The member experience is key for Elixir. This means more than a simple letter or access to a member portal. We strive to help our members achieve whole health for life. One of the largest areas where we can make a big impact is with our Customer Care Call Center. Leading that charge is Todd Conn, Elixir’s vice president of customer care. Over the past year and a half, Todd has led the Customer Care team at Elixir, with a focus on making a difference every day. We sat down with Todd and asked him to talk more about his role at Elixir helping improve the member experience.
Perspective on Customer Service Trends Today
“Service is the most important thing. Customers make choices not by price, but by service,” Todd stated. “There are so many choices, if a company is not able to apply consistent, reliable service, the customer will go elsewhere and when they do, it’s difficult to get them back.” Todd explained that companies have been innovative with providing service during the pandemic—from self-checkout options to increased mobile ordering and curbside pickup, to lockers in stores for pickup options.
To help ensure we’re delivering on our service strategy, Elixir has updated its phone system and is looking to increase self-service capabilities with interactive voice response (IVR) services to keep members informed, click to chat options, and automated messaging to respond immediately to frequently asked questions that come through email or the website. As an example, if a member emails about an issue with their password, he or she will receive an instant, automatic response on how to fix the issue. This is in addition to the many enhancements the Elixir member portal has undergone over the past year.
“Every interaction with a member is extremely important and we need to give our all,” Todd said. He takes this seriously after witnessing his father coping with a number of medical conditions while growing up. Todd remembers how hard it was seeing his father sitting at the coffee table with 25 pills in front of him, trying to manage what he needed to take in the morning, afternoon and at night, and now Todd wants to help people in similar situations who are struggling to manage their healthcare benefits and prescriptions. “Every day, I think of my dad and try to make a difference,” Todd explained.
After graduating from Penn State, Todd started his career as a customer service representative for T.D. Auto Finance/Chrysler Financial where he spent 13 years, working his way up to director of resolution for the call center. “I realized I was not making a difference in the auto finance industry and, after seeing what my dad experienced, I wanted to make a difference. So I got the job at Cigna,” he explained.
Todd led the pharmacy call center at Cigna for eight years prior to joining Elixir. “Now, I come in every day and make a difference,” he said. “You’re talking to people who don’t want to be sick, who don’t want to be taking medication, just like my dad. So you put yourself in their shoes and help them navigate their healthcare journey. You try to make a difference for them.” And Todd encourages his team to do the same.
The Right Mix for Elixir
Todd has a goal of not only making things easier for the member, but also making things easier for his employees. “Sometimes, when you look at processes, they don’t always make it easy for employees. I want to make it easy so they can focus on members and their needs, rather than systems and processes,” Todd said.
Todd is also focused on making Elixir a great place to work. He knows the past year and half has been difficult for his team, with attrition, COVID and switching to a new landscape of working from home. “How do we improve our ability to engage with employees? How can we make them feel like they’re working in the office while working at home? That’s the goal for 2022—to make increased engagement the standard,” Todd explained. With this goal, Todd hopes to increase employee retention and satisfaction, leading to greater satisfaction for our clients and their members as well.
While Todd’s dad has since passed away, Todd continues making a difference every day in his work at Elixir, with his team and the members we serve. Todd is just one example of the professionals at Elixir who do more than just their job and really work to help members achieve whole health for life. Throughout the year, we will profile other Elixir leaders and how they’re making a difference.
Name: Todd Conn
Title: Vice President Customer Care
Tenure with Elixir: 1.5 years
Education: Bachelor of Arts from Penn State
Family: Married to Colleen for 17 years with four kids—Kennedy (age 13), Keagan (age 11), twin boys Carter and Cooper (age 8)
