Bengaluru is quickly becoming the centre of Availity’s global plans. The United States-based company, known as the country’s largest real-time health information network, has officially opened a 54,000 square foot facility in the city. This marks a major milestone for its India Global Capability Centre. The new investment of 4.3 million US dollars also signals a clear shift from product support to becoming a full-scale technology and innovation hub.
Speaking to a common news source, Sean Keneally, Chief Operating Officer of Availity, said the decision was both practical and strategic. “In 2023, we had about 90 associates in India. By the end of this year, we will be just north of 400, and next year we will be at about 800,” he said.
With this growth, nearly 40 per cent of the company’s total workforce will be based in India. Availity has a little over 2,000 employees worldwide.
Availity is currently focusing on becoming a software-first business. Now in its twenty-fifth year, Availity works with over 95 per cent of payers in the US, more than three million healthcare providers, and 2,000 trading partners. But the company says it is not just about size, but also about speed, trust, and reliability.
“We’ve been growing at a rough order magnitude of 12 to 15 per cent annually,” Keneally said.
He believes India will help the company keep growing faster. “We’re really unleashing a great wave of talent that’s going to help us grow even more rapidly than we’ve experienced in the last five years,” he added.
The results are already visible. Four years ago, Availity spent 12 US dollars for each customer contact. With help from its India operations and improved systems, the cost has dropped to 4.30 US dollars. That is a 60 per cent cut, and the quality scores have also improved. “It’s unheard of,” Keneally said. “Once you see a statistic like that, you start asking: what else can we do?”
This thinking has pushed the company deeper into artificial intelligence. Availity now uses AI in three ways: as a feature in its products, as tools for employee efficiency, and as services to help customers work better. “We’re leveraging Salesforce Einstein agents in our contact center today, which has taken about 30 per cent off post-call wrap-up time,” Keneally explained. “AI is woven through everything we’re doing.”
Governance is also being reshaped. The earlier system of managing Indian operations only through US managers did not work, Keneally admitted. Now, India will have its own product, technology, and operations heads, who will report to Country Head and Managing Director Vybhava Srinivasan. “We’re emulating our US leadership structure here. We’re investing not only in resources that do work, but in leadership too. That’s critically important for success,” he said.
Availity is hiring across many roles, including experienced engineers in cloud, cybersecurity, and product design. It is also starting a new programme for fresh graduates. “We don’t just want legacy experience. We want fresh perspectives,” Keneally said.
Keneally explained that both external and internal factors are shaping the company’s direction. Changes in healthcare payments in the US, growth in government-supported health programmes, and the need to reduce administration costs are all making efficiency more important. “Technology is solving problems that health plans used to solve by throwing bodies at them,” he said. “Bodies cost dollars. Technology investments reduce costs and improve care.”
He also said that this is why India plays a key role. “What excites me is the outside-in thinking—innovative minds looking at problems differently than we have for 25 years. That’s the real value of our expansion here.”
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