CMS informal events require Sales Reps to think quickly on their feet as they field inquiries from potential customers regarding Medicare Supplements. Unlike formal events—which have a prescribed start time and feature a planned presentation before a scheduled Q&A session—at informal events, Sales Reps must essentially engage in impromptu 1:1 conversations with consumers.
Let’s set the scene. Medicare Supplement Providers set up kiosks in highly trafficked areas like retail centers, drug stores, and public events. The post signage clearly identifying them as representatives of a particular Supplement Provider, inviting passersby to learn about specific plans and the company offering them, as well as ask any questions they have.
Sales Reps therefore must repeat the same information many times during each informal event as consumers often ask similar, if not the same, questions.
Yet they also must be prepared to answer highly specific and complex questions on the fly as there is simply no anticipating what a visitor might ask.
And through all of this, the Sales Reps must be ever mindful of CMS regulations, which dictate the shape and composition of these conversations. In short, CMS has built specific and strict boundaries and Reps cannot cross these without opening their company up to significant risk.
For Sales Reps, informal events are like juggling acts: the motions are repetitive and simple—the challenge comes from the balancing. And no matter how many balls are up in the air, Reps must also vigilantly ensure their interactions with consumers do not violate CMS guidelines. That’s a lot to manage.
CMS Compliance Audits help Sales Reps learn to juggle.
With Informal Event Audits, mystery shoppers pose as Medicare recipients and monitor their interactions with Sales Reps. If their report uncovers any potential CMS violations, the company can institute small scale corrective action, training the Sales Rep to avoid the same pitfalls.
This allows companies to nip potential CMS violations in the bud before they are caught by CMS secret shoppers—these shops are the real deal and violations will result in costly penalties.
Sales Reps need to learn how to repeat the same information again and again without ever pushing the conversation beyond CMS boundaries. Even more importantly and difficultly, however, they also must learn when to gracefully decline to answer a question that could lead to a violation. This is a tough skill to learn, to restrain oneself and disappoint the consumer to avoid CMS violations.
TrendSource has long been a premiere provider of CMS Compliance Audits, working with the largest Medicare Supplement Providers in the country as they manage CMS compliance.
With a Field Agent network that spans the country, TrendSource Field Agents can be anywhere an informal event is taking place, can appropriately and discretely monitor it, and quickly submit their report for evaluation. This helps companies ensure their Reps are ready for CMS secret shops when they come, and also helps them document due diligence.