According to LastPass's Global Password Security Report, the average individual has 85 different accounts. Remembering 85 passwords is not easy, but most people repeat their passwords, causing a password overload.

Most unemployment insurance systems are still crumbling under high claims volumes and calls.  One of the primary root causes is the legacy systems and code base that many state workforce agencies continue to use to this day. According to an ITSC study released in September 2019, only 16 states have fully modernized their tax, benefits, and appeals systems.  Additionally, regardless of modernization status, all state systems are struggling to meet the needs of their citizens.  

Can we use behavioral psychology concepts to provoke action?  Managed care organizations face a daunting challenge in getting members to complete tasks - be it wellness visits or renewing eligibility.  It is not from lack of trying.  Multiple reminders are sent through mailers, SMS, and calls.  What gives?

The Maryland Department of Labor Division of Unemployment Insurance saw a total number of 108,508 new insurance claims for the week of April 4. This number is a spike of 29% from last week's numbers and call center hours and operations are not able to handle the spike. Unemployment insurance claim numbers are increasing in an unprecedented manner given the Coronavirus pandemic across states. While the department has taken measures to address this by asking citizens to submit claims based on their names and days of week, it is also urging people to file claims online. 

Member Guide for COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic.  With 1 in 5 Americans covered by Medicaid, it is seen as a key player in the response to this national emergency.  There is uncertainty around eligibility, co-pay, testing and treatment coverage.  There has been a surge in search of Coronavirus information on Google.  Below is the search term indexed against popular terms like “Trump”, “music” and “video” – according to News Lab team at Google, there has not been a search term like coronavirus in terms of volume – as you can see in the image, it surpasses all other keywords.

Yesterday, 50 people answered 4000 of 196,000 calls received in one state workforce agency to help citizens about unemployment insurance claims. Each of the 50 customer service representatives was working their hardest and served 80 callers each. Fifty people working their hardest resulted in only 0.2% of callers served.

This isn’t a drill. This is real life. This is the crisis we find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Futurists have been envisioning ‘talking computers’ for ages and they are not just science fiction but reality today. Artificial intelligence is already transforming our daily lives. It is no surprise that the government sector is adopting this rapid technological advancement rather quickly. Governments have already begun to adopt chatbots for customer service. Chatbots are computer programs that one can talk to by text or voice and they are helping government agencies improve their speed and quality of service and citizens’ in-turn are getting a better customer experience.

In many cases, chatbots improve customer service - they can speed up interactions, reduce wait times, by way of answering queries with complete accuracy, pulling knowledge instantly from a database, and freeing up valuable time of call center agents. Chatbots are available anytime, anywhere and are easy to use for today’s digital citizens and are soon becoming an essential IT service.

The novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 has undone the world as we know it. Our relationships and interactions with the outside world and with each other have changed completely in just the last few weeks. These changes are unsettling. Will national and international borders remain closed? When will be able to resume our everyday lives or even be able to do something as simple as step out to our favorite restaurants,  bars or cafés? Will human touch become taboo?  Will our lives ever be the “same” again?

The Coronavirus crisis is global, and many businesses and organizations have enabled their employees to work from home. It is no different for state and local government agencies. Consider Seattle, one of the epicenters of the pandemic in the United States.

It's during times like these that people need to band together and support our most vulnerable segments of the population. You, Sagitec's customers, provide some of the best financial support for those in need. We know you are working hard to ensure the services and benefits you offer are not disrupted. When you chose us as your partner, you became part of the Sagitec family and families support each other. We'd like to offer you a helping hand. What can we do to best support you?