For immediate release: December 29, 2011
Contact: Kathy Parry (802) 371-3205

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont Customer Service Representatives Cited for Excellence

BERLIN, VT – Twelve Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont customer service representatives have been cited for excellence by a quality oversight organization that surveys and benchmarks more than 450 leading international call centers.

The customer service representatives achieved “Certified World Class Performance” recognition for outstanding performance by Service Quality Metrics Group (SQM). The quality review organization also selected Blue Cross and Blue Shield customer service representative Barnney Sandoval of Plainfield, VT, for a coveted spot as a top 11 finalist at the SQM CSR of the Year awards ceremony held in November in Toronto, Canada.

SQM conducts more than one million member surveys annually to determine resolution-success and member satisfaction levels among customer service call centers. Overall, BCBSVT customer service representatives ranked in the top 25 percent of all call centers surveyed. The twelve individuals cited met the criteria for Certified World Class Performance designation, which requires that 75 percent or more of calls surveyed are resolved with the member responding as “very satisfied” (the top response option) with their call center experience and “very satisfied” with the CSR who handled the call.

Sandoval achieved finalist recognition for assisting a BCBSVT member who needed urgent care services while in Peru. Sandoval, who is bilingual, communicated with a Peruvian pharmacy by phone and email to obtain the required documentation for reimbursement for the member’s needed antibiotics.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state’s oldest and largest private health insurer, providing coverage for about 180,000 Vermonters. It employs over 340 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and branch office in South Burlington, and offers group and individual health plans to Vermonters. More information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is available on the internet at www.bcbsvt.com. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.