insurance (573)751-2562.
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