SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2003-- Siebel Systems (Company
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Studies), Inc. (Nasdaq:SEBL - News), a leading provider of multichannel eBusiness applications software, today announced that Independent Health has
selected Siebel Healthcare to enhance its award-winning customer service and increase employee satisfaction. Since its founding as one of New York State's first health
maintenance organizations (HMOs), Independent Health, which is based in Buffalo, has grown to offer a full array of health benefits and services to nearly 440,000 people.
In 2002, the National Committee on Quality Assurance included Independent Health in a list of the top 15 health plans in the nation for member satisfaction. This year the
New York State Health Accountability Foundation rated Independent Health the top HMO in Western New York for customer service.
"Independent Health has consistently been recognized for providing high levels of customer service," said Jill Syracuse, Vice President, Internal Operations at
Independent Health. "However, we continue to seek new ways to satisfy our customers and grow our competitive advantage. The industry-specific CRM capabilities of
Siebel Healthcare will enable us to meet these goals by further improving the service our customers receive."
The Siebel deployment at Independent Health will enable member services representatives to assist customers more quickly and resolve a higher number of customer
inquiries during the first call. Previously, when a member called to change primary care physicians, the representative answering that call had to manipulate several different
computer screens in two separate applications, as well as solicit the assistance of the enrollment department to complete the task. The call center capabilities of Siebel
Healthcare will empower representatives to handle such changes themselves -- using only one application. This greatly simplified process will speed customer service and
increase both customer and employee satisfaction.
Siebel Healthcare will also improve monitoring and reporting at Independent Health, providing detailed information that will help pinpoint the reasons behind recurring
customer service issues. With the previous system, staff could see that a particular product was generating customer inquiries but could not easily identify the factors
driving those calls. With Siebel Healthcare, Independent Health employees can identify the various factors driving each service request -- such as questions regarding
eligibility, co-pay, and specific benefits. Management can use this information to detect and address recurring problems, thereby reducing the number of calls to the service
center and reducing operational costs.
Siebel Healthcare will also improve the tracking of patient care-related contacts. Independent Health employees will be able to view a patient's entire service request history,
making it easier to address ongoing patient concerns. In addition, Siebel Healthcare will help to ensure compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) requirements that call for detailed tracking of communications related to member care.
Siebel Healthcare is scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2004 and will be used by Independent Health's 650 member service representatives, support staff, and
information management technicians. These employees help provide benefits and services to members as well as more than 4,000 providers and more than 5,000 employer
groups. As part of the implementation, which will be performed entirely by Siebel Professional Services, Independent Health is integrating Siebel Healthcare with its HMO,
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Medicare, Medicaid, and Third-Party Administrator systems.
"All the way around, this is an important progression for our company and something that will help us preserve our position as a local and national leader in facilitating
healthcare solutions and customer service," Syracuse said.
About Independent Health
Independent Health is a health solutions company headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. that began operations in 1980 and is consistently rated among national health care leaders
for member satisfaction. The company has expanded its offerings to include point-of-service and preferred provider organization products, Medicare and Medicaid managed
care plans and coverage for self-funded employers. Independent Health employs about 900 people and provides health benefits and services to nearly 440,000 individuals.
More information is online at www.independenthealth.com.
About Siebel Systems
Siebel Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of eBusiness applications software, enabling corporations to sell to, market to, and serve customers across multiple channels and
lines of business. With more than 3,500 customer deployments worldwide, Siebel Systems provides organizations with a proven set of industry-specific best practices, CRM
applications, and business processes, empowering them to consistently deliver superior customer experiences and establish more profitable customer relationships. Siebel
Systems' sales and service facilities are located in more than 28 countries.
Siebel is a trademark of Siebel Systems, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other product and company names mentioned are the property of their
respective owners and are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The success of the
agreements and products described above and the future operating results of Siebel Systems may differ from the results discussed or forecasted in the forward-looking
statements due to factors that include, but are not limited to, risks associated with new versions and new products, the availability of Siebel Systems' products and services,
implementation of products and services, existence of errors or defects in products, rapid technological change, dependence on the Internet, significant current and expected
additional competition and the need to continue to expand product distribution and services offerings. Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial
results of Siebel Systems are included in Siebel Systems' Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Siebel Systems assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release.
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