Customer Service
Thursday, February 23, 2012 |
posted by Lori Power |
Posted in: life insurance, customer service, benefits, benefit plan, insurance, insurance products |
I like ice cream. I am a little kid at heart in that respect and there is nothing like a nice evening, out with the family and an ice cream cone to widen the smile.
So, there we are at our favourite ice cream shop, a major chain, no real competition in the marketplace and the people behind the counter (not the teens everyone expects to blame this on, people old enough to know better with teens worked into the mix) are slouching, sloppy, leaning on the counter and generally uninterested in the job at hand. There is no focus, no attention to detail, no thank you for spending the premium prices that they charge for iced milk! The order is placed and we are waiting. The shop is not busy and there is a general feeling of inactivity. We have the singer in the back putting the burgers together with ninja (you think I am putting on and I am not!) chops complete with sound effects. There is the wipper snipper, dish towel flinging cashier and I wonder how any orders are being filled.
Wonder no more, they weren’t. As we headed outside, the cars in the drive through were backed out to the road!
Our order for a family of four, just on ice cream, covered the salary of one of the eight employees I counted inside for at least an hour and a half, so there is no question there is enough money coming in the door, can no one take the time to ensure that these people stand up straight, take pride in their job and get the work done the way it is suppose to get done to the best quality available? Or is it just that they really have no competition for their product and hence no real need to treat the customer better? We are all just so used to buying our ice cream there that we don’t even think about going anywhere else.
This type of attitude transfers, I realize, into a lot of areas where we spend money. As creatures of habit, we are use to buying our groceries at one location and our gas at another and so when the service slides, do we notice? Maybe, but then we just continue on . What if we were to try something different - test the waters and see what a difference service makes to our overall enjoyment of the product.
When looking at your benefit plan and all the benefits provided for the employees, what would it hurt to test the waters, see the difference some innovation, some attention to detail, some grateful recipients of your business, makes to the overall experience?
I have to say, my ice cream would have tasted a whole lot better going down had it been given with a smile!
Stop the Insanity
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 |
posted by Lori Power |
Posted in: employee benefits, life insurance, group benefits, benefit coverage, insurance, insurance coverage, group coverage, benefits, benefit products, insurance products, quickcard insurance, benefit plan, coverage, health spending accounts, health spending account, group insurance, employee coverage, employee group benefits |
Everyone in business knows the old adage of insanity … continually doing the same thing and expecting different results. The same applies to Employee Group Benefits.
Time after time, employers get fed up with their current benefit plan- the benefits being provided and, especially, the pricing. However, instead of looking for something different, something to stop the cycle, they typically just change the carrier and/or broker.
So, what has been accomplished in this scenario? Either the existing broker or a new broker suggestspricing can be established with a new insurance carrier where the company can get better pricing with no loss of coverage. It’s a good deal and typically employers go for it, saving around 10-12% over the existing rates. Inevitability, time marches on, once again the pricing has gone up and the cycle repeats because there has been no real change to the benefit plan.
In essence nothing changes as the business owner has enacted the same old strategy, but expected different results.
It can be different with the introduction of Strategy, Analysis, and Planning.
A good plan analysis will review the existing plan design and measure it against the overall business objectives of the company. This means reviewing the history of the benefit costs and claims, measuring results, accounting for the money being spent on coverage and comparing it the money being spent to provide the coverage. A benefit plan should mirror the business plan, being just as fluid and changeable as the business over time. And, just like a good business plan, the owner should know all the ins and outs of how everything should be working compared to how it is actually working.
To stop the insanity, look at what is important to the plan members, understand the pricing, and ensure catastrophic events are covered. Then plan and implement strategic solutions which ensure superior coverage and price stability over time so the cycle of insanity is stopped.
A Glimpse of Real Life
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 |
posted by Lori Power |
Posted in: life insurance, insurance coverage, travel insurance, travel coverage, travel benefits, benefit coverage, group benefits, group coverage, insurance, insurance plan, insurance products, quikcard, quickcard insurance, employee benefits, benefit plan, employee coverage, coverage |
It is an all too common scenario for those of us in the benefits world to hear of employees who chose not to participate in the benefit plan only to need it later.
While an employee may have health and dental coverage through their spouse's plan, that spousal plan does not cover the employee for life or disability coverage. If the employee refuses all benefits, they and their family have no coverage for the employee in the event of an accident or illness that disables them or takes their life.
Maybe it’s a year or two, or maybe it’s as soon as three months later and this employee suffers a stroke, is in a car accident or is hurt while working on a truck. Now they have no benefits to help them through this difficult time.
Once treatment is received, the first phone call typically goes to the employer to check what benefit plan they are on and if they have disability coverage. For those without coverage, that call frequently goes like this:
“I know I turned it down before, but now I need the coverage and I’m willing to pay the premiums. It’s pretty tight just now with no income and all of my existing insurance is tied to my house, car and other loans … I thought I had coverage, but I’ve just gone through everything and I don’t. When I was offered the plan, I didn't realize I wasn't covered for this and now I have a family that needs to eat, be clothed and bills to be paid and I have no income.”
Don't be the one to make this phone call. Insurance carriers cannot make exceptions in this type of situation. Just like with car insurance, you cannot get coverage once you are sitting in the middle of the intersection involved in a car accident. There is NO coverage available after an incident has occurred.
Was your coverage clearly explained to you? Do you know what coverage you and/or your spouse have? Have you ever experienced a situation like this?
