Jessica Stewart, Customer Service, Behavorial Health

Lots of light and friendly people. These are two big reasons Jessica Stewart, a Customer Service Representative in our Behavioral Health unit, chose to work at Blue Cross instead of another customer service job she had been considering.

“When I was shown around the other company’s customer service floor, I could see there were no windows and nobody seemed to smile. Blue Cross had a much more positive atmosphere. The service area was bright with lots of sunlight streaming in from the windows. The floor plan was open and it seemed like a comfortable place to work. And it showed. Everyone seemed happy — people smiled and said ‘hello.’

My initial instincts about Blue Cross were right on. I’ve worked here over a year now, and it’s true that the people are really great and my team members are easy to get along with and supportive. I feel recognized, too, which is important to me. I’ve received Blue Cross’ internal “Hero” and “Bravo” awards for good service — and my pay has even increased because I meet my service goals.

The job is very busy and requires a lot of talking and fast thinking, but I like that. I’m pretty much on the phones all the time, starting at 8 am. Calls come in back-to-back for the most part, with a few minutes in between to research issues and document what I’ve done. I also spend a couple hours a week dedicated to following up on issues and handling various administrative tasks.

I was drawn to working in the behavioral health area because I majored in psychology in college. I help members with questions about benefits, or they may be looking for providers that specialize in mental health and substance abuse care. Sometimes that means making phone calls and trying to help make appointments or resolving adjustments to claims. It feels good to be able to help people in tough circumstances.

I’ve been trained to help providers, too. For example, they’ll call me for questions about a member’s benefits or to check the status of a credentialing application. The variety of questions I have to deal with keeps the job interesting. And I feel I’m learning so much that advancement is a real possibility.”

Laura Davis, Customer Service, Major and National Accounts

Word of mouth is what got Laura Davis, a Customer Service Representative working with Major and National Accounts to check out Blue Cross at first. She had been working in a restaurant but wanted a change.

“I wanted to work somewhere that could help me establish a long-term career. My mom had a friend who loved working here. She had started as rep and moved up to a director position. She explained to me that there were so many opportunities, that it’s possible to really grow within the company. So I applied like she suggested.

When I got the job offer from Blue Cross, I jumped at it. I liked the hours, the good, inexpensive medical benefits, and the fact that I would be helping people understand health care and benefits.

It meant something to learn that people who work here tend to stay here for a long time. It’s a reflection of how well Blue Cross treats employees. And in the time I’ve been here, I have seen several co-workers move up — so those opportunities for advancement I’d heard about are absolutely true.

For now, I’m concentrating on learning. I’m a weekend college student, working towards a communications degree at the College of St. Catherine. Blue Cross is helping me pay for my studies, thanks to the tuition reimbursement benefit they offer. It keeps me extremely busy, but I’m motivated by the range of opportunities that have opened up since I joined Blue Cross.”