Challenge
Results
The Full Story
When a fast-growing Medicare benefits platform serving primarily seniors aged 65+ needed to clear a mounting backlog and scale its over-the-counter (OTC) ordering service, SupportNinja built the system and the trust to deliver.
A High-Touch Service That Couldn’t Scale
Our client differentiates on member experience, particularly by helping senior members use their over-the-counter (OTC) credits or benefits. These credits help homebound members order essential products, but placing those orders requires manually calling each insurance provider. The process was slow, error-prone, and difficult to scale.
Our client had a growing backlog of unplaced orders and no scalable in-house solution. Members weren't seeing the value of their benefits, which undermined the brand promise.
A Relationship Built On Results
SupportNinja was initially brought in to resolve an urgent backlog.
Within the first week:
- 650+ OTC orders cleared in 5 days
- New service standard established: 6-12 hour turnaround (down from 4-5 days)
What began as an emergency backlog-clearing engagement grew into a long-term operational partnership touching the most sensitive parts of our client’s business.
Within months, SupportNinja:
- Took ownership of the member text messaging channel (2,000+ backlog)
- Reduced first reply times to less than 25 minutes (vs. 60-minute goal)
- Enabled order volume to scale from 9,000 to 18,000 quarterly
Our Approach: Process Redesign Over Headcount
SupportNinja didn't simply provide agents to fill seats; we redesigned the process from the ground up. The original SOP placed orders one at a time, requiring agents to reintroduce themselves to insurance providers on each call. We identified a simple but powerful change: batch orders by insurance vendors so that a single call could handle three or four orders before hanging up.
That process change, combined with intensive daily coaching and hands-on leadership, reduced average handle time by over 20% per order.
The Results: Scalable Operations with Zero Escalation Risk
Within the first few months, the impact was immediate — and sustained as the program scaled.
Scaled Operations Without Breaking the System
Quarterly orders scaled from 9,000 to 18,000 as faster processing and responsive messaging drove higher member engagement — all without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
From Days to Hours in Order Fulfillment
Order turnaround times dropped from 4-5 days to just 6-12 hours, ensuring members received essential items when they needed them.
Zero Escalations Across 40,000+ Orders
Despite serving a predominantly senior population, the operation maintained a flawless escalation record — a critical indicator of both accuracy and trust.
More Capacity for High-Value Work
By reducing handle time and simplifying workflows, we freed up bandwidth to take on more complex, high-touch processes, without requiring significant headcount increases.
Growth can be a great problem to have
As long as you have the right team.
