Pre-AEP Chaos: Why Medicare Agents Must Protect Their Time

Every year, Medicare agents brace themselves for the wild ride that is pre-AEP (Annual Enrollment Period). On this episode of Insurance Business Babes, hosts Kathe Kline and Joanna Wyckoff dive into the recurring challenges agents face, share strategies for making the most of a chaotic time, and offer practical tips on how to streamline your workflow and avoid burnout.

Learning From Experience: Don’t Overbook Yourself

Kathe opens up about her recent misstep—overbooking her calendar and forgetting to block out time for crucial breaks. With technology systems like Sunfire and Connecture notoriously unreliable in the early days of October, many agents find themselves unable to properly serve clients. Kathe’s lesson is clear: make scheduling boundaries a priority and communicate early with your assistant to prevent overwhelm and wasted effort.

Technology Hurdles and Workarounds

Both Joanna and Kathe have felt the sting of platforms not loading current plans or formulary data. Kathe’s solution? Use “sample” clients to preview plan options when the system won’t accept real data. Joanna adds another tip: have clients update their own medication and provider information ahead of time, minimizing manual data entry and saving precious hours during AEP.

Delegation and Automations

For agents with an assistant, delegating tasks like appointment scheduling and data entry for less tech-savvy clients can be a game-changer. Joanna highlights the value of having a consumer-facing assistant to verbally collect information from seniors who can’t use online systems. Automations can further reduce labor, letting agents focus on the high-value aspects of their service.

Planning Ahead: Next Year’s Strategy

The hosts agree: block off the earliest weeks of AEP for prospects only, reserving mid-to-late October for current client reviews. This avoids double work and ensures that all plan details are loaded and ready for meaningful discussions. By protecting your calendar, you reclaim energy and provide better service.

Empowering Agents—And Clients

The episode wraps with a call to build and share resources—a collective list of commonly mis-entered drugs, for example—to help agents catch costly mistakes early. And most importantly, encourage clients to take ownership: fill out forms, respond to reminders, and engage with new technology.

Ready to get ahead of pre-AEP madness next year? Start planning, automate, and delegate—and subscribe to the Insurance Business Babes show for more insider tips!

This episode is sponsored by ⁠CertifiedMedicareAgents.com⁠. Use the coupon code BABES2024 for a free lifetime BRONZE membership.