Why would a company that is focused on medical insurance use social media?

For HCC Medical Insurance Services, LLC (HCCMIS), the answer is simple: the company’s goal to stay connected with customers means keeping up with social media trends.

The expectations of consumers who use social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter have changed. They want easy, instant access to the products and information they need, and that includes health care information.

Thus, HCCMIS is training its customer service representatives to use social media to engage customers via online chat, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. It is also developing several social media-based contests through its blogs, wikis, and other social media channels.

“While some of our competitors were bailed out by the U.S. government, Forbes was touting our parent company, HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., as one of the five insurance companies best positioned to break out of the recession,” commented Mark Carney, CEO of HCCMIS. “In support of HCC’s commitment to strong financial performance, we are looking to social media to reduce our operational costs, while maintaining strong customer relationships.”

HCCMIS has redesigned its Web site to emphasize its new social media offerings. Both agents and customers who use these social media tools will benefit.

HCCMIS is providing incentives of up to $80 for independent health insurance agents who contract with them via Twitter. The company is also compensating agents at their full commission rate when assisting customers at no charge using the “Find an Agent” feature.

Customers will notice that every page on the HCCMIS Web site features a prominent link to “Find an Agent.” For instance, current and potential customers can connect with travel health insurance experts quickly in order to consult with someone who can help.