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Elevating CMS.gov’s Agent and Broker Support Portal

During my tenure at Sky Solutions, I spearheaded a crucial project for CMS.gov aimed at enhancing their Agents and Brokers knowledge portal.

The primary objectives were to refine and streamline the portal's content and to integrate a ChatGPT AI tool for efficient assistance and support ticket tracking.

Over a three-month period, I took on multiple roles as the sole UX Strategist and Designer.

I worked alongside a dynamic team consisting of a Product Manager, another Business Analyst, and a flexible group of two to five ServiceNow developers.

This collaborative effort ensured a holistic approach to meeting CMS.gov's evolving needs and improving user experience for Agents and Brokers.

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✅ Challenge

To design a custom prototype for a ServiceNow Portal and ChatGPT AI Chatbot for CMS.gov.

✅ Design Process

Since the team was creating an online support portal and AI assistant built using ServiceNow, I used the following steps in my design process:

Conducting Stakeholder Interviews (Discovery)
Understanding the Problem: Navigating a Remote and Confusing Support Environment (Discovery)
Mapping Our Problem’s Challenges and Goals (Ideation)
Who We’re Helping with This Project (Ideation)
“Cleaning Up” CMS.gov’s Agent and Broker Experience (Ideation)
Low and Medium Wireframing (Implementation and Solution) </aside>

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Conducting Stakeholder Interviews (Discovery)

Recognizing the importance of stakeholder collaboration, I initiated the project by conducting in-depth interviews with Nelly Connolly, the Account Manager of HHS contracts and Product Owner for this design solution.

This approach was crucial in addressing the communication challenges that had previously hindered progress.

Through active listening and open dialogue, I uncovered that project team members had misinterpreted Nelly's vision and goals for the solution.

This misalignment had led to confusion, conflicting ideas, and repeated discussions, ultimately delaying the project timeline.

By prioritizing direct communication with Nelly, I aimed to clarify these misunderstandings and realign the team's focus.

Our collaborative sessions proved invaluable. By attentively listening to Nelly's insights, I gained a comprehensive understanding of:

The experience-related challenges faced by users
Informational gaps in CMS.gov’s Agent/Broker support portal
Technical hurdles that needed to be addressed
Desired outcomes and timeline for the project

This stakeholder-centric approach allowed me to refine the project's primary objective: condensing and streamlining the support and informational experience for CMS.gov Agents and Brokers.

Additionally, we outlined a forward-looking strategy to expand the solution to other government healthcare sites and a broader user base in 2024.

By fostering this collaborative environment and ensuring stakeholder voices were heard, I established a solid foundation for the project, setting the stage for more efficient development and a solution truly aligned with user needs.

Above is a screenshot of the current submenu for CMS Agents and Brokers, which scatter links and resources across CMS.gov, Healthcare.gov, or other sites, which forces Agents and Brokers to go hunting for the information and resources they need.

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Understanding the Problem: Navigating a Remote and Confusing Support Environment (Discovery)

CMS.gov has scattered support offerings and relevant information for CMS Agents and Brokers and they also do not have an efficient method to track and resolve submitted support requests.

In conducting stakeholder interviews with Nelly Connelly, the problems with CMS.gov’s Agent and Broker support offerings are twofold:

The offerings for Agents and Brokers are scattered between numerous phone numbers and emails to contact CMS.gov. This can lead to
- Calling the CMS.gov Help Desk phone numbers or emailing the team resulting in:
  - Sending important questions or concerns into a support “black hole” and
  - Frequent calls and long wait times

One of two CMS.gov PDF pages listing support phone numbers for Agents and Brokers

One of two CMS.gov PDF pages listing support emails for Agents and Brokers

There’s no efficient way to track issues being brought up by Agents and Brokers nor any support or ticketing system on the current FAQs for Agents & Brokers site as a tool to help. This can lead to
- Agents and Brokers reaching out to the same CMS Help Desks through various social media channels, with mixed results on getting needed assistance.
- CMS potentially falling behind on helping Agents and Brokers in getting the help they need, increasing frustration for the Agency and the Agents and Brokers offering government health coverage to people who need it.

The main FAQ page CMS.gov Agents and Brokers

Mapping Our Challenges and Goals (Ideation)

Our primary objective was to revolutionize the support portal, enhancing the experience for CMS.gov Agents and Brokers while driving tangible outcomes. We aimed to create a user-centric platform that would:

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To achieve these goals, we implemented two key improvements:

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