New Mail Center in Georgia Causes Delays for Sonder Health

Georgia is experiencing severe mail delays in the Atlanta metro area, which are affecting Sonder Health Plans operations. The delay, which is expected to be resolved by the summer, is the result of the new Palmetto Distribution Center.

The issue is causing delays for clients receiving identification cards and other necessary insurance documents in the mail. Sonder's Enrollment Department is also informing new members with May and June start dates for policies of the delays. 

Agents can take several actions to reassure clients affected by the delays:

1. Inform Clients: If clients call to complain about not receiving their documents, kindly inform them of the postal system's delays and the timeline for resolution.
2. Manage Reissued Cards: Inform clients who request reissued documents that the reissuing will not expedite the delivery. Reissuing may also lead to confusion; for example, if a client requests a reissued Member ID card to replace the delayed card, the first card will be deactivated but may reach the client before the reissued and activated card.
3. Give Clients Realistic Timeframes: Adjust delivery timeframes to reflect the delays in the postal system. For documents that usually reach clients within 7-10 business days, allow up to 3 weeks for delivery.
4. Email Delivery: For clients with emails, consider sending them e-versions of documents to give them access while they wait for physical copies. Sonder Health is nearly finished uploading client documents to Salesforce.
5. Hand-Delivering Documents: For clients who are not accessible via email, agents can consider printing documents and delivering them to clients as their business continues.

Agents should exercise open communication and empathy toward clients as this issue persists.