The cascading effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused employers and health care organizations to innovate and adapt in response to evolving market needs spurred by increasing consumerism. The modern health care consumer wants it all: virtual care, telehealth services, and convenient customer support from both providers and payers through the channels of their choice.

Greg Miller is the vice president of industry strategy, health care and life sciences, for Talkdesk.

Currently, members evaluate payers based on the various experiences throughout their journeys: from new member onboarding to prior authorization and claims processing, to searching for in-network care. Members expect most of these interactions with their health plan to be possible wherever, whenever, and however they choose. The pandemic accelerated an existing trend of consumers expecting more choices and getting the empowerment they feel in other industries.