When Jan Wigington first reached out to Lighthouse Works about five years ago, she wasn’t looking for another contact center outsourcing vendor. 

As the leader overseeing operations at The Assistance Fund, a charitable organization that helps patients afford life-saving medications, she needed a partner that understood something deeper: that the people calling in weren’t just customers with questions. They were individuals facing serious health challenges who needed someone on the other end of the line who truly cared.

What she found in Lighthouse Works was more than a vendor. She found a mission-aligned partner. That’s because Lighthouse Works employs individuals with vision impairments. Agents have an uncommon depth of empathy and life experience. Many of Lighthouse Works’ employees weren’t born blind, but lost their vision later in life. 

“Our agents have a lot of experience as patients themselves in the healthcare industry,” says Ryan Brown, Lighthouse Works’ VP of Operations. “They know what it’s like to deal with hospitals, doctors and insurance companies.” 

“They understand the impact of that trauma on their own lives and the steps they had to take to get to where they are,” says Kaleb Stunkard, President & CEO of Lighthouse Works & Lighthouse Central Florida. “Our workforce is unique from a life experience perspective as well — they were business owners, architects or lawyers.” 

For The Assistance Fund’s patient population — people dealing with serious medical conditions who need compassionate support navigating complex healthcare systems — this makes all the difference.

During peak season from November through February, The Assistance Fund’s internal team of about 30 patient advocates handles an average of 6,600 calls per month. During that same period, Lighthouse Works’ surge team — staffing between 15 and 25 agents — handles an average of 8,950 calls per month.

Quality scores consistently run between 86-89% against a goal of 82%. But the most telling metric is The Assistance Fund’s Net Promoter Score, which asks patients: “Would you recommend The Assistance Fund to a friend or family member needing assistance?” During the re-enrollment cycle, that score is between 92-97%.

Numbers are nice, but patient feedback tells the real story, says Wigington. She shared this kudos from a client: 

“I would never have been able to afford this medication and navigate this process without assistance from [the advocate I spoke to]…this medication enables me to live a near normal life. Thanks for all you do!” 

Another supervisor received a call praising a Lighthouse Works agent, noting that the advocate “is one of the most pleasant and knowledgeable people she’s spoken to,” and expressing how “the agent has been great and exceptional with providing not only the assistance she asked for, but also for taking initiative with providing information she didn’t know she needed.”

What makes this partnership work isn’t just shared values, it’s rigorous execution. All Lighthouse Works agents receive the same training as The Assistance Fund’s internal team, including comprehensive compliance training. 

The quality assurance process is equally demanding. The Assistance Fund monitors about 30 calls per agent per month, significantly more than the industry standard of one call per week. They’ve recently implemented AI-powered 100% call monitoring, augmented with live call reviews. The scorecard includes seven categories that result in automatic failure if violated, far more than the typical one or two seen elsewhere in the industry.

The relationship is also cost-effective. Wigington says that their cost per call/cost per minute when comparing Lighthouse handled calls and The Assistance Fund calls are similar.

But the real value goes beyond the spreadsheet. 

“TAF clients have serious healthcare conditions and a lot going on in their life,” says Mark Schlesinger, Lighthouse Works’ VP of Contact Center Solutions. “This is a population that doesn’t want AI or do self-service. They want to talk to a real person and empathize with someone.” 

In an industry increasingly dominated by automation and self-service, this partnership proves that sometimes the most innovative solution is simply connecting people who genuinely care.

Visit Lighthouse Works online to learn about their contact center services, or Lighthouse Central Florida to explore vision rehabilitation resources.